Conference noted::bicycle

    	Maybe the cooling from the rain helped you ride better.
    
    	Scott (just a thought)

    re -.1
    
    I agree with the cooling theory. the same is true in early spring
    and late fall when riding in temps under 60 degrees (F).
    

    Tom Stevens (the course record holder) was saying before the start
    that wet pavement is actually faster than dry.  Of course, having
    to plow through deep puddles more than made up for this!
    
    MATT

I'm no physicist but it just can't be faster!  It just seems so obvious. 

But I do agree with the cooling effect.  As far as the wet road theory it
doesn't make much sense to me.  Perhaps a wet road offers less friction but
friction is your traction, your tires aren't slidding on the road, the loss of
energy comes from your tire being deformed where it meets the road and that
must still happen wet or dry. 

I'll test it out when it rains next which should be about the end of October!
(Don't all move out to California it's already too crowded!)

    
    	wet can be faster.   I've wondered if it's because water is
    a lubricant, and the whole bike is 'slicked down'?   
    
    	Alan.

    I've also noticed faster commuting times after a rain.  But I get
    faster times in very WARM weather, not cool.  My fastest commute
    (13 mi, 39 min.) was on a 95 degree day recently.  The speedometer
    tells the story: I run about 1.0mph faster down a particular hill
    on hot day due to the lack of air density.  Of course, over the LONG
    run, the effects of heat on the body would probably outweigh any air
    density advantage.
    _KB
    

    Due to lack of air density!?
    
    You must be kidding!
    
    ed

    re:.6, again.
    
    I would expect a greater difference due to softer ruber in the tires
    and lower viscosity in the grease than due to lower air density.
    
    doubtful,
    ed

    I had assumed that the rain would slow things down but I felt better
    riding than I had all year. I didn't PR but probably should have
    had I not had a little problem. 
    
    On the third conner I didn't have any breaks thus I couldn't stop 
    and ended up crossing the road I was supposed to turn onto, got my 
    right foot out of the pedal (the benefit of LOOK pedals) planting 
    it in the ground and pivoting I then got back on the road and tried 
    to make up time. Oh yeah, I couldn't see either. The next conner
    I coasted to the turn dragging my cleat. Even with those two slow
    turns I was just 40 sec slower than the week before. 
    
    I'll attribute the faster times to less braking ability due to the
    water.
    
    Paul

       Two years ago I commuted to work almost daily throughout the
summer months.  I have reviewed my daily log and find that on
days that I made a "RAIN" notation my times were consistently
two to three minutes slower over the 15 mile route, which is
contrary to the information posted here.  True this was not a Time
Trial per se, but each day I would try to better my personal record
and kept accurate track of my times.  One of the primary factors
that influenced my speed in the rain was temperature.  Since I
would leave from home at 6:30 or so in the morning, it was quite
cool and if it was raining it was downright cold so the *cooling*
effect of the rain has to be taken in the context that its hot
before it rains otherwise this works against you.  The other big
factor, I think, is comfort.  Its much more difficult to push
when you feel like your 15 pounds heavier due to your wet clothing,
socks and shoes and you feel like you need to literally cut your
way thru the vail of water in front of you.  In light of this,
its going to be very hard to convince me that riding in the rain 
can actually be considered faster.
       						Jerry

I guess I'll add my .02 to this. I didn't ride last week but have been
stuck in the rain a few times and didn't do that bad on a regular loop.
I attribute my speed to the fact that I have to concentrate a LOT harder
on just staying upright and not hitting any puddles. This forces me to 
forget the pain in my body. Plus there is a high that I got from doing
my workout despite the elements. From my experience there are no mechanical
advantages, actually a few mechanical disadvantages from the rain. I
would guess that psychological and physical 'high' are the reasons. Of
course these could arise from the fact that the body is cooler from the
water. 

