Riding a V20 in the rain?

[Gregory Carlsen]

I'm a new V20 rider and I'm trying to prepare for various situations. infrequent rides in the rain is one of those situations.

Mostly I only ride in the rain for events such as double centuries which are paid for events. Usually the rain does not last all day but a few times a year there can be several hours to deal with. My question is what do you do to make riding in the rain more comfortable.

On my DF I found that a rain jacket, rain pants, and shoe covers was sufficient for clothing. On the bike I used a 20ish inch long SKS blade fender clipped onto the seat post to block the rear tire spray. With this setup I was pretty comfortable. The spray from the front tire was pretty effectively blocked by the frame. It was also pretty easy to take the clothing off when not needed.

So what do I need to consider for the v20?
It seems that the rear tire will still throw spray that I need to be concerned with it does the seat pan block that? Is there spray from the front tire as well? Are there other effects that need mitigation?

Thanks
Greg

 

[Frito Bandito]

I usually stay out of the rain but the few times I was caught in it the frame and seat pan stopped my butt and back from getting hit with the spray, but that really didnt matter because getting rained on just soaked me from the top. The front tire will spray your legs and shoes if the road is wet, and you might get the Skunk Stripe on your neck and helmet if you don't put a bottle, Race Case, or some other bag behind your head. I don't know if you can attach fenders to the V20c, but at least on the older V20s with rim brake capability, it is an option with fenders that connect through the rim brake mount.

I bought a pair of Ternua Trousers from the Adrenalite series and while I haven't used them on my V20 I have on my other bike. I really like them. They are breathable, light, water repellant, and fit snugly so you don't sound like a playing card slapping the spokes as you fly by. A couple of your wife's hairbands around your ankles will keep the pant legs from ballooning.

TROUSERS LIGHTNING PT M

Technical, breathable and comfortable. Sustainable men's trousers perfect for trail running and trekking.

www.ternua.com

 

[LarryOz]

Plus there is the fact that you are laying down and the rain falls on you entire body surface. I have never done well with rain gear as it makes me sweat so much I end up totally soaked under it anyway. Also - If you are going fast enough or the wind is blowing into you- there is also the effect of the wind blown rain in you face and eyes. I don't think you can do anything but get wet in anything other than a very gentle and short rain event.

 

[Frito Bandito]

1 of my visors for my helmet is a very high quality Swans snowboard lens that attaches by magnets. UVA/UVB, polarized and water repellant so I can see very clearly even in the rain. 1 of mine is old and I was lucky last week that there were not many people on the bike path when I got caught in the rain because I couldn't see as clearly as I would have liked, so that is something else you should consider too.

 

[Robertas]

I'm a new V20 rider and I'm trying to prepare for various situations. infrequent rides in the rain is one of those situations.

Mostly I only ride in the rain for events such as double centuries which are paid for events. Usually the rain does not last all day but a few times a year there can be several hours to deal with. My question is what do you do to make riding in the rain more comfortable.

On my DF I found that a rain jacket, rain pants, and shoe covers was sufficient for clothing. On the bike I used a 20ish inch long SKS blade fender clipped onto the seat post to block the rear tire spray. With this setup I was pretty comfortable. The spray from the front tire was pretty effectively blocked by the frame. It was also pretty easy to take the clothing off when not needed.

So what do I need to consider for the v20?
It seems that the rear tire will still throw spray that I need to be concerned with it does the seat pan block that? Is there spray from the front tire as well? Are there other effects that need mitigation?

Thanks
Greg

I put mudguards, no problems during the rain. Made 200km brevet, 100km was in rain.

 

[cruzKurt]

I put mudguards, no problems during the rain. Made 200km brevet, 100km was in rain.

Cool bike, is that a custom paint job?

 

[Robert Holler]

Main thing in my experience (PNW where it rains 4 months of the year) get the grippiest tires made for wet traction. "fast" speedy tires will wash out. Just like cars the tire choice will make all the difference.

 

[Gregory Carlsen]

Plus there is the fact that you are laying down and the rain falls on you entire body surface. I have never done well with rain gear as it makes me sweat so much I end up totally soaked under it anyway. Also - If you are going fast enough or the wind is blowing into you- there is also the effect of the wind blown rain in you face and eyes. I don't think you can do anything but get wet in anything other than a very gentle and short rain event.

I'm not really concerned about getting wet. I think that is just going to happen one way or the other. I would mostly like to keep the grimy road water that the tires flip up away from me. With the v20 geometry do I need to worry about the rear tire flipping road water onto me?

 

[Gregory Carlsen]

1 of my visors for my helmet is a very high quality Swans snowboard lens that attaches by magnets. UVA/UVB, polarized and water repellant so I can see very clearly even in the rain. 1 of mine is old and I was lucky last week that there were not many people on the bike path when I got caught in the rain because I couldn't see as clearly as I would have liked, so that is something else you should consider too.

Seeing in the rain is an interesting issue. For the most part I have just gotten comfortable looking through the drops on my glasses. On a slower paced endurance event this works ok. When too many drops form just wipe with your gloves thumb. It won't dry the lens but it smooths out some of the drops and makes it easier to see.
I have a few friends that recommend rainex on the glasses to deal with the rain. I have never tried it. I think they make a version for plastic lenses.

 

[Gregory Carlsen]

Main thing in my experience (PNW where it rains 4 months of the year) get the grippiest tires made for wet traction. "fast" speedy tires will wash out. Just like cars the tire choice will make all the difference.

Thanks for the tip. I have typically ridden GP5000s on my DF. They seemed sufficiently grippy. Do you have any experience with those on the v20?

 

[Gregory Carlsen]

Mostly I'm looking for guidance on keeping road water off of me. I find the grit and dirt from it 5o be annoying.

I figure I'm getting wet from either rain or sweat. So my goal for clothing is to stay warm not necessarily dry.

Mostly I want to know if the v20 flips road water on the back of ones head?

 

[Frito Bandito]

Seeing in the rain is an interesting issue. For the most part I have just gotten comfortable looking through the drops on my glasses. On a slower paced endurance event this works ok. When too many drops form just wipe with your gloves thumb. It won't dry the lens but it smooths out some of the drops and makes it easier to see.
I have a few friends that recommend rainex on the glasses to deal with the rain. I have never tried it. I think they make a version for plastic lenses.

In short, the V20 will flip water onto your head unless you put something back there to block it. The fenders Robertas put looks good IMO.

The rain drops slide off that snowboard lense if I get enough speed, but even up until that time they just bead leaving a clear view. Since all of my lenses connect with magnets, I can just pull it off shake it a little and put it back on. I may have went a bit overboard with the magnets though. If I get the lense even close to the helmet it jumps on with a loud "Clack!" I have actually pulled the magnets out of the helmet when removing the lense forcing me to use Gorilla glue to keep them in place.

The sunglasses I bought cost a lot but they too are UVA/UVB, polarized and have a hydrophobic coating on the outside. RainX is great though.

 

[Mathew Fy]

On day #1 of 2018’s CNC M2C it was a very rainy & cold ride. You’re right, the rain jacket isn’t to keep dry, it’s to stay warm. I use a kayaking helmet visor to shield from rain & sun. I think a helmet cover would help stay warmer and cut some of the water that was running down my back and into my sleeves for hours.

 

[bladderhead]

Rear mudguards needs to be long. My S40 was shooting water at the back of my neck. Like a pressure-washer. Standard mudguards is too short. Front one needs to protrude under the BB or it will be completely caked.

 

[Robertas]

Cool bike, is that a custom paint job?

No, purchased it grey, it seems it is factory painted.