CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

"Severe weather warning"

(7379 posts)

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  1. Rosie
    Member

    I cycled for the first day this week as it wasn’t windy, rainy or icy.

    But when I left work it was pelting down. I cycled along the very busy, narrow Fountainbridge, which lived up to its watery name with every pothole a lochan and the gutter a burn.

    Then my front light fell off.

    So I stopped and leaned my cycle against the fence and as the light lay on the street, its beams lighting up the rain drops, waited for a space in the traffic so I could grab it.

    Then a car knocked it into the middle of the road. So now I had two streams of traffic to contend with.

    Just when a gap was appearing on both sides of the street, a car ran over it and smashed it into tiny bits.

    So to Evans to buy a new light and half walked half cycled and got home soaked. My waterproof has given up its main purpose in life.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. jdanielp
    Member

    That was a grim cycle home, not helped by the realisation that I'd forgotten to charge my front light as I prepared my bike, not that an extra-bright beam would've done much other than help illuminate the sleet. The Walk at Heriot-Watt was more like The Water Slide (leading down into an appropriately placed splash pool) and the towpath was all but indistinguishable from the canal in places. I'm just glad that there weren't many cyclists coming in the other direction because I was constantly wiping my glasses and blinking away the sleet that had fallen through the gap.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    Oh the snow is lying in Balerno all right. Massive tailback in rain from town. Meant I just held my place in middle of road as if. Was a car, when hit snow went up the inside for a while, then cycled on pavement, then wheeled along on pavement, then got off and pushed on the pavement. Quite heavy but wheels kept turning.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. panyagua
    Member

    @Rosie, that's very bad luck. I suppose it would be too much to hope a driver would notice it and stop so you could pick it up.

    I'm still in the office (behind with my work) and hoping the rain is going to ease soon, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Not looking forward to venturing out...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    Not raining at KB (apparently)

    http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~weather/jcmb_ws_R/Timeplot_day_006.jpg

    Nearly an inch in 4 hours.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. SRD
    Moderator

    It was sleet in George square and something closer to snow in PolwArth just now. Tremendous amounts of wAter in the road, but white stuff on cars and bins.

    @rosie how horrible :(

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. HankChief
    Member

    Had a family meal out tonight. Tough call whether the risk it in civvies with waterproofs over the top or stick to cycling gear and change once I arrived

    I went with the latter which seemed to work well although I was followed into the restaurant with a waiter mopping the floor...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. Greenroofer
    Member

    Experimentation over three trips this evening has confirmed that my 'cycling' waterproof trousers now aren't and my old 'walking' waterproof trousers also aren't. My warmish waterproof winter gloves aren't, and my super-warm inner and outer waterproof winter gloves also aren't. My waterproof overshoes aren't (but I knew that).

    Luckily my waterproof jacket still is. On the second and third trips I wore wellies, which are (but don't stay on the pedals very well)

    Having overspent my authorised Wiggle budget recently, I'm going to have to find out a cheap way of restoring a measure of waterproofness to these various items. Any ideas?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    Ask for Christmas presents that are waterproof . Tide yourself over by visiting decathlon this weekend?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    "My warmish waterproof winter gloves aren't"

    Yeah I was disappointed to find that out this afternoon too

    Fortunately my cheap new Altura jacket and trousers worked the way I'd hoped/expected.

    I knew my socks would get wet. Maybe I should learn to like overshoes(?)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. Nelly
    Member

    A colleague is currently still driving to penicuik, having left work at 5.

    2 inches of snow.........

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I was on the motorbike today, and it was a horrible, horrible ride home. The engine conked out a mile after leaving work because I wasn't quick enough to switch the fuel onto reserve, and then the sleet and rain was heavy enough that I couldn't ride with my visor closed. My glove has a little windscreen wiper blade on the thumb, and it didn't work very well, so I had to ride at 25-30mph while peering under a half-open visor, which was unpleasant! Bought petrol, and then rode the rest of the way home.

    My jacket is a muckle Goretex thing. I was bone dry underneath but the jacket is still drying out five hours later. My trousers are definitely not waterproof.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. Rosie
    Member

    @panayagua - Fountainbridge at peak hour during violent rain is all sharks and blood, I'm afraid.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. Snowy
    Member

    @Greenroofer I usually end up applying this stuff to items which have lost their original waterproofness. You can do 3 or 4 large items (jackets, trousers) from a bottle.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. Snowy
    Member

    Mind you, this stuff is even better but it's definitely not breathable and it does smell a bit funny ;-)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. wingpig
    Member

    My non-breathable but packable jacket was just about keeping my top half drier than it would have got without it, given the temperature. The Sealskinz red things I replaced my yellow grippy ones with following last December's mis-hap are slightly more waterproof than the yellow ones, and slightly warmer. My waterproof-as-long-as-the-rain-doesn't-run-down-your-legs-into-them Shimano Gore-Tex Vibram SPD shoes have a big rip on one side of one side, which won't help. They're comfortable enough for reasonably fast walking and hill-capable so they'll be replaced as like-for-like as possible if they can't be effectively repaired once they've dried out.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. gembo
    Member

    My kit was a little damp but given the conditions not bad. Neoprene overshoes over waterproof shoes, with waterproof socks inside. Second hand goretex over trousers, soft shell altura varium from leckies (now closed) and expensive sealskinz gloves. Not dry but not wet. Bike covered in frozen snow I had to brush off.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. amir
    Member

    The weather was much more appealing this morning when I came in late due to being ill last night - unfortunately too weak to cycle. The wind forecast looks challenging for this afternoon.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. Morningsider
    Member

    Forgot to put my one pair of winter weight gloves on the radiator last night, after the deluge. Nothing like putting your hands into freezing cold soggy gloves in the morning.

    Other waterproofs holding up well. Getting a bit bored of the rain now.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. Stickman
    Member

    Wind is picking up.....not looking forward to the ride home into the teeth of it.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. Rosie
    Member

    A colleague was delayed for 6.5 hours going to Innerleithen. Jack-knifed lorries on the road to Penicuik, one half hanging over the edge and four inches of snow. Being an old hand, he turned round, found the nearest Sainsbury's and waited out in the café with a bunch of other travellers. Said it was very friendly, blitz spirit, sharing tales. Loads of abandoned cars by the side of the road this morning.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. dougal
    Member

    @Morningsider

    I also discovered my winter gloves in a sopping heap this morning but managed to borrow my girlfriend's SealSkinz which are only slightly tight. My jacket is no longer waterproof though.

    Can anyone recommend reproofing for the bog standard Endura Gridlock jacket?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. steveo
    Member

    Give it a wash with Nikwax technical wash and then add some nikwax TX wash in waterproofing. Restored my "met waterproof in a pub once" jacket to something which can stand up to the weather of late.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. stiltskin
    Member

    Wheeeeee! Lovely tailwind home.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. dougal
    Member

    Thanks steveo I will add that to the list of things to not order from Amazon!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. jdanielp
    Member

    Nikwax technical wash worked as a relatively short-term solution on my Altura Night Vision Evo jacket last year. It is now clearly delaminating and leaving white bits on my shoulders when I wear it and was the main reason that I ended up replacing it before winter arrived this year.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. jdanielp
    Member

    I regretted not cycling to work this morning (despite the fact that it started raining the moment I left the flat) because I've felt distinctly lethargic all day as a result. However, given the noises coming from outside I am now quite glad to be getting a lift back into town.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. Stickman
    Member

    Well that wasn't much fun.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. Greenroofer
    Member

    @Stickman - you were obviously going in the opposite direction to me (and @stiltskin, I'd wager). I got into top gear on the way home, which is the first time for ages...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. Uberuce
    Member

    I'm in the Stickman camp of having had an utter scumbag of a ride home.

    Posted 8 years ago #

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