Misty Mountain Hop
Riding in bad weather is an incredible experience assuming you don’t fall off and break your hip, or you don’t get hit by a car. Those realities aside, the weather adds a dimension to the ride that you simply don’t have on a sunny day, lovely as they are. The other day I was riding early on a cool morning with a light mist. The humidity in the air seemed to dampen the sounds of the city a bit, and the warm moist air wrapped about me like a cloak. At sea level, it was raining, but the clouds were low enough that as I climbed up away from the coast, I rose out of the rain and into the clouds which seemed to cling to the treetops as they clawed their way along the hillside. The early rays of the sun were trying to penetrate the clouds, and in some spots where the could cover was thinner, the rays burst forth with stunning clarity.
I was in another world entirely.
I keep wearing my S-Works Evade helmet when the weather gets bad outside. And every time, it’s a fresh disappointment that I don’t look like Boonen or Lizzie, who both look amazing in that festering turd of a helmet. But I don’t. I blame my grapefruit-shaped head and the vaguely bewildered look on my face. I’ve thought about ways to make my head look less like a fruit of a popular primary color, but everything I try leaves me with this same stupid round head. If you can’t choose your parents, you should at least be allowed to choose your face; it seems like a basic humanitarian issue.
Ugly as it is, however, it is very warm and keeps the wind off my wet, flowing locks, and it also has enough surface area that I have added various strips of black reflective tape to help make me more visible in order to satisfy to my lingering desire not to end up on a texting-driver’s bumper. (I’ve also covered bits of my Nine Bike with the same tape, and it is awesome.) The Castelli Gabba jersey is the go-to wet weather riding jersey, also with some reflective materials on it, and in Spinal Tap Black it matches the V-Bibs perfectly. This is a jersey that will make even the most stubborn fair-weather rider get excited about rain.
Finally, I’ve been wearing DeFeet’s orange Cyclismo socks in bad weather along with the Orange Damsels, but with the mercury dropping, I’m going to switch over to the orange Slipstreams to keep my feet toasty in the coming cool rain. And, I’m considering designing an all-orange V-Jersey. You heard me.
There is a fine line between being safely visible and looking like a bicycling traffic cone, but the best rides are the rides we come home from. Indulge in the magic that only a Rule #9 ride can bring you, but make sure you stay safe, and keep your Nine Kit in good taste.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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All-orange V-jersey?! Yes! Gabba love. Looking fantastic while staying upright with all your parts working together like they ought to. I love all of this.
At first glance there is a fine line between an Orange V-Jersey and a YJA... but in reality not. The YJA is, well, yellow for a start but more poinently, gawdy loose fitting and flapping about the place resplendant in white reflective tape. A well fitted jersey in a highly visable V-Orange - designed correcty - yes, do that.
@frank you seem to have a lot of faith in Seattle drivers to go about in a black gabba. I unabashedly sport the fluoro model in Rule 9 conditions.
@Puffy
It's not yellow, and it's not a jacket.
@Nate
It's not a jacket, but it is yellow. Careful.
weather is in transition mode here too, seriously thinking of putting full-time mud guards ("fenders" to any foreigners ) on my commute bike, even though they'll make me look like an old lady cycling to church. I've decided a dry arse is more important, its a middle-age thing.
BTW, link to 'Spinal tap black' gives: When something can be none more black, like the color of your cables, bars, saddle, tires, or your soul. No more, surely?
Ok, so first things first, no fenders (or mudguards), otherwise you deny your bike the spoils of avvesome that come with a proper Rule #9 ride.
and when it comes to visibility in poor conditions, Rapha does have some adequately retina searing options available. Have been advised that this combo is visible from nearly a kilometre away in the fog.
last winter, mainly for commuting, I got fed up of shoe covers and got winter shoes. Found that Northwave do three-bolt ones in Goretex.
Lurid yellow Goretex.
They're eye-searing and like all waterproof kit for the feet can't protect against a full scale downpour, but otherwise they're one of the best investments I've ever made in cycling kit.
The commuter bike, which was all-black to start with, is almost entirely coated in black reflective tape. If I was ever getting a custom built winter/commuter I'd investigate getting reflective paint
(and mudguards are mandatory on winter rides in my club, as no-one likes a face full of wheel spray)
Get some Nine wheels and lid and reflective tape the shit out of them! Keep your lights charged!
Did an extra-long commute yesterday morning (52kms, to be precise) which involved leaving the house at 6:30 am and for the first time this year the temperature was below 5C.
Suiting up in my cold-ish (I have some proper cold weather options but they are not required yet) was actually really exciting -SS jersey with a sleeveless vest underneath, arm and knee warmers, full finger gloves, cap and normal footwear. I chucked my fluoro Yellow Gillet of Authority in sharpish as I started out as it was colder than I expect (it's not flappy and it's very visible - I don't trust the drivers around here).
Apart from slightly cold tootsies I was perfectly comfortable, and apart from it taking pretty much the hwole first hour for my legs to start working the ride was great, and I got to watch the stars fading as the darkness gave way to the expectant deep blue of a perfect autumn morning.
And when I got to work everyone could see how aVVesome I was.
Having been a long time lover of both Rules #5 and #9, I've gotta tell you Frank that this year has been a long year both training and racing. So much so that my V is an all time low, and the mantra is difficult to maintain. However, I'm looking forward to receiving my new V Kit as I'm hoping that will inject some much needed V into my life. It can't come too soon