Comments on: Reflections: S&M in Almaden

By: sk8dad

sk8dad — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 23:42:30 +0000

Late post. Had an awesome time on the ride. I was the “Got Map?” guy. I originally didn’t intend to ride it out in the rain, but by the time the rain picked up, I was wet anyway, so ended up wading through the rest of the ride. Interestingly enough, I was still giving out maps half way through the ride.

Lessons learned from past experience for wet weather riding:

1. It doesn’t matter if you get wet, as long as you stay warm. Though I was soaked through by the end of the ride, my outer layers were wind proof while my inner layers were moisture wicking. The middle layers held any excess water and made for an excellent insulator.
2. Bring dry clothing (from sweats down to underwear) in a plastic bin in the trunk. I changed immediately upon returning to the car, and within minutes I warmed back up to a steamy temp. The plastic bin also provides a nice storage for the soaking riding wear.
3. Bag your map. I had mine in a page protector (liberated from the office supplies cabinet at work).
4. Use your visor. Some helmets come with visors, use it. It allows you to tilt your head so rain does’t directly go into your eyeballs. I find foggy goggles more problematic than the naked eye.
5. Don’t stop. Keeping up core temp (at least for me) requires that I’m constantly moving. I even shift to a lower gear and spin if I need to warm back up in a hurry. Those rest/regroups were not so great for staying warm.
5. Maintain your gear immediately. This is for the mechanically inclined. Remove chain, and seatpost. Hair dryer the chain and cassette for about 5 minutes on hot (I use a heat shrink gun instead). Re-Lube chain. Reassemble. Let frame dry dry for a day at least (to allow trapped water to evaporate). For you serious mechanics… disassemble hubs (esp rear), remove bottom bracket. I go as far as taking a rag moistened with wax (finish line dry chain lube) and go over all steel components (mostly screws on my bike).

By: moya

moya — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:04:03 +0000

I hated you for 2+ hours that night, Jacky!

And I WILL get you back!

mwahahahahahahaha!

By: renee

renee — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:51:52 +0000

I had a friggin blast. had to take a shower afterwards cuz of kicked up dirt. I wanted to take a picture but it was impossible without ruining the camera – I was drenched! BUT WHAT A GREAT RIDE….next time I’ll bring a garbage bag, lol.

By: wildmonteman

wildmonteman — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:31:06 +0000

Worst weather is a huge understatement. How about nastiest? Ride was ok but what bothered me the most about the ride was the Los Gatos police department threatening to run us over shortly after turning left on Blossom Hill off of Union. What a f*cking PIG. Literally!!!!! It’s bad enough that bicyclist are always under the threat of being run down by idiot motorist. But to have law enforcement say on a loudspeaker, on a 2 way, 2 lane road, “move over, move over or I will run you over” repeatedly is a not the way an officer conducts himself. I hope he is the one that gets run over. “F” him and the department that stands behind such a rude prick. But other than that the weather will make this bike party stand out above the rest and not ALL law enforcement behaves in this manner. Usually we have great support from law enforcement agencies.

By: TimC

TimC — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:32:24 +0000

Paraphrasing AC/DC – “To Those Who Froze Their Rocks – I Salute You!”

By: Doc Hawk

Doc Hawk — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 22:15:38 +0000

You are so welcome! Thank you, within, for adding your excellent input as well. This info is money! I really hope it’s helpful for everyone.

It’s a really awesome, empowering feeling to be way outdoors and completely comfortable in weather conditions that make most people scurry for shelter. It does take some equipment, but it doesn’t have to cost a lot, if you know what works.