Just my thoughts
Mano

    RE:.7+.8 
    
    Ed, You would be surprised to find out how much air density affects
    bicycling. Why do you think there is height above sea level listed
    along with speed records on biking? Yes when the air is Hot and
    Humid it is less dense and all records for the local time trials
    are set on such nights. Also hot humid air is less dense than hot
    dry air, the reason is water vapor is less dense than the air. If
    you want to find out the difference in altitude because of air temp
    you can get an Air Density Altitude computer (paper wheel kind)
    from your local small airport. They have them for small aircraft
    to figure out if they can take off out of a high elevation airport
    on hot days. Its the truth ask a pilot about it.
    
    	I think the biggest factor to faster times on H+H nights is
    there's never any wind blowing. And a wind in any out and back race
    will slow times. 
    
    Tom_cg_of_a_barn
    

    RE: .12
    
    There is a bigger difference due to 5000 or 8000 feet change in
    altitude than due to a mere 10 degree C change in air temperature.
    
    The original claim in .6 ignored humidity and wind speed as if they
    were constants and made his entire claim based on air density.
    What was the barometric pressure?  I thought it was usually higher
    on hot days.  Doesn't that indicate a greater air density rather
    than lesser?
    
    We need Bicycling's technodweebs to come in and build a six-way
    chart isolating each of the factors to so can have "just the facts."
    
    ed

    If air density is a factor in track meets (remember Bob Beaman's
    long jump in the '68 Olympics in Mexico City) where an event such
    as the 100 meters or long jump lasts only a few seconds, it can
    certainly be a significant factor in a Time Trial where the race
    lasted nearly 30 minutes.  Not to mention the fact that 90% of the
    cyclists energy is spent moving the air out of his/her way.
    
    Phil

    I wrote .6 and am also a single engine land private pilot.  A Cessna
    172 takes a 10% longer takeoff run with a temperature of +25 degrees
    over the sea-level standard 59 (i.e. 84 degrees), everything else
    being equal.  Humidity does not play as much of a role, but higher
    humidity does result in a longer takeoff run, too.  All this because
    the propeller (or fan blade) has less molecules to "bite" in the
    hotter,less dense air.  The same principle applies to moving those
    molecules OUT of your way on a bicycle; less to move, less energy
    needed,the faster you go.
    
    Federal Aviation Regulation 25 was updated circa 1977 to now require
    pilots to calculate their takeoff distance beforehand.  This was
    in response to a series of accidents in which pilots ran right off
    the end of the runway on high density-altitude days.  Just because
    you can get it out of an airport at gross in January does not apply
    to July.
    
    _KB
    

    It seems that the physics have been ironed out as far as being able
    to move an object through warmer, less dense air with greater ease.
    But speaking from a psychological standpoint I find riding a TT
    in hot, humid air a drag (pun intended). I don't know whether it
    balances out or not but I find I feel better riding in 70 degree
    temperatures with dryer air than in temperatures in the 90's with
    high humidity. I would think that this more positive mental attitude
    could balance out the physical advantage of warmer air. Of course
    that's just my opinion and others may enjoy inhaling hot air.
    
    I've also done a lot of riding in the rain and have experienced
    similar feelings of a "high" (previously mentioned in .11). I have
    read and heard that the reason for this is a change that rain
    brings about in the atmosphere. Apparently the air is charged
    with a greater number of negative ions and these are what helps
    create a "high" feeling. (Whoa! This guy's going over the edge!)
    When I toured through Ireland (the land of "liquid sunshine")
    several years ago, it rained most every day and I know that we
    seemed to be able to ride faster on those days. I suppose all the
    Guiness and Harp's that we drank at lunchtime from being so depressed
    with all the rain may be a factor but I imagine the psychological
    high (along with a lot of hard training) is what helped those people
    achieve PR's .
    
    Jonathan

    Psychological factors, such as a 'rain high', may have helped some
    riders to go faster in the rain, but not me. I went faster, but
    it wasn't due to anything psychological ... it was for some physical
    reason.
    
