Wet weather racing

[Kris_on_1]

With the wet weather we've been having prior and during races (eg: Sydney 24hr & Husky 100), do you radically alter your bike set up, put on the spare shoes and the helmet that have been relegated to the back of the cupboard or bring out the pub bike?

Or do you wear the good stuff and race as you would normally?

Or do you change it from a race to a ride and hope the beer stays colder in the rain?

How wet does it need to be for you to give it a miss?

 

[akashra]

If I know a race is going to be muddy:
- Brake pads get switched to Sintered Metallic pads from Resin (if they're not already Sintered).
- Tyres are switched to something more appropriate - usually a Maxxis ADvantage is sufficient, but in rare occasions the Meduas come out.
- If it's raining, visor goes on the helmet.
- Neoprene boot covers go over the shoes
- Mud guards sometimes go on both front and rear.

So nothing really abnormal.

 

[Grover]

how muddy are we talking? if you're talking thredbo from the weekend muddy then another trick is to put cooking oil (we had spray on olive oil) on everything except brake pads/rotors...and seat/grips because that would just be yuck. Don't neglect yourself either, cooking oil on arms/legs/shoes. I was asked by another competitor if i'd stopped for a shower midway through the race because I was so clean, comparitively.

Also, make sure you've got the studs in your shoes because you will be running and regularly give your drivetrain a squirt with your drinkbottle to clean gunk (drown your chain in lube beforehand). In addition to the new brake pads it's best to skip on the weight weenie rotors that chew through pads faster than stock ones.

 

[DbD]

You could also soften your suspension a little to adjust and reduce the rebound speed to give you greater traction and more predictability for the lower speeds (unless its really think sticky mud, in which case you'll need to stiffen your susp because of the mud cake on your bike!!)

 

[Big Stu]

All the above suggestions are fine. But if you have a swamp donkey/pub bike sitting around use that!! It is not a nice feeling knowing that your nice bike is getting ruined and will take hours of stripping/cleaning/rebuilding to get the thing back in order! The advantages that your nice bike gives you (weight/acceleration etc) go out the window when it is real muddy as you spend all your energy just staying upright.

Stu.

 

[Turner_rider]

Unless its really bad, I don't do anything different to any other race to be honest. I just take clothes to cover both conditions in the same way i cover hot or cold race days.

On rare occasions where I know the course is going to be boggy, I've taken the 5" trail bike instead as the greater clearance helps and the bike is far more forgiving in slippery conditions.

 

[Turner_rider]

How wet does it need to be for you to give it a miss?

The organisers pull the pin before I do...

 

[ebuk]

If it's raining take the SS.....if it's dry take the SS*



* says the guy thinking of taking his tupperware many gears bike to the Stromlo 100m .

 

[Bjorn]

I'm with Ebuk, SS in the wet.
Don't forget to smile at your fellow competitors as you pass (or they pass you) and say of their crunchy drive train, "That sounds expensive."

WD 40 on your frame works well as mud repellant.

 

[bingobong]

If really muddy:
- put away the full suspension and bring our the hardtail (if you have the option)
- run metallic brake pads (I usually run these anyway)
- change to thinner tyres and run tubeless (no way you want to be fixing pinchflats in the mud)
- wear thinner and tighter fitting clothes like lycra bibs/tights (baggy clothes end up weighing a tonne!)
- ditch the sunglasses

 

[Turner_rider]

Shaved legs also hold a lot less mud than hairy ones. Something worth considering too...

 

[Kris_on_1]

It’s only ever an SS. I’m not a normal female and don’t multitask well. Though the leg shaving isn't an issue.

Tyre pressure is always low because it's a rigid 29er.

That said, thanks to everyone for the suggestions and advice. The drink bottle squirt worked well this morning to clear the mud out of the bottom bit around the turning bit.

 

[Raf]

Were you the rigid SS with the "Super BIke" number plate at the sydney jet black?

