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Why can't you ride when its real wet, muddy? I know it apparently
I know it 'trashes'your bike but how ?? and what to do if you did happen to go out riding when it's wet because you're a rookie?
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All that mud on your bike is mud removed from the track. This creates ruts and water channels and it goes down hill from there.
Katie, some good reading on this topic can be found in this thread here http://nobmob.com/node/9629
Particulalry this comment by mrsoldfart http://nobmob.com/node/9629#comment-33614 and this one from flynny http://nobmob.com/node/9629#comment-33634
With regards to how riding in the wet trashes your bike...
Well - normally when it's dry you just get a bit of dust and dirt on the frame. This is no biggie and easy to remove from the frame and drive train. If any does stick, it stays where it lands. There is no water to wash it into places it shouldn't be.
When it's wet the water causes more adhesion. If you don't believe this, take a handful of dry dirt and throw it at a wall. Then do the same with a handful of wet dirt
Anyhow - so instead of not sticking, the wet dirt does stick. It also mixes with water and get's carried into places it wouldn't normally go.
Anyone who's every done any valve grinding on their vehicle's cylinder head (or grinding of anything else I guess) will know that pastes one uses are like very fine sand in a 'wet' mixture. So water and sand from a trail is even worse than wet dirt - it acts like this grinding paste and everywhere there is metal on metal (or metal on something else) contact is very abrasive. This wears out your drive train and causes havoc to brake pads and discs. Here's some pads after a run down the Oaks (you can't really damage firetrails before you ask) in the wet for example:
That's actually nothing - at the Sydney 24 the other year (which was a race so we were obliged to ride in the wet) I went through a set of pads in around 8km of riding, half of which was uphill!
Then consider that you place grease on bearings and such to lubricate them and try and keep water out. When it's wet the water carries fine dirt (and sometimes worse - sand) into places they shouldn't be. This dirt sticks in the grease and becomes abrasive as described above. So instead of lubricating, the grease becomes very abrasive. Grease can also get washed away with this abrasion and you end up with water in your bottom bracket bearings and such.
None of this is very nice for your bike as you can imagine
Gee thanks! I don't think i'll be hitting the trails today sighh
If you accept that things will wear out and are happy to clean your bike then why not ride in the rain? Components are designed to be replaced, after all. If you're dressed appropriately it can be a lot of fun. Most single track will get trashed if it's wet so stick to the fire roads.
Just be mindful that it'll be slippery in places it normally isn't and the creeks that are normally trickles may become torrents.
@pancakes - that's a fair enough point.
Firetrails in the wet are fair game - they are built for tanker access so a bike is hardly going to do any damage. I have seen the ruts fire trucks and rangers 4WDs leave when they drive them in the wet - I bike can do nothing in comparison.
However it can be an expensive (and time consuming) business. If you do ride on appropriate trails in the wet, strip your bike when you're done, dry it out, lube and re-assemble.
Just be prepared to spend two times the duration of your ride cleaning and lubing your bike afterwards
I remember some big numbers being spent by folks on repairs after a certain pre-Dirtworks training ride this year? Ground-off brake pistons, replacing entire drive-trains.... hmmm lots of fun for sure but is it really worth that sort of repair bill in abrasive Sydney sandstone? That starts to hurt after awhile...
While I agree with the sentiment about saving your bike from damage and not riding trails in the rain I rode that day as it had only just started to drizzle. It ended up being about as wet as it can possibly get and was more like a creek on the way back.
I still have the same chain on my bike so not everyone got the same bill.
Guess it really depends on how worn the parts are before you start, lube, drivetrain quality etc. I know everyones pads wore out in the 30-50k range and I took it easy on the brakes after that so still got the same disks on those wheels.
Would I do it again? Probably not.
However the repair bill for the bike hasnt been to bad, new disc pads, chain and a cassette.
I completed broke the bike down and degreased and regreased and it wasnt to bad, so yeah it wasnt to bad at all. My disc are still in good nick so yeah I guess I got lucky.
Since that post we've had out breaks of Mirtle rust up the eastern seaboard, this has probably spread from peoples gardens and and this years wet weather has certainly helped its rapid spread.
It's been found along a few bike trail in different areas.
If you are going to ride in the wet, and I do. There are a couple of things to consider.
Where are you going to ride? What is the trail base, is it good draining or does it hold water? The old Lidsdale trail drained like an unbelievable drainy thing. Last last year after some solid weeks of rain was the only time I ever saw water sitting on the trail when it wasn't actually raining, 5min up the road at mount lambie unless you get a good 4 or 5 days of sun shine after a day of rain then forget it.
If the trail is prone to be boggy or suffers a lot of traffic don't ride it in the wet. If you absolutely have to get out I recon its the perfect time for trail maintenance as you can see first hand what the water is doing and can take steps to manage it.
If the trail normally drains well and isn't likely to cop a heap of traffic... make a judgment call.
