Riding a bike in the rain

[mattf]

When I get caught in the rain I always stop in the underpass...long enough to snap the collar shut on my jacket. Use your judgment. So far I've never been caught in one that I couldn't safely ride out, but I HAVE been in storms in the car that I wouldn't have ridden through.

[ronboskz650sr]

Aside from the heavy rains mentioned above, you should not ride in electrical storms. The "Faraday jar" effect you have in a car isn't there for you on a bike. I get caught in the rain, and don't mind until it gets painful (heavy downpour at highway speeds really pummels my legs). It takes quite a rain for that, though.

[earwig]

I have gotten stuck in the rain a bunch of times but never plan on riding in the rain. It's not that I'm afraid of wiping out as much, but I have been in 2 car accidents where cars slid into the rear of my car... I can imagine how much more it would suck to get rear-ended on a bike It's also pretty hard to see with goggles on in the rain.

[Sev]

Actually if you can find yourself a nice overpass then pull over to the side under it. Get as far over as you can and wait out the rain. I've played cards with other bikers who have shown up before. I've also played with the guys I've gone out with.
Of course you'll have to gauge whether it's worth stopping or not based on how heavy the rain is, and whether it's going to last a long time or a short while. No sense in pulling over for 1/2 an hour then heading out into the same severity of storm because you got bored.

There's a deck of cards stored under my seat

Not to be a jerk here...but you got to be kiddin me? Pull ova? Why don't you just stick to a cage where you'll be nice, cozy and dry all day long? That's part of being a "biker"...if you want to be a puss, that's your business, but don't spread that propoganda...

Again, I don't mean to be a jerk, but come on...we got any real riders out there???

Just my 2 cents, spend it wisely.

Maybe it's because when it rains around here, it can come down so hard and so fast that there's over two inches of water SHEETING off the highway. That's 2 inches of water pushing against the sides of my wheels. Wheels that are designed for dry roads and have very little actual treads. Not to mention the fact that it will reduce visibility to ABOUT 3 meters. If you want to ride through that go ahead. We've had storms like that in the last two years that will last for a couple of hours.

Now, I'm willing to ride if it's raining, I've done it a lot. In fact my first rides on both of my bikes have been in pouring rain, and each lasted for quite a while, I could still see what was happening ahead of me though, and that's the big thing I like to know what's coming. But there are certain times when it's a better idea to just pull over. Of course like you say it is being a "wimp", I mean I'm already soaked, why not add some roadrash to the mix?

[sidecarguy]

ok if u dont mind getting wet
riding in the rain w/a sidecar is pretty cool!
i mean those wont slide unless you try to!

[aplmv]

If rain isn't that bad I have no problem to ride. But the question - how to handle a traffic? The cars (even driven by obviously inexperienced drivers) are not slowing down at all. It gets very risky on the HWY. Please share your experience on how you handle a traffic pushing you go faster and faster in the rain.