No more summer, now places in autumn! And who says Autumn, also says the rainy days back. What to curb your desires for bike rides ... But if we told you that it is possible to love cycling with family even in the rain? A real pleasure for small as well as for the great thanks to these 4 tips.
1 # - Equipped your bike
The mudguard
Before leaving in a family walk, it is essential to equip your bike well. Think then to install a mudguard to protect you from splashing water, but also mud, sand or leaves with pretty autumn colors. Because if your children love to roll in the puddles to collapse, these projections leave spots, and hello cleaning. In addition, they dirty the bike and then harm the longevity of the latter. Fortunately, most city bikes are already equipped with mudguards. As for ATVs, they usually have a frame with mudguard eyelets for a binding at a glance.
Protective covers
You do not like rain? Your bike either. Yes, if the bikes are not made of sugar, they can quickly rust after prolonged exposures in the rain. We recommend that you take a bike cover with you. So when you park your bicycle, it will suffice to have the cover on it to keep it dry. A saddle cover is also recommended to keep the saddle away and dry buttocks. Nothing more unpleasant than driving with the back wet!
Finally, when you walk along, you are very often transporting sandwiches, a snack or a backup kit in a backpack. Business to protect from rain. To do this, nothing better than the waterproof covers specially designed for bags and bags.
Reflective accessories
When the rain starts to fall and the sky becomes gray, visibility drops. However, as a cyclist, it is essential to see and be well seen on the roads to pedal safely. For this, it is essential to have a good lighting system. Rear (red), front catadioptis (white), lateral cards (orange), white front position light and red rear position light must then be present on your two wheels.
Also think about the homologated yellow vest, which is, whatever, mandatory off agglomeration in rainy weather. Finally, boost your visibility thanks to reflective accessories.At rownetteWe offer retro-reflective laces to dress your shoes, wheels for wheels to make you visible 360 ° and stick stickers everywhere (saddle, backpack, mudguard, protective covers, helmet ...) according to your desires. Our reflective stickers are of course resistant to water.
2 # - Choose an outfit adapted to the weather
Out of the question to go out in the rain with a shorts and a lambda t-shirt. You have to choose the right outfit, the one that will protect you from the rain while providing you with a nice family exit.
We protect the extremities
The extremities, including hands and feet, are slightly vascularized. Thus, they are more sensitive to the cold that is then generalized in the rest of the body. Wear waterproof and windproof cycling gloves, then allows you to keep using your hands and not undergo the cold. As well as windproof or water resistant shoes! For this, privilege synthetic leather shoes rather than fabric.
Latex shoe covers are also interesting, even if they are not really suitable for city walks. Indeed, you have to put the foot on the ground more often and you risk damaging the shoe cover.
Finally, if the helmet is no longer compulsory from 12 years, it is essential in rainy weather. First of all, for security reasons: the road is much more slippery than the days of great sun. Then, for reasons of practicality. Indeed, the helmet offers the possibility of placing a waterproof headset on it.
The helmet also allows you to protect yourself by installing a visor. There are also sprays that lay a thin film on the visor or glasses and thus avoid the adhesion of the drops.
The rule of the three layers of the cyclist
We then start with the anti-transpiring cyclist, because the wind can quickly refrigerate and make you sick if you swell abundantly ... the breathability of the first layer is therefore essential.
The cyclist jacket is chained with both windproof, waterproof and breathable fabric. This makes it possible to keep the heat for a real walk where we take the time to observe the landscape and not a race against the watch to get warm under a plaid.
Finally, we finish with the rain cape to protect themselves from the drops. The advantage of the cape or poncho? It protects not only the top of the body, but also a part of legs thanks to its wide cut. A wide cut that also allows very appreciable freedom of movement, especially when it comes to the third layer of clothes.
To guarantee your child an integral protection against the rain,GrooveYou then propose a tailor-made rain cover with a hood and storage pockets, this responsible waterproof also has reflective tapes so that you are seen from all. Names: practicality and security!
In addition to your classic pants, it is important to wear waterproof rain pants that will protect you from drops. Very easy to put on, it usually has a wide cut and lightning closures or buttons on the side to close it easily. Thanks to its completely sealed fabric, your legs stay in the dryer.
3 # - Rolling safely, even in the rain
Roll in the rain requires special attention. And for good reason, not only the floor is slippery, but you also have less visibility. If this second point is offset by a good lighting system and reflective accessories, it does not free you from responsible and prudent driving. Before leaving, remember to list all the safety rules to the whole family:
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Roll right and in Indian file;
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Depart from parking vehicles to avoid door shots;
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Stop at each cross;
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Stay grouped;
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Avoid rolling on sewer plates, cobblestones and dead leaves that accentuate the loss of adhesion;
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Avoid rolling in water puddles that do not indication on the depth of the pothole;
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Rolling gently to avoid sudden braking. Yes, the braking distance is more important on wet road and the loss of adhesion is real.
4 # - regularly maintain its bike
Water and cycling do not mix in the long run. It is therefore important to protect it during outings and maintain it back home. The main parts affected? The chain and the wheels. Clean them thus with a cloth and think about removing pebbles encrusted into the tire grooves. Finally, it is important to check the condition of the brakes. Also remember to clean your plates and change them if they are worn.
Rolling with a family in the rain, conclusion
The practice of cycling in rainy weather is of course possible and can even prove to be a real part of pleasure. However, it requires good upstream preparation, whether in terms of bike or holding equipment. It is also important to adopt cautious driving and maintain the bike after each exit. To organize a family-friendly family outing in general, we invite you toConsult this article!
