Irish Weather

yogidc26

I'm so pi22ed with the weather I have only been biking for a few months and have not got my confidence up to go out on day like this (I know im a big girl) its not the wet or the wind it just the two of them together.


I'm like a junkie needing a fix

Dorsanty

yogidc26 wrote: »

I'm so pi22ed with the weather I have only been biking for a few months and have not got my confidence up to go out on day like this (I know im a big girl) its not the wet or the wind it just the two of them together.


I'm like a junkie needing a fix

It's not so bad if you can stay in built up areas. I tend to use 3 categories to determine if I should take the bike out, wet, strong wind, visibility (night, fog, etc). I'll handle any 2 of the 3 but not all three. I was caught in stormy winds and rain at night once on the M1. That was a long hour in my life but at least it was motorway. I wouldn't like to deal with those on some crappy regional road.

KamiKazi

Ah just take it handy until you get your confidence up, then it's all just practice & experience

P.C.

KamiKazi wrote: »

Ah just take it handy until you get your confidence up, then it's all just practice & experience

+ 1

I have not been on my bike for two weeks now. :eek:

First I was on holidays, now I have man flu, so it is the car for me at the mo.

KamiKazi

P.C. wrote: »

+ 1

I have not been on my bike for two weeks now. :eek:

First I was on holidays, now I have man flu, so it is the car for me at the mo.

But only men get man flu?

KTRIC

KamiKazi wrote: »

But only men get man flu?

Is PC a burd ??

honeybadger

yogidc26 wrote: »

I'm so pi22ed with the weather I have only been biking for a few months and have not got my confidence up to go out on day like this (I know im a big girl) its not the wet or the wind it just the two of them together.


I'm like a junkie needing a fix

wot kinda bike are you driving yogi,,, all bikes behave differently to weather conditions so iv found out over the years,,,,,,yea this weather sucks balls lately,but dont let it resrict you ,,,get out there and learn a few biking skills thats wot you have insurance for and if you obey the 2 second rule ,theres not that much can go wrong

dubtom

Biking in bad weather is never nice,but good gear with no drafts makes it a lot more bareable . If you know your journey will take an hour and your gear keeps you warm.ish and dry for that hour at least, it helps to keep the neagtive at bay.Your more inclined to leave the bike at home if you get soaked and cold every time you go for a ride,so buy good gear, it's more expensive but worth it.

seanybiker

jaysus lads its not iceland we are living in. A bit of wind and rain shouldnt be stopping ye from going on your bike.
Unless the rain effects your tampons

LookBehindYou

yogidc26 wrote: »

I'm so pi22ed with the weather I have only been biking for a few months and have not got my confidence up to go out on day like this (I know im a big girl) its not the wet or the wind it just the two of them together.


I'm like a junkie needing a fix

Relax, at least you know your weaknesses, so you can improve on them.
Its all about confidence and theonly way to get that is experience.
Its all about keeping the bike flowing smoothly, no jerky movements.
anyway, better safe than sorry.

Fabio

Wet roads help develop your skills I find...makes you more sensitive to how the bike reacts and you only tend to notice this when the weather is good and you find you are riding better.

Steffano2002

Make sure you go out doe a spin tomorrow then OP (or should I say "later" seen at it's early morning)! Sunday will be miserable but tomorrow should be nice.

yogidc26

Ya going out now for a few hours I have an Er5 so it a bit light in the wind and i get blow around a lot but trying to get as much time on it as possible

KamiKazi

yogidc26 wrote: »

Ya going out now for a few hours I have an Er5 so it a bit light in the wind and i get blow around a lot but trying to get as much time on it as possible

Stick a flyscreen on it, it made a big difference on my super four which is a similar size to the ER5

EvilMonkey

Thanks to the mild Irish weather we can enjoy riding all year round.

KTRIC

EvilMonkey wrote: »

Thanks to the mild Irish weather we can enjoy riding all year round.

Very true. Can't wait to get back to Ireland soon. At least 4 months, usually more you can't physically drive your bike here in Germany due to the snow and ice.

Odysseus

seanybiker wrote: »

jaysus lads its not iceland we are living in. A bit of wind and rain shouldnt be stopping ye from going on your bike.
Unless the rain effects your tampons

Classic I like it. I out all year, I accept that I'm going to be cold and wet for the next six months. Its the frost I hate, I will take the wind and rain any day. I have one of those inside and outside temp guides, I check it every morning once the sh!tty weather comes. Gloden Rule is if it dipped below -2 I back off to bed for a few hours, I save up some of my overtime during the year to facilitate this as I have a 80k trip to work,

seanybiker

Odysseus wrote: »

Classic I like it. I out all year, I accept that I'm going to be cold and wet for the next six months. Its the frost I hate, I will take the wind and rain any day. I have one of those inside and outside temp guides, I check it every morning once the sh!tty weather comes. Gloden Rule is if it dipped below -2 I back off to bed for a few hours, I save up some of my overtime during the year to facilitate this as I have a 80k trip to work,

Ah going back to bed goes without saying. If i could get my bike up the stairs to nz room, i would be sorted.

yogidc26

Got out today for a good 2 hours Class wish it had been for longer but cant have everthing we want

Dark-Mavis

Keep well wraped up and then your :Dout!

Learn alot more about the bikes handling in the wet.

zzr

i find the big problem is the wet leaves the front of the zzr is feckin giddy on them yokies or it could be me;)

KamiKazi

zzr wrote: »

i find the big problem is the wet leaves the front of the zzr is feckin giddy on them yokies or it could be me;)

wet leaves are lethal alright, should be gone in a few weeks though

thehomeofDob

I started riding just about this time last year, god awful time to start on two wheels. Last year was a horrible winter too and my gear was ****e. As was said, once all the draughts are blocked (neoprene balaclava, long gloves, good boots etc) and your gear is relatively waterproof you can relax a bit when the weather turns nasty.
Always ride a step back from what you think you can handle, and flip off any muppet cager that tries to ride up your ass cause he's in a hurry to get home and put his fat ass feet up on the couch.

When temperatures start to drop, do all you can to make sure your core body temperature stays up and your hands and feet stay warm. Your hands control practically everything and the minute they become cold they lose dexterity.

faceman

I used to be a any-weather biker but I have become somewhat weather aware. It also depends on where I want to go. Id sooner take a spin around Dublin in bad weather than take a journey on a motorway outside of the city in the same weather.

The rain doesnt bother me as much as strong winds. But you dont really feel the winds if you are biking in a city.

As for the OP, its important to ride within your capabilities. If you are not confident enough to ride in bad weather, then dont. There is nothing girlie about making that decision at all.

Wossack

Its not so much the rain I hate - its the unpredictable strong gusty winds that piss me off >.<

yogidc26

Went to work today was fine going in this morning but f me the wind coming back to Wicklow tonight! but I think I did all right just had to counter steer most of the way to fight the wind. Now that i have go on the n11 in strong enough wids dont think ill mind doing again

KamiKazi

50km/h winds today and yesterday, made for exciting commuting :P

P.C.

The wind is not so bad if you know how it 'works'.

Wind is cyclical - you get gusts and luls.

So, after a gusts, it drops off a tad, then you get the next gust.

The gusts are also cyclical - they get stronger and stronger, then almost nothing, then they build up again.

paulieeye

Wats worse is when its too hot to ride out...I'll take wind and rain over seering heat any day of the week.

Not a prob in good old eire but a nightmare in california if u want to have ur gear on

KamiKazi

paulieeye wrote: »

Wats worse is when its too hot to ride out...I'll take wind and rain over seering heat any day of the week.

Not a prob in good old eire but a nightmare in california if u want to have ur gear on

bite your tongue, I'd take heat over rain ice & frost anyday

paulieeye

ah yeah, ice is a different story. Constant wind and rain over heat tho