    I ride the Wayside Inn TT almost every week, and have the thing
    down to a science - to the point where the only way I improve is
    if I get stronger thru training, or weather/air conditions improve.
    I wear aerodynamic clothing,shoes,gloves (lycra is faster than mesh),
    I have my riding position as aerodynamically perfect as possible
    for me (I've had myself videotaped on my sark bars), I don't drink
    I don't move my head (catches air), I shave my legs. I can concentrate
    the entire time on my biking, without having my mind wander, and
    if I have to blow my nose ... I just blow it - no tissues, no fingers
    to the nostril, no head turning (this totally grosses my girlfriend
    out - in a TT she'll sit up, take a tissue out of her (non-aerodynamic)
    shirt pocket, gently blow her nose, then put the tissue back in
    the pocket, then get back on the drops !!). To me each second matters,
    and I don't want to do anything that slows me down for even a second.
    
    The point is: I went faster in the rain; probably 15 precious seconds
    over the 9.2 miles, and it had to be due to the weather. I'm sure
    of it. I'm not sure of the reasons why (there are some good
    posibilitiesin the answers given to this note), but it's true.
    
    Mark the aero animal
    

    It look like we'll get a chance to test all the theories again tonight
    since at 3:00 it is still pouring. I invite anyone who thinks that
    they'll be slower in the rain to come over and see what happens.
    
    

	What about the possibility of the fact that the lower pollution
    from last week's rain increased the amount of free oxygen available 
    for the lungs to disperse throughout the bloodstream. I know when I rode
    that day, I increased my fast training times by 10%. Prior to that
    in the heat, I felt as though I couldn't get a good lungful of
    air. 
    
    	It's an idea! If this is true, then I think the overall times might
    not be significantly improved today. This could happen because the
    air has been cleaner for the last week, so people are accustomed to
    the effect of having more free oxygen. Th eeffect would no longer be
    there to help pick things up. I wonder how much this comes into play?
    
    				Russ 

    
    
    lets not forget how the barametric pressure changes when cold fronts
    meet warm fronts(i.e. rain)
    
    Rob

    In my previous job I cycled home every day and timed myself. Times
    were usually in the 20-23 minute range, depending on traffic lights,
    whether I was trying and so on. But the fastest time I ever set, 18
    minutes, was done in an absolute downpour. I remember being astonished
    at having gone so fast in the wet.
    
    One factor I must mention is that a club cyclist travelled half the
    same route in front of me, and I was straining every muscle not to lose
    him (a fact he was well aware of). 
    
    One other factor I could mention is that this was May 86, and that
    particular bout of heavy rain was the one responsible for washing
    airborne dust from the Chernobyl nuclear accident out of the sky above
    Northern England, causing quite a radiation scare in the process... but
    I'm sure that's not relevant... 
    
    Rod

    There's a physics anecdote that's relevant to this discussion...

    The physicist Wolfgang Pauli and someone else were on a train ride
    thru the alps, and the other physicist commented that he was disapointed
    that his high quality watch was running fast.  On the spot Pauli gave
    the reason, and was able to derive some expression relating the effect
    of air density on the escapement of the watch...

    Someone should write to Bicycling mag - they get into these kinds of
    techno-dweebing issues (like rolling resistance of tires and so on.)

    Still, I somehow suspect that if you merely *told* a rider that he could
    expect a smoking time on a certain day due to air density his ride would
    be a bit faster as a result.

    - Jim

    Personally, I've noticed that riding in the rain *really* slows
    me down...
    
    For example, take the last time I rode in the rain:
    
    8.5 mile ride, from work to home.  It usually took me, say 25-30
    minutes, depending on how hard I was trying.
    
    Then, one day it rained.  I finished work at 9:00 pm, and started
    bicycling home.
    
    A driver, blinded by the rain, swerved on the road, managed to
    completely rip the bicycle out from under me, causing me to do a
    backflip over the car, and land on my head, severely bruising my
    ribs and right knee/thigh/calf in the process.  Ambulance came,
    took me to hospital, Xrays, stitches on gash in head, stay overnight
    for observation, arrived home at 7:45 am the following morning.
    
    Big difference, eh?  :^)
    
    I don't ride in the rain.  I don't ride at night.

