First Rain, So post up pointers for Noobs

[Titus]

Rain, sand, gravel, and oil all reduce the available traction of your front and rear wheel. To maximize traction while cornering you must maintain a 60/40 rear/front weight distribution. Good throttle control will do this.

When cornering, crack open the throttle as early as possible and open it smoothly & consistently through the rest of the turn. This settles the chassis & gives you the best 60/40 weight distribution.

Do not chop or close the throttle!!! If you chop the throttle, the weight gets transferred to the front wheel, reduces traction to the rear wheel, and is a major cause of crashing.

Chopping the throttle also compresses the front suspension out of its useful range, making bumps in the road feel much more harsh. It also decreases the rake angle of the front fork, making the bike feel much more "twitchy" and unstable.

As far as straight line acceleration & braking, you just have to be gentler with the controls because of the reduced traction.

[Zviffer]

What are some good rainsuits that compact down pretty good, and are pretty light? Nothing fancy obviously, but better than a Hefty bag, lol. Or even just some kinda plastic rain pants since my jacket is pretty good on it's own, for the little amount of rain we get here. If pants-only, maybe that could smash down enough to stuff into the seat-trunk?

Being from the Pacific Northwest, I've done my share of riding in the rain. For longer rides, I use a rain-suit similar to this one over my riding pants and jacket; it's cheap, light and folds/rolls up tight for storage in a small tank/tail bag. If I'm wearing my summer boots that are not waterproof, I have been known to use a plastic shopping bag on each foot over the sock to keep my feet dry. Or, waterproof cycling shoe covers are a more elegant solution and will keep the boots dry as well. On short rides on which the chance of rain is forecasted to be only slight, I forgo the rain-suit and instead take a folded up disposable poncho in a tank bag. Worn over clothes but underneath a riding jacket, it will at least keep the core dry and warm. And of course, plastic shopping bags for the feet.

[Ghosty]

I use a rain-suit similar to this one over my riding pants and jacket;

Or, waterproof cycling shoe covers are a more elegant solution and will keep the boots dry as well.

Nice, thanks! I'll need to get to a roadbike store and try those covers to see if L or XL fit best, over my Docs and Sketcher boots.

[Titus]

For the wind, the biggest problem people have is that they hold the handlebars too tightly. When a gust of wind hits them, their upper body acts as a windsail and the wind steers the bike. Then they panic & hold the bars tighter, which exacerbates the problem.

The answer is to keep a light, loose grip on the bars. Your weight should be supported by your legs & abs, no weight should be on your hands. Your arms & hands should be loose enough to wiggle your fingers & flap your elbows like chicken wings.

[CBR-Cowboy]

Ride like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZk1M7g24

That is some crazy stuff, i don't even ride like that on dry ground...

[Samko]

Just tuck in and go flat out ! You won't get as wet. Hahahahahah

[chasemr2]

Gear, gear, gear! I think you should be able to concentrate on what's going on around you instead of worrying about what 75mph in the rain while wearing a shirt feels like. I ride my bike in anything but snow and the only serious problem I ever encounter is not being able to see clearly out of my helmet, but obviously a quick wipe usually takes care of that....or I've also found you can just ride much faster and the wind will eventually blow it off

[FZRguy]

I found myself in Alaska with non-waterproof boots (rest of my gear was good to go). Trash bags and duct tape worked surprisingly well. Best for when you know ur gonna get wet.

[Samko]

I found myself in Alaska with non-waterproof boots (rest of my gear was good to go). Trash bags and duct tape worked surprisingly well. Best for when you know ur gonna get wet.

Well if you want to get creative you can get a can of "undercoating" for cars, than spray your gear with it

Than when you get of the bike your gear will stay in riding position forever !!!

[FZRguy]

I rode 110 miles of gravel road in the rain and my boots were squeaky clean and dry after cutting the bags/duct tape off. My mind/body was quite trashed however.