Riding in the Rain on Tour, and Getting Your Gear Dry by Morning

Riding in the wet

Modern tyres grip far better in the rain than most riders expect. What takes grip away is the surface, not the water itself. Smooth, sweeping inputs and a little more space solve most of the problem.

• Watch the surface. Painted lines, manhole covers, tram rails, tar snakes and polished stone in old town centres are slippery when wet. So is the centre of the lane at junctions, where diesel and oil collect. Ride over them upright and off the throttle and brakes where you can.
• The first rain after a dry spell is the worst. Oil and dust rise to the surface before the rain washes them away. Take the first half hour gently.
• Be smooth. Squeeze the brakes on, roll the throttle on, and avoid hard inputs mid-corner. If your bike has rain riding modes, use them.
• Double the gap. Spray from lorries and cars reduces what you can see and what others can see of you.
• Be seen. A bright jacket or a hi-vis vest over your kit makes a real difference in spray.
• Keep the visor clear. A pinlock insert stops it misting; a wipe on the glove clears the water. Open the vent a crack rather than the visor.
• Mountain roads in rain bring extra hazards: wet leaves under trees, gravel washed across hairpins and streams flowing over the road after a storm. On high passes, lightning is a real risk; if a storm is coming over the summit, wait it out in a café below.

Staying dry on the bike

Waterproof kit leaks at the joins. Rain runs down the neck, up the sleeves into the gloves, and down the trousers into the boots. A few tricks help:

• A neck tube tucked under the jacket collar stops water running down your chest.
• Gloves go under the jacket cuffs in the rain, over them in the dry. It keeps the water running down the outside.
• Trousers go over the boots, never tucked in.
• Put waterproofs on before it starts, not after you are wet. Stop under a bridge or at a fuel station rather than in a lay-by in the downpour.
• Carry a pair of waterproof over-gloves or a spare dry pair in a plastic bag in the tank bag.
• Line the panniers or the roll bag with dry bags. Pannier seals are not always perfect, and a dry change of clothes at the end of the day is worth a lot.

The evening: getting gear dry

This is where the right place to stay makes the difference. A biker-friendly hotel with a drying room, a warm boiler room or a heated garage will have your kit dry by morning with no effort. Ask when you book. It is one of the points on our biker-friendly hotel checklist, and in wet riding country like Wales, the Lake District and the Wild Atlantic Way it is worth making a priority.

If the room is all you have, work through it in this order as soon as you arrive:

• Boots first, because they take the longest. Pull out the insoles. Stuff the boots with newspaper (ask at reception), and change it after an hour and again before bed. Stand them upside down or on their sides near, but not on, a heat source. Direct heat cracks leather and melts glue.
• Gloves next. Turn the cuffs out, and if the liner comes out, separate it. Stand them fingers-up on a hanger or over the neck of a bottle so air gets inside. The same newspaper trick works for the fingers.
• Jacket and trousers. Take out any removable liners and thermal layers and hang them separately. Hang the shell where air moves: over a door, in the shower with the extractor fan on, or by an open window.
• Use the room heat. Many hotel heaters switch off overnight. Ask whether the heating can stay on, or whether there is a fan heater or a dehumidifier you can borrow.
• The towel trick for base layers and socks: roll the washed item tightly in a dry towel, stand on it, then hang it. It will be dry by morning.
• Helmet: take out the liner if it comes out, and leave the visor open overnight.

Things to avoid: a hairdryer on boots for any length of time, leather on a radiator, and gear left in a sealed bag. All three ruin kit faster than rain does.

When to stop

There is no shame in parking up. If the rain is so heavy that you cannot see, if you are cold to the point of shivering, or if the road is flooding, stop. A café, a museum or a long lunch costs you a couple of hours; pushing on tired and cold costs far more. On a tour, it helps to plan a flexible day or two so a wet one does not wreck the schedule. Our guide on how far to ride each day explains how to build in that slack.

Choosing routes for wet days

Some roads are better in the rain than others. Big, open valley roads drain well and are easier than tight, wooded lanes. If the high passes are in cloud, ride the valleys and keep the passes for the next clear morning. In the Black Forest, the B500 is wide and well surfaced; in Wales, the main roads of the A470 and Evo Triangle drain better than the single-track lanes.