maybe so, but swimming through that stuff isn't exactly like swimming at your backyard pool.
Monday July 8th - careful out there
- Thread starter MacDoc
- Start date
Took about 2.5hrs for me to ride from College & Spadina, to near the Kennedy Commons. Took Bathurst up for a good chunk of it, then finally got fed up and took some sidestreets til I could get up Yonge. I'm surprised I didn't see more people doing the same -- a lot of very patient people out there to stay in that traffic for so long. Though I don't blame them -- sidestreets were pitch-black and would be rather scary for some unfamiliar with the areas.
Have to admit, the sidewalks were looking pretty tempting as I was starting to really lose my patience in the traffic. But at the same time, it was kind of an interesting experience once again seeing most of the city in utter darkness, and all the people out walking along the road because of the downed subway system. Reminded me of that huge Ontario-wide blackout we had about 10 years ago.
What still blows me away though, is how people completely fail at handling intersections in these situations. Every major intersection, especially along Yonge, was pretty much a free-for-all and people were walking/running/driving in all directions all at once, raging at each other. Absolutely no concept of the "treat it as a 4-way Stop" rule. It felt like some of those videos you see from Taiwan, India etc.
Hope everyone made it safe to wherever they had to go.
Have to admit, the sidewalks were looking pretty tempting as I was starting to really lose my patience in the traffic. But at the same time, it was kind of an interesting experience once again seeing most of the city in utter darkness, and all the people out walking along the road because of the downed subway system. Reminded me of that huge Ontario-wide blackout we had about 10 years ago.
What still blows me away though, is how people completely fail at handling intersections in these situations. Every major intersection, especially along Yonge, was pretty much a free-for-all and people were walking/running/driving in all directions all at once, raging at each other. Absolutely no concept of the "treat it as a 4-way Stop" rule. It felt like some of those videos you see from Taiwan, India etc.
Hope everyone made it safe to wherever they had to go.
I agree there is some frustration, but some of the major intersections have upto 6 lanes of traffic (3 thorough lanes, 1 right turn, 2 left turn); of which every lane in all directions north, south, east, west are packed with traffic for kms down; who came first, or has right of way is not so simple anymore
Everyone in some way shape or form comes to a stop at the same time; but yesterday the biggest problem was the n/b & s/b traffic at our intersection has two left turning lanes which were packed so they got to go for about a 40s; followed by w/b, then s/b and e/b... it was sort of in a counter-click wise direction; but people who were waiting to proceed through the intersection saw this traffic pattern and followed along
It took high beam flashes, car horns and yelling to get some sort of co-ordination out of it; but four-way stop concept at these 6-lane major intersections with heavy traffic in all directions just don't work.
axian_rider
Well-known member
As a newb, I really have no knowledge of this question, and would probably get flamed... But I can't resist to ask:
Besides a downpour like this Monday, is it safe to ride in the rain? Besides the slippery surface and crazy car drivers, what does rain do to the mechanic of the bike? I read somewhere that you'd have to lube the chain everytime after riding in the rain. Is that true? What other things should I look out for if it turns out that I have to ride in the rain? Thanks!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Besides a downpour like this Monday, is it safe to ride in the rain? Besides the slippery surface and crazy car drivers, what does rain do to the mechanic of the bike? I read somewhere that you'd have to lube the chain everytime after riding in the rain. Is that true? What other things should I look out for if it turns out that I have to ride in the rain? Thanks!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I ride in rain all the time, as my bike is my only vehicle. The rain won't hurt your bike, but yes, you should be lubing the chain after riding in it. Water sitting on the chain can and will eventually lead to rust, and deterioration of the chain as a result. I've got a few links on my chain now which have been looking a bit rusty for a week or two now despite frequent care, and this may be a sign of the interior lube leaking out through the O-rings. Not normal for a chain that only has around 25,000KM on it, but could have been accelerated by my winter riding due to salt, etc. Might be that I wasn't careful enough in cleaning out the crap from the roads on the chain.
The other main things to be aware of are the loss of traction, and that you need to leave yourself extra time/space for acceleration and braking. Be very cautious of painted lines on the road, as these become slick in rain. And the general rule of thumb is that the first 30 minutes of rainfall are the most dangerous, as this is when the most oil/gas/etc will have coated the road making it more slick.
fjbabe
Well-known member
I DID
was leaving work dixie n 401 area going north to Btown at one point well stopped had to wring out my gloves 
....... it really sucked but just went slow and got home safe...
Not being seen and your own ability to see is critical.
Hi Viz gear is useful.
Right at the beginning of a rain is the most dangerous from a slipping standpoint - oil floats up after a dry period - washes away after a while.
- after that on decent pavement you have decent traction.
Centre of the lane at intersections are not where you want to be.
Paint lines are nasty in the wet as are railway/street car tracks.
Oily areas and paint lines can even make footing tricky.
Not a bad idea to go to a parking lot when it's wet and try braking - go easy on the rear brake as it will break free much quicker but using both brakes together is a learned skill.
Water depth ( reasonable) is not an issue unless you are boogeying....some of the shallow ruts from trucks on the major highways could get squirrelly at speed but the narrow mcycle tires resist hydroplaning
Stay away from the left lane if you can see cars spraying water from the other direction....that's a lot of force hitting you plus trying to see.
Spray from trucks can be blinding even after it stops raining.
But not being seen is your big risk. Get a high Viz rain jacket.
Last edited:
