Cycling UK Forum

how many days a year does it rain all day and you have to go out?

Now that is a very good question... I used to keep a diary (back when I thought there might be a future - haha!) and I remember noting how infrequently it poured consistantly, all day, as opposed to a short interval of rain, at least during the length of my commute. Maybe three or four times a year only.

Stradageek wrote:It is also pertinent that Midlands or SE UK softies will only get wet 20 or so times a year - how many days a year does it rain all day and you have to go out?

If you have to be somewhere that requires you to be clean and dry, does it matter if that's once or a hundred times?
When I used to commute, half an hour each way, it was probably less than twenty times a year (I could sometimes delay the ride home) Now I'm committed to an average of twenty hours a week (Deliveroo) it's possible to get drenched ten time in a week.

For somebody who commutes every working day - ie cannot pick and choose - it rains sufficiently often to be a potential problem. Add to that the point that more wet comes up from the road, even after it's stopped raining, than falls on you. This is all aggravated by the probably reducing number of days when it's really cold, even more so with snow and ice.

Stradageek wrote:It is also pertinent that Midlands or SE UK softies will only get wet 20 or so times a year - how many days a year does it rain all day and you have to go out?

I remember when I was commuting regularly in London about 40 years ago reading somewhere that if you commuted 5 days a week in the rush hour in the capital you would only cycle in the rain something like 8 times a year. I thought at the time that can't be true. So I started keeping a record and it was about right. What I noticed was that on the rainy days it would almost always start raining after 9am and stop before 5pm. And funnily enough today, up in "sunny" North Yorkshire, I rode to work in the dry but shortly after 9 it started raining and it persisted all day. I was thinking about the above and looked outside at 4 and noticed that the rain was easing and thought, here we go. However when I looked out again at 4.30 it raining quite hard again, so I didn't hold out much hope for a dry ride home. But when I left at 5 it had stopped raining and I rode back in the dry. I realise that there are meteorological reasons for this phenomenon but it is an interesting observation nonetheless.

One thing about getting all togged up with waterproofs before setting out in the rain is that by the time you have them all on it will usually have stopped raining.

ANTONISH wrote:I have a Rotrax cape but I only use it for touring - I find it difficult to signal and manoeuvre safely in UK traffic

Capes vary in that. My current cape has arm holes which helps signalling but does mean either I wear a waterproof coat too or let my arms get wet! Manoeuvring is only a problem if I attach it to the handlebars too tight, but then I usually fail to get on the saddle before it pulls me down...

haha - my irony detector is tinkling faintly... there's me thinking that the stalwart cohort of dedicted cyclists will show a shining example to the rest of the carbon-crazy world - but now I see that we will be slowly chipped away as we concede defeat, due - and here's the irony - to the ever-increasing levels of persistant rain falling on account of climate-change. Oh Dear...

I commuted to work daily 6 miles each way and like you I could get changed on arrival and simply wore tights or shorts.
For local shopping I would wear tights or similar Ron Hill type tracksters under a pair of cycling specific over trousers I still needed to get changed when I got home and my feet were usually wet too even though I wore a pair of Gortex lined Shimano boots. Over trousers are crap but if you’ve decided to go car less you know that already! Also if you are going shopping make sure your battery is fully charged use the turbo setting and try not to sweat too much

PH wrote:If you have to be somewhere that requires you to be clean and dry, does it matter if that's once or a hundred times?
When I used to commute, half an hour each way, it was probably less than twenty times a year (I could sometimes delay the ride home) Now I'm committed to an average of twenty hours a week (Deliveroo) it's possible to get drenched ten time in a week.

Good point, well made, how do you dress to deal with this?

Stradageek wrote:

PH wrote:If you have to be somewhere that requires you to be clean and dry, does it matter if that's once or a hundred times?

Good point, well made, how do you dress to deal with this?

Already answered - 1st page, 4th reply