sliding in the rain?

[matthew]

Forum Sponsor

Wait so I should hold on the brakes even if they lock? and yeah i got super lucky i honestly thought I was definately going down

honest question here, have you taken a bicycle off road?

 

[V-Tom]

Wait so I should hold on the brakes even if they lock? and yeah i got super lucky i honestly thought I was definately going down

To be clear we are talking about the REAR brake here.
If you have locked the rear and the bike has gone sideways the rear tire is sliding to the side. If you release the brake at this point the wheel will start spinning. When it does this it will suddenly get traction and start spinning. It will stop sliding. With the bike sideways you will suddenly get tossed over the bike as it starters out. If you keep the rear locked you can let it slide and steer to control it.

..Tom

 

[MacDoc]

was sunny, then all of a sudden it poured, new rider no need to be a dick

This is the most dangerous time as oil build up on the pavement is then floated off making intersection approaches hyper slippery.
When it has rained a while the oil is washed away.
You do have about 80% of the traction on wet pavement as opposed to dry when it's decent clean pavement.

But around intersections it's iffy all the time with oil, painted lines and grit - the start of a rain makes it crazy treacherous.

Painted lines that are wet can be incredibly slippery - treat them very very carefully.

Saying this cause you might go into a parking lot and practice on pavement thats brand new and the bike will handle completely different than on other surfaces...

+1

 

[youngrider]

This is the most dangerous time as oil build up on the pavement is then floated off making intersection approaches hyper slippery.
When it has rained a while the oil is washed away.
You do have about 80% of the traction on wet pavement as opposed to dry when it's decent clean pavement.

But around intersections it's iffy all the time with oil, painted lines and grit - the start of a rain makes it crazy treacherous.

Painted lines that are wet can be incredibly slippery - treat them very very carefully.



+1

oh wow, probably just going to take it super slow next time if it starts raining out of no where.

To be clear we are talking about the REAR brake here.
If you have locked the rear and the bike has gone sideways the rear tire is sliding to the side. If you release the brake at this point the wheel will start spinning. When it does this it will suddenly get traction and start spinning. It will stop sliding. With the bike sideways you will suddenly get tossed over the bike as it starters out. If you keep the rear locked you can let it slide and steer to control it.

..Tom

Makes sense, I've seen when a bike loses traction and then gains traction again that throws the rider over the bike, thats what I was afraid of happening to me

honest question here, have you taken a bicycle off road?

nope, never went off road on a bike, always been on pavement.

 

[MacDoc]

Getting some off road experience - even if you rent a bike for a day or two at Motopark will make you a much better road rider. Taking their motocross course even more so and lots of fun.

Taking your bike on various surfaces including some gravel/dirt roads will also make you a better rider.
You will relax once you get used to the squirming and will learn to be gentle with the brakes and how important the rear brake is in some circumstances.

You just never know when riding highways when you might hit a construction section that has a dirt surface.

Stay out of deep gravel and sand....that's a challenge even for bikes designed for it.
But the the world is not all good pavement and some practice on the slippy stuff will serve you well.

 

[Veej]

Also don't accelerate too hard from a stop on wet surfaces chances are your rear wheel could be resting on the white markings by the light or stop sign and that bloody paint is slippery as hell.

 

[Roomie]

I disagree with this - "tar snakes" are pretty close to a rubber compound that (if anything) will grip the tire harder than asphalt, BUT the sensation of riding along a "tar snake" and going between it and the asphalt can definitely be disturbing if you don't know what to expect.

Overall though, you're riding across a small surface that has more grip than the regular road surface so there's nothing to be afraid of - IMO

Up here some of those snakes are around bends and seem to go forever. I don't even like riding on them let alone someone new who wouldn't know what to expect.

I'm glad that things worked out and you didnt' lay down the bike!

Rain riding isn't a big deal once you are used to it but you do have to pay extra attention and ride a bit differently.

-Smooth is an important key. Accellerate smoothly, brake smoothly, turn smoothly. With less traction it is easier to brake loose the tires so anything you do should be very smooth. (This is true in all riding but you can get away with it more easily when it is dry.)

-If you lock up the rear brake and start going sideways stay on the rear brake. If you are sideways and release the rear brake odds are good you will high-side over the bike when it gets traction. Best bet is to keep braking until you stop.

-Allow extra distance for all manouvers. The means extra stopping distance, more space around traffic to cut down on road spray, stop futher behind other vehicles to allow you extra distance to stop (as you experienced) and also so that you have room to move ahead if a vehicle behind you can't stop in time) extra accellerating distance (ie if coming out of a side street with cars coming allow extra room in case the traction isn't there when you start moving.)

-avoid lines on the road as they are slippery

-look out for oil. At intersections the middle of lanes tends to have oil on it but oil can be found on many pieces of road well away fro mintersections..-watch out for diesel oil in intersectioins. Trucks tuurning can often spill oil. This stuff is like ice when water is on it.


I hope soem of this helps you a bit.

..Tom

This is the most dangerous time as oil build up on the pavement is then floated off making intersection approaches hyper slippery.
When it has rained a while the oil is washed away.
You do have about 80% of the traction on wet pavement as opposed to dry when it's decent clean pavement.

But around intersections it's iffy all the time with oil, painted lines and grit - the start of a rain makes it crazy treacherous.

Painted lines that are wet can be incredibly slippery - treat them very very carefully.



+1

Best two replies in here. Great advice from both. I will say that the second it gets wet outside I shift myself into granny mode and just relax. It takes some time getting used to rain conditions and the best thing you can do is just slow down and go with it. Always keep your eyes open for obstacles or what the surface of the road looks like ahead of you and you'll be fine. :thumbup:

Forum Sponsor