The topic title is the polite name for it. It is also known as riding in the shit, and I think you should do it at least once this winter.

I make this suggestion, a training tip if you will, every winter.

I mean the most miserably cold days as well as the the most miserably wet and cold days. The latter I define as raining between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You don't have to go far just get out for as long as you can stand it. if you live near a park, just go to the park and ride laps. If you don't have a park near you ride laps on a lightly-trafficked loop near your house. Just make your warmest, smartest clothing and fender suggestions and get out there. Probably drop your tire pressure by 5-10psi. As you get cold, or even as you get hot, you'll start to figure out what works and what doesn't. When you get too cold to deal, ride home and thaw out. Think about what you could have done better. And start to see how it can be done.

The reason is to learn how to survive these conditions and overcome any fear you might have about racing in them. The reason is that there may be a race in the future that you've been focusing on for months and race day arrives and the weather is awful. I don't want you to mentally throw in the towel before the start or give up early because it's miserable out.

Last winter, several of us got "lucky." I was out on a Sunday, probably this weekend, with Jeff, Keith, Marc, Patrick, and Tad. Hope I'm not missing anyone. At the exact far point of the ride, it started to rain. The air was at about 34 degrees or so. The ground was a bit below freezing. We were sliding, Jeff and Tad crashed on a bend in the road. It was a brutal finale, but we made it, and, I hope, better for the experience. I certainly had nothing to fear from the hurricane Grant's Tomb in March and teh cold, wet Spring Series finale.

I make this suggestion with an unsound mind. Use your best judgement. Don't get injured. Don't sue.

That was beyond miserable. Whenever I feel cold and the nerves are shooting pain up from frozen digits, I just think: well, we're not getting split by a train, waiting on a 30 minute tire change only to refreeze, riding in icy precip, and crashing on black ice. I will most likely not have to have anything amputated. The pain means I do not have frostbite. The bloody frozen tights will release from my hip. I will somehow live, as long as my apartment doesn't run out of hot water as usual.

Can anyone recommend a set of fenders for winter training? I was thinking a full coverage set since I'm going to try to stay on the road a lot this winter. The Crud MK2 is coming up a bit in reviews and seems like a good bet. Anyone have any experience with this set?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/crud-roadracer-mk2

A few other brands out there (SKS and Planet Bike) have mixed reviews.

My experience with seatpost mounted fenders has been not great - I feel like they keep the water off your back a bit but stream it directly into the person's face riding on your wheel.

Thanks,

Mike

I have the SKS raceblades. The rear was easy to set up: install + bend the metal arms so that the fender makes a smooth arc round the circumference of the tire. It works well.

The front fender was a total pain and I could not get the thing installed at all. However I will caveat this by saying I was installing these on an old crit frame that I had relegated to winter bike duties and the headtube angle is 74.5d with the front wheel tucked under the downtube - a lot like a track bike. So probably NOT an issue with the fenders.

I'm going to install on a more conventional road frame this season so hopefully the front will be easier.

btw - I'm a big fan of fenders for winter riding. The front is important for you and the rear for everyone else on the ride. The clubs I rode with in the UK have a winter riding policy: no fenders = no group ride

The cruds are probably your best bet, safest too with the quick release mechanism.

The SKS race blades are pretty easy to get on and off and in terms of keeping you and your draftee clean, it does a pretty decent job. The one thing that's critical is applying the included stickers to the spots on the stays and fork where the fender meets those tubes. If you don't do it, the grit and movement will abraide the paint or clear coat there fairly quickly. They probably only weigh a few grams. You're probably going to want to remove them once the good weather rolls around.

I also have SKS's backscratcher-type X-Blade. Because it has two pivots, it can be set to minimize spray on the person following you. I had it dialed until I switched to SRAM Red brakes. Because of the cable-stop arch, I had to lift the fender a bit, which means more spray on the person behind me. But I think if I put the fender clamp a bit higher on my seat post, I can arrange the pivots so it's closer to the tire and offers more protection for the person behind me.

JP

I always get sprayed unless the person has full coverage fenders all the way down past axle level on the rear wheel. :/ JP did you find if my Cruds protected you from spray?

John,
I think they did, but there was so much spray in the air, what with the intermittent misting and the throw of the other wheels, I'm not sure.

