[LEL17] Tips if the weather is very wet

[AndrewW]

If the weather turns out to be as wet as it is currently forecast to be, does anyone have any tips for riding multi-day events in the rain?

 - Mudguards. Essential?
 - How do you protect your GPS, particularly whilst charging?
 - Shoe covers. Non-essential in summer?

Any other tips that might help?

[veloboy]

Mudguards -
Absolutely essential. If you can't fit full (proper) mudguards, most frames will work with Raceblades. helps to make a nice long flap to extend oil the rear (if you care about being sociable in group riding).

GPS -
IMO and experience, Etrex type Garmin work very well in all sorts of foul weather, and don't need charging (40+ hours on 1 set of disposable lithium AA batteries). If you use an Edge type Garmin, try charging only at controls with a power bank. Most seem to be able to get to controls on a single charge.

Shoe covers -
Sometime helpful, in that they keep you shoes clean, but just accept that your feet WILL eventually get wet.

[psyclist]

First off, don't believe the forecast. You'll get a general feel for the weather closer to the start date, but many things can influence the weather pattern before then. At least I hope so!

Mudguards - for me, definitely. Nothing worse than riding in the wet without them, and I plan to ride with others when speeds align, so for their consideration I would have full length mudguards in place.

GPS charging. I charge mine off a dynamo. Generally I keep it fully charged, then disconnect when it rains. Rain doesn't usually last long enough for the Garmin to completely discharge. If it did, I have a spare Garmin. And if that then became fully discharged, I would be charging the first Garmin in a pannier, using a long USB cable from the Igaro.

Shoe covers - I've not bothered previously, but having seen others wearing them to good effect on wet rides in Wessex, I've now got a pair. If it is warm I'll not use them, but I suspect we'll not be blessed with warm weather at all times. I've used them previously in winter conditions to good effect, although nowadays I use boots throughout the winter.

[jsabine]

SPD sandals.

Actually, that's a top tip for sunny weather too.

[Somnolent]

If the weather turns out to be as wet as it is currently forecast to be,

Really ?
BBC saying sunny intervals for the first two days.

I'll be using mudguards for sure,
I don't charge my GPS in the rain. 
Shoe covers have an inconvenient hole in the top, but also allows H₂O in, and then they don't allow the shoes to dry out when the shower has passed.   I can't afford the time to keep taking them on and off so will do without.  I've provisionally noted to put a scruffy old pair (disposable) in a drop bag in case low temperatures forecast.

[Von Broad]

Any other tips that might help?

Make sure your head's in the right place. What is already a challenging experience could become intensified if the rain sets in with no sign of letting up. Look out for a part of you that's looking for a way out! Especially when you get 'up north' in some of those hills!
When the music stops you can sometimes find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. I remember in 2013 some very, very shivery riders arriving at Barnard Castle after a difficult night in the cold coming over Yad Moss.

Fingers crossed.

[T42]

+1 on the forecast.  Last I heard it's only reasonably accurate within a cell of about 200km/side.

The last lot of Raceblades I bought did have quite a long rear flap.

I power my eTrex from the dynamo and leave backlight on permanently. The batteries are there for when I take it off the bike at controls.  I've ridden through torrential rain with it connected with no problems, although since it sits behind the bar bag it does get a certain amount of shelter.

Sounds daft, but make sure you can get your bottles open when they're wet and your gloves and hands are wet and freezing cold.  Ten years ago I had a desperate 5 minutes' struggle at an outdoor tap with my hands slipping round all the time.

[jon.pavelin]

Mudguards: Not essential but HIGHLY advisable. You'll be getting soaked hours after a downpour if you don't fit them. It's good to just have to worry about the water from the sky.

GPS protection: charge off a cache battery in controls. If you have a cable in the port there's no guarantee it wont die a watery death.

Shoe covers: pretty essential for cold and wet and theres a reasonable chance it will be between brampton and edinburgh. I was cycling in the borders on Thursday night and the forecast said 11c but it was 3c in the valleys. Be prepared for cold.

If you really like dry feet i would carry a few pairs of dry socks on the bike and cling film or parafilm for covering over shoe vents. Mudguards also help massively in stopping spray onto your feet.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[T42]

If you wear a helmet, get a rain cover for it. The increase in comfort is wondrous.  And if you want to mount a head torch on it, cut slots for the straps. Water penetration will be minimal.

I bunged up the cleat slots in my SPD shoes with silicone.

Speaking of which, take lots of socks.

[Veloman]

Top tip for GPs. Keep connected to power bank when riding and let bank deplete by keeping gpx at 100% when this has happened then replace power bank with one in drop bag if required. My 7000mA and Edge 800 has got me through a 600 and not a fast ride.  You are now able to buy 20000mA power banks that should easily cope with LEL when having a spare in a drop bag just for peace of mind.  Also, you can purchase a power bank that will take AA batteries for emergency use.

[inappropriate_bike]

Top tip for GPs. Keep connected to power bank when riding and let bank deplete by keeping gpx at 100% when this has happened then replace power bank with one in drop bag if required. My 7000mA and Edge 800 has got me through a 600 and not a fast ride.  You are now able to buy 20000mA power banks that should easily cope with LEL when having a spare in a drop bag just for peace of mind.  Also, you can purchase a power bank that will take AA batteries for emergency use.

The best power to weight I've found are Anker 10000 mah packs, which are only 180g each so over 55mah/g.

If you are going to try and keep a mobile phone powered up for the duration, it'll be a good idea to uninstall or disable as many apps as possible. Definitely turn off or reduce the frequency of anything that synchronises periodically like email apps.

[grams]

Dip the charging cable in Vaseline before plugging it in. Works amazingly at keeping moisture out and prevents the contacts corroding.

(I'm using an iPhone 7 that has a waterproof charging port with no cover. If using a device that requires a cover to be waterproof, you probably want to cover the whole lot in a plastic bag)

[Veloman]

The best power to weight I've found are Anker 10000 mah packs, which are only 180g each so over 55mah/g.

I have a 20000 power bank that is 213g. Bit large as it is thin and wide, but could easily fit in top tube bag (larger size) or small bar bag such as that sold by Decathlon and attached by Velcro. Plenty options out there!

[mcshroom]

I would advise a cycling cap, with or without a helmet I find keeping the rain off my face helpful. On multi day tours I also carry a pair of sealskinz socks. They are not that useful for actually riding in the rain as the rain gets in the top, but they are good at keeping your feet dry in wet cycling shoes after the rain has stopped.

I can't help with the GPS stuff. My etrex30 survives torrential rain, including after changing the batteries in that pouring rain, and as it takes AAs I don't need to carry a power bank.

For phones, it's a good idea to turn off mobile data, wifi, bluetooth etc. and either put it in aeroplane mode, or at least turn the phone to 2G only in the network settings. You're riding an event anyway so most of the time you don't need the phone other than people contacting you in an emergency.

[Kim]

Mudguards: Absolutely.  IMHO the only reason not to have mudguards is that you've brought the wrong bike.

GPS: Mine's an eTrex, so is immune to Weather.  Personally I wouldn't trust a USB connection exposed to rain, though you might get lucky.  If you have to charge a device with a built-in battery, it's best done at controls or in a waterproof bag.

Shoe covers: I use SPD sandals, which are more pleasant than cycling shoes when soaked, and will dry at the speed of lycra.  Wool socks are warm in light rain.  Sealskinz are warm in all conditions, but impossible to dry out in a reasonable timeframe and will stink after a couple of hours of riding.  Feet and sandals can be rinsed off if they get particularly muddy (eg, by riding behind someone without mudguards).

The "warm and wet" principle applies to clothing generally.  You're not going to be able to stay dry while riding a bike all day.

Second mcshroom's suggestion of a cycling cap, especially if you're a glasses wearer.

Organise your stuff using drybags or ziplock bags.  You will end up removing soggy clothing at some point, and if it goes in the same luggage everything else will get wet.

Hardshell recumbent seats benefit from drain holes, so you don't end up sitting in a puddle.

Silk glove and sock liners are a wonderful thing if it's wet *and* cold.