If you do choose to go stay on the trail. Lots of people see a puddle/bog and think the best thing to is ride around it... That might keep your bike a bit cleaner but is the worse thing you can do to the trail as you simply push the bog wider resulting in a bigger wider mess. Just go through. Yep it makes the hole a bit deeper and wider but normally it's just a matter of then filling a thin rut with rocks on the next maintenance day.
Change your technique. At the same 12hr when Rob wore out a set of pads in 8km I did several laps on the same set of pads I'd already done 2 or 3 wet 8hrs on.
I try not to drag my brakes anyway, preferring to brake late and hard, on and off, but make a more conscious effort not to drag and try to stay off the brakes more, when it's I find you slow down a bit anyway so I get off the pedals a bit earlier and let nature slow me a bit more.
Clean. As pointed out the fine sand gets turned into a cutting paste as its hard on the obvious stuff like chains and sprockets but it also gets into headset bearings, into your BB, wheels and suspension. After a wet ride strip the bike down and give everything a good clean and lube.
I must admit I've been a bit slack with that lately but I use to be pedantic about it.
Disinfect. With the serious fungus' spreading it's important to make sure tyres and frames get a good clean before and after a ride especially if you are riding in different areas. I think the recommendation is a 70-30 mix of metho to water.
Put back. If you do ride trails in the wet (Well any time really...) try and help out the local trail crew if they have organised build/maintenance days.
"I dig, therefore I ride." is a great philosophy.
Sure some of us haven't got the time or know how and that's fine by me, or they are limited by the trail management policy's (like at the dam) but I honestly believe trail digging is an integral and rewarding part of the MTB experience.
It's amazing how much you learn about reading trails and spotting lines when you take the time to get out there with a rake or shovel instead of a bike every now and then.
Mirtle rust: if you see it report it.
Thanks for posting the pic
Katie,
I enjoy riding in the wet, especially straight after or during heavy down pours.
The trails take on a whole new life. The semi-dry creeks become knee high crossings full of life.
Water is flowing over parts of the trails you would never have guessed were dry water courses.
I for one ride and treat my bike like a tool. Use it for what it was intended for, mountains.
Yes the brake pads will wear out faster and the drive drain will grind a bit on the day but when you are out riding, enjoying the moment, who give a shit!
As for erosion, I have sat, in the rain, and watched heavy water flows over our single trails and noticed more than a fair share of sediment flowing all on its own so I don't agree that mountain bikes play a massive role in trail erosion, (Poor trail design and trail bikes spinning rear wheels do).
Just go and ride you bike in what ever weather floats your boat but I'm an opinionated old bastard so what do I know
Pikey
Don't forget that we're not saying you shouldn't ride on fire trails - just single track. Not forgetting just about the only legal single track in the area is Manly Dam.
Now, it's interesting to read this, "I'll ride wherever I like whenever I like" attitude along side complaints about recent work at the Dam. Unless riders can show respect for the trails, why should authorities include them in the maintenance process?
Katie, 2 things.
There is good and responsible advice here about not riding single track in the rain. One rider in the rain doesn't matter that much. But if everyone does it, the trail can become ruined in no time. This is where personal responsibility comes in. I guess just do what you are comforable with.
If you can limit the amount of braking you do when riding in the heavy wet, then you will do less damage to your brakes. Use them too much and you can literally burn though a new set of pads in an hour. If you can afford to do that, then fine, but normally you should be slowing down and using your brakes less, and limiting the hard heavy stops in the heavy wet. Also remember that the sand is grinding down your chain, chain rings, cassette and rear derailleur sprockets. These things cost circa $200-$500 to replace. Riding in the rain is a compromise between wanting to ride and enjoy yourself, not ruin your trail, and the extra cost associated with needing to replace parts on your bike at a faster than normal rate. Over to you!
Much I as don't like to draw attention to it, there is an absolute $h!tfight going on on the latest Glenrock State Conservation Area update for 11 Jun along the same lines.
Someone points out that at Henry W. Coe State Park (the largest state park in northern California) they have the rule:
Interesting, non? I hate to admit, but the USA is far ahead of Australia in trail advocacy and care. They have proper networks and proper rules to protect them.
Oh, and check out some pictures from the 2009 Sydney 24 at Wisemans Ferry. This was on private land on a track that was built for the event but still, they illustrate the point perfectly: In the dry there would be a bit of dust on bike & rider. In the wet they end up taking all this and more away from the trail. Moving this amount of dirt from the trail elsewhere, multiplied by hundreds of riders is not good.
Don't think, "My one ride won't hurt", because when everybody does that you know what the results add up to.
Once we get purpose built single track in Hornsby shire, I'll be advocating 'communication' for people who ride the single track if closed (if wet for instance). Repeat offenders can have fines and 'intervention' from the local cycling community. Many people put years and years into getting these trails (which are coming), so we are not about to let some minorities come stuff that up.