    Bill    

    Sort of belongs in this note I guess...
    
    My Trek 1200 and I got caught in a good rain not too long ago, just
    after it was tuned up (figures).  I cleaned the chain and wiped off
    everything with a rag and it looked fine.  About a week later,
    obnoxious clicks that I could both hear and feel start coming from
    the bottom bracket.  Take off the cranks, spin out the "sealed" BB,
    and out pours a puddle of water.  The grease in the BB had been riding
    in water, had formed small globules that didn't seem to be lubricating
    worth a damn, and apparently the bearings were not rotating correctly
    (hence the clicks).  Nothing was pitted, so I dried things out,
    regreased, reassembled, and it rotates fine again.    
    
    I guess on my bike, riding in the rain shoots water up the hole in the
    bottom of the headset, which then goes down the tube, and into the BB.
    While the Shimano 105 BB is "sealed", that doesn't mean much to water
    and gravity.  Just thought I'd share the experience.  -kb
                                  

>    I guess on my bike, riding in the rain shoots water up the hole in the
>    bottom of the headset, which then goes down the tube, and into the BB.
>    While the Shimano 105 BB is "sealed", that doesn't mean much to water
>    and gravity.  Just thought I'd share the experience.  -kb
                                  
Hmm, this sounds a bit fishy. If I'm following you, that 'hole' 
underneath the headset only leads up into the fork, and it seems to me 
that on most bikes there's no hole leading from the head tube into the 
down tube, although it's possible. BB water seems like it usually comes 
from 2 sources, the old 'open top' seat posts were a GREAT source, and 
then there's thru the junction between the BB cups and spindle. A number 
of bikes used to have drain holes in the BB shell (MASI frames had a big 
'M' cutout on the bottom of the shell) to drain water. This seems to be 
out of favor lately, though.
                                       ken

    Rainy season (spring/summer) is upon us in Colorado.  When my rides
    were commutes, I did not carry protective gear - there was always
    shelter nearby, although I do remember some hypothermic experiences,
    when the legs felt like ice and moved accordingly.
    
    Rain *can* make you ride faster, if there is the death threat of
    lightning flashing around you.  Nature's water & electricity helped
    shave 5 minutes off my typical 30 minute commute.  Hail is an even
    faster motivator, when it is tenderizing your arms and legs. Ouch !

    Yikes!  Sounds TOO familiar!  I'm on the bike today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Think it's gonna clear up or get worse???????
    
    linda

    It'll probably get better before it gets worse.
    
    But it *will* get worse.  :-)
    
    M

RE: <<< Note 829.27 by DELNI::LBASSETT "Design" >>>

>    Think it's gonna clear up or get worse???????

Are you referring to the Eastern Mass/Southern New Hampshire skies? The
forecast called for scattered showers today. I rode in anyway (to ZKO), since
it seemed that any rain would not be frequent or wide-spread. 

To me, riding in the rain per-se is not SO bad. What I hate is riding on wet
roads, even if no rain is falling. I get MUCH more wet from below -- spray
from the tires) than from above. Soaked shoes and socks are the pits, and the
brake-shoe film which coats the tires, wheel, spokes etc. is such a mess.

Just FYI, so far this year my log shows eight rides in either rain or on wet
roads. Although the actual riding can be unpleasant, it can also feel
satisfying to have voluntarily done it. I used to avoid the bike if there was
any hint of rain. I found myself looking out the window at dry conditions all
too often, wishing I had ridden. So for the last couple of years I've been
taking more chances. For me the occasional wet rides are a fair price to pay
for the additional dry rides that happen as a result. 
						-- Tom

    Which is why I put fenders on one of my bikes.  The water and grit that
    comes off the tires is the worst...  a proper set of full fenders also
    protects your front derailleur, headset, and BB to a great extent.
    
    That bike had been ridden without fenders in all weather for years, and
    when I changed the front derailleur cable, the cable housing was so
    full of grit that I couldn't get the new cable more than 3/4 inch into
    either end.  Amazing that it shifted at all.
    
    Karl