Be prepared for anything electronic, anything printed on unprotected paper, and anything held together by adhesive tape to fail in the wet.  Poor-quality Velcro becomes unreliable if saturated.

British weather forecasts are like USB connectors: Extremely useful but not entirely trustworthy.  It's unlikey to piss it down continuously for more than a couple of hours at a go, but there are always exceptions.

[Kangaroocourt]

+1 for the cycling cap.  I use a gore tex one and it kept my noggin dry-ish through some typical Welsh weather on the Bryan Chapman and equally important kept the rain off my glasses.

Wish I could do the sandals thing but my one and only experience was on a recent 300 that I almost DNFd because of foot pain, which I'd never suffered before; they went straight in the bin when I got home.

[Smeth]

Mudguards yes. Overshoes to take possible wind chill off as above but not for dryness. Some rain is forecast but not that bad over the whole of LEL and too early to say anyway. For the benefit of new visitors to the UK forecast gets pretty accurate 24-48 hours before and tends to err slightly on the pessimistic side. There's a reason we obsess about weather. There's a gulf stream/jet stream from the Atlantic bringing us constant surprises.

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[Fidgetbuzz]

Forget being able to recharge anything at the controls. The few power points available will probably have to be blanked off to prevent access fights breaking out

[toontra]

Forget being able to recharge anything at the controls. The few power points available will probably have to be blanked off to prevent access fights breaking out

This is where mobiles with replaceable batteries win (e.g. my ageing Samsung S4).  Put a spare battery or 2 in the drop bags - instant power.  No cable to carry, much less fuss and far lighter than a powerpack.

[Feanor]

Dip the charging cable in Vaseline before plugging it in. Works amazingly at keeping moisture out and prevents the contacts corroding.

(I'm using an iPhone 7 that has a waterproof charging port with no cover. If using a device that requires a cover to be waterproof, you probably want to cover the whole lot in a plastic bag)

Dont use vaseline on an Edge 800 or similar.
It will swell the rubber seal flap, and it will never close properly again.

[thing1]

If you normally charge the GPS on bike but unplug it in the wet (or while sleeping), don't leave the connector hanging about in the damp. Did that on pbp 11, came back to a very green and corroded mini USB plug.

[grams]

I have a 20000 power bank that is 213g. Bit large as it is thin and wide, but could easily fit in top tube bag (larger size) or small bar bag such as that sold by Decathlon and attached by Velcro. Plenty options out there!

That would appear to give it a better Wh/kg rating than any commercial lithium cells on the market! If it's an off-brand pack it's probably only half or a quarter of what it says on the label. Sorry!

[parkysouthlondon]

Mudguards -
Absolutely essential. If you can't fit full (proper) mudguards, most frames will work with Raceblades. helps to make a nice long flap to extend oil the rear (if you care about being sociable in group riding).

GPS -
IMO and experience, Etrex type Garmin work very well in all sorts of foul weather, and don't need charging (40+ hours on 1 set of disposable lithium AA batteries). If you use an Edge type Garmin, try charging only at controls with a power bank. Most seem to be able to get to controls on a single charge.

Shoe covers -
Sometime helpful, in that they keep you shoes clean, but just accept that your feet WILL eventually get wet.

VB has it right. Mudguards keep most of the road spray off you, your saddlebag and your companions.
My advice would be to have a decent jacket and to keep riding so keeping warm. Don't stop too long along the route. Keep faff to minimum.
Do what worked when you rode in the rain before.

Stay positive in your mind, especially if you're coming from one of those hot countries.

[T42]

I would advise a cycling cap, with or without a helmet I find keeping the rain off my face helpful.

I've never found that the peaks on cycling caps give very much shelter, so for years I used a baseball cap.  Then on our Strasbourg-Brest in 2014 I had to rack my head up so much to see out from under that I ended up with Shermer's Neck.  Night riding when you can only look down is murder.

[Nelson Longflap]

Carry a picnic. It won't do much to keep the rain off, but if you are able to run and hide from a torrential shower you can profit from the time sheltering with a good feed.