 

[XC_rulz]

I'm not sure about using SS in the mud. It is hard enough pushing easy gears up hills in the wet. Like Grover said, just squirt the drivechain every lap with water.

I also don't think that using your pub bike is the go either. If it is big race i will put a fresh chain and rings on for the mud becasue older worn out drive trains are more prone to chainsuck and other problems. They are usually stuffed afterwards, so it depend how much you want it. FRM 2x9 front chain rings are awesome for mud becasue the small ring (27T) is quite solid with no ramps and cut outs for the chain to get caught on. I had perfect shifting all race at Thredbo with rings and chain that are a few months old. I do use the training set of wheels in the mud becasue it means you can have them set up with mud tyres ready to go (often the decision of tyres can't be made until the last minute) and it saves the bearings in the race wheels

Skinny tyres are ok if there are no rocks and roots, but the pressure you need to avoid flats makes them shit on anything hard. Roots are just plan scary with 1.8" spikes! 2.1" Medusas are a good comprimise for most tracks. They hooked up mad at thredbo and i was able to ride everything on most laps except the switchback on the bridle loop.

Front mud gaurd is a must. As is good "hydrophobic" eyewear, and roady cap under the helmet. Cable tie on the gripshift so you can still shift after a crash or after drinking from a muddy bidon. definately agree that fresh brake pads are important too.

But the most important ingredient: a big motor! In the muddiest race i have ever done i got lapped by Nino Shurter on a muddy off camber traverse. I was struggling to ride it and he had a 2m roast coming off his back wheel. impressive.

 

[Kris_on_1]

Were you the rigid SS with the "Super BIke" number plate at the sydney jet black?

Nope, wasn't me. I'm too much of a wimp to ride in a light drizzle

 

[akashra]

I agree with the singlespeed+mud = bad. I know, in theory, it means less drivetrain to screw up, but if you screw up your gearing you'll never get back on the bike. I tried to ride 2:1 at Harkaway once, and even that was just way too big to ride anything in the conditions.

As is good "hydrophobic" eyewear, and roady cap under the helmet. Cable tie on the gripshift so you can still shift after a crash or after drinking from a muddy bidon. definately agree that fresh brake pads are important too.

Oh yes, this is top advise. Oakley make a hydrophobic kit that you can apply to lenses, which while expensive is well worth it, espeically in the rain. I've used it and highly recommend it.

Other thing I completely forgot is to drop the pressure out of your tyres. For me, I've dropped ADvantage down to as low as 20psi without troubles, and it certainly helps.

But the most important ingredient: a big motor! In the muddiest race i have ever done i got lapped by Nino Shurter on a muddy off camber traverse. I was struggling to ride it and he had a 2m roast coming off his back wheel. impressive.

Hah, I think that's saying a lot.

 

[Bjorn]

Kris_on_1,

I wouldn't worry too much about all the people saying SS is no good in the mud. Run some tyres that shed mud nicely, change your gearing to a lower ratio if you are into that sort of thing (I can't be bothered) and go for it.

Pick lines that are open and smooth (No sharp turns) and concentrate on your spin.

Pick your tyre width based on getting good clearance in your frame and fork. If it's tight, go for skinnies; if there is plenty of clearance stay with wider tyres.

Unless racing is how you make your money, chill a bit and remember we do this for fun, the conditions are the same for everyone.

 

[Kris_on_1]

Thanks Bjorn. Really appreciate the feedback, it sounds easy enough to follow and hopefully I was doing most of those things without thinking about them. Now I'll know why I'm doing them.

 

[Bjorn]

One other thing, use mud as a spurious justification to buy disc brakes if you don't already have them.

 

[Josh Seksy]

for me i go...
ditch the sunnies
fresh waxed legs
armour-all car protective spray for the frame- helps bead mud and water off, works REALLY WELL!
zip ties on the gripshift, and make sure i run lock on grips!- nothing worse then loose grips mid race.
neoprene fork/steerer mudguard and sometimes