Never heard of these before, but I like their website http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/roadracer_

Sadly, they don't post details on what comes with the kit .One thing they don't discuss in the videos is the paint abrasion issue I mentioned with the SKS raceblades. I'd love to know if the points at which they attach to the fork and the stays wears paint. Also, I'm not crazy about zip-tying the fender to the brake pivot; doesn't look like that will come off quickly or easily.

What's your experience with these issues?

JP

I've never had paint abrasion issues. But you could probably wrap the attachment point with some clear tape for good measure. The piece that attaches to the frame are plastic, secured taut with rubber loops.

They also come with some padded stickers that attach where the fenders meet the seat tube, to protect the frame.

The zip-ties they include have a small tab that let's you loosen the zip tie and reuse it.

The only downside is they might be a bit fragile... I had a set on my track bike and the front broke where it attaches to the brake pivot bolt. This was after riding on the street for months and the bike falling over a few times. This didn't prevent me from buying another set for the road bike, though. You can order replacement pieces from Crud for the price of postage.

i use the SKS raceblades XLs for my commuter cross bike which work fantastically- I hear the regular ones work very well for road bikes (just narrower fenders)

The topeak fenders are also a really popular option and reports from my old shop seemed to show they worked very well as well
-Lenny

Great topic, a few extra tips if I may:

Don't just install a rear fender. Invest the time getting a front fender set up well. This will prevent your front wheel shooting water onto your feet and shins.

(as an FYI it's very common for the club rides in the UK to require all riders to have two full fenders)

Wear a casquette it helps keep the rain out of your eyes.

Wear your glasses on the tip of your nose. This way you can look over the top of the wet lenses, but the glasses still protect you from crap thrown up from the road.

Most importantly for safety: take some air out of your tires. About 1 to 1.5 bar less front and back will increase the contact patch with the road.

Punctures are more likely in the wet, so ride robust winter tires.

Good points Ian, thanks.

"casquette" cycling cap, non?

I have some skin divers neoprene gloves. Disgusting. Like wearing a form fitting plastic bag. I have some neoprene booties which are wonderful. Of course, there are socks and shoes in between the booties and my flesh. For gloves, I recommend bringing an extra pair to change into for the 2nd half of the ride.

I dunno - I agree that neoprene gloves don't have the best feel to them, but I've always been amazed at how well they keep your hands warm in icy wet weather.  When I used to do food delivery, those were the only things that kept my hands warm in the winter wet when riding for hours on end.

On the other hand I have absolutely no interest in being out on a bike in that type of weather if I'm not clockin' dolla$, so it's kinda moot now.

Bump.

Bump indeed. No fenders and sunny days ahead? Looks like pancakes for the kids instead......

Ride in the rain.  Get better at it.  Sucks when you plunk down for an out of town race (fee, car, motel, etc) and wake up race day unprepared for wetness.  

I'm trying to wind up my resolve for an hour of power around 5 or 5:30 in the park tonight. Joiners welcome

I agree JP. And last year I prolly would have gone out for exact reasons you cited. Alas, I'm finding it harder to motivate for wet rides when I don't race any more.

mperlberg said:

I got out for an hour in the rain. Slapped on my rear racerblade in 5 seconds to save myself the miserable wet chamois feeling:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/product-accessories/2013-sks-raceblade-fender-set-2882.714.1.html

I think they're worth having if you plan to ride in the rain. 

Indispensable, I'd say

Rode a gran fondo yesterday in the rain and I was very impressed that so many people could descend a long series of switchbacks on Lightweights, Campy Boras, etc without incident. Unfortunately, roundabouts less so ... but that was probably the mixture of rain and diesel.

Anyway, yes it is practice to gain confidence.

Just got me a set of raceblades.  Shop only had XLs (up to 700x32) in stock though.

David Yang said:

Just got me a set of raceblades.  Shop only had XLs (up to 700x32) in stock though.

Just well; when you put your all-seasons on this fall you don't want to have to get a second "winter" set.

Jules said:

David Yang said:

Just got me a set of raceblades.  Shop only had XLs (up to 700x32) in stock though.

Just well; when you put your all-seasons on this fall you don't want to have to get a second "winter" set.

I like the way Snrub thinks!

Just move to the Bay Area and you won't have to worry about the rain

However, if you get dropped on the hills, you have to worry about the coyotes (this one at the tip of Happy Valley Road.