Apart from preparing your bike, here’s how you can prepare yourself for riding in the rain
This year’s monsoon is at the door. The rains bring joy and freedom to many, along comes nature in full bloom. As much as the rains are enjoyable, riding in this weather comes with its own set of challenges. While most of us prepare our bikes for the monsoon, we do forget the most important aspect – ourselves. The rider is always more important than the bike, and the monsoon doesn’t care if you are commuting or if you’re on a long ride. So, here are some tips on how to prepare yourself better for the upcoming monsoon:
Get your helmet rain-ready
A helmet is always non-negotiable during any ride. But in the rains, we recommend you wear a full-face helmet since it will keep your face protected not just in case of a crash, but also from raindrops lashing against your face. And in order to ensure you have maximum visibility during the rains, ensure that you have some type of anti-fog solution for your visor. This can be an anti-fog film, a Pinlock insert or even an anti-fog spray. In our experience, Pinlock inserts work the best, but you need to be extremely careful when handling or cleaning them as they tend to scratch easily. But films and sprays do help to a certain extent. We also advise you to keep a spare visor when on long rides with you, at least keep a microfiber cloth with you to clean the helmet at your rest stops. Also, it would be even better if you can put some reflective tape on your helmet to make yourself more visible on the road.
Waterproof Layers
Invest in good quality waterproof liners for your riding gear. Get rain gear that has internally-sealed seams and covers all your riding gear with some extra space for your belongings. Ensure that even when you wear your rain liners over your riding gear, your mobility isn’t hampered. We also advise you to get something that is bright in colour and can be spotted from far away as visibility might be an issue in heavy downpour. A good rain liner will always save you a lot of trouble as riding in soaking wet gear can be very exhausting and distracting, which in turn might make you less safe on our roads.
Waterproof Gloves
Waterproof gloves are one of the most underrated riding gear. Your hands are one of the most important parts when riding as they have the important controls on your bike. But choosing waterproof gloves can be quite tricky, as the waterproof gloves come with warm liners inside them. The warm liner, if it gets wet, is a nightmare while putting on and removing those gloves. To tackle this, we suggest you wear these gloves before the rain actually starts. But waterproof gloves have their own problems as they’re usually quite thick and might give you less feel for the controls. In this case, wearing surgical gloves underneath regular textile riding gloves can do the trick. Plus textile gloves tend to dry much faster than leather gloves. But do make sure your textile gloves have all the necessary protection in the event of a crash.
Waterproof Boots
Another underrated gear, waterproof shoes are quite an essential to have in the monsoons. Waterproof riding boots can get quite expensive, but as a start you can use basic waterproof shoes with waterproof socks inside. If you cannot afford waterproof riding boots, the most logical option would be to get the rain covers for your shoes. But, mind that the shoe covers are a viable option only when doing short rides. On longer rides, the covers may reduce your grip on the footpegs and flap around in the wind, which can make it harder to change gears or brake when necessary, compromising your control over the bike. If you plan on touring for longer distances, a pair of waterproof boots will definitely be a good investment.
Staying Visible
One of the most important challenges in the rain is to stay visible to fellow riders as well as others. Most of your riding gear will have reflective stripes on them, but if they don’t you can just buy some reflective tape and put on your rain gear.
BikeDekho Says
Riding in the rain is not just about fun and joy, but also about preparing your mind to ride more attentively. You should focus on riding calmer and smoother along with being more observant. Every small prep you make impacts your safety and confidence. At last, when riding in the rain, the preparation you make will always be the fine line between a memorable ride and a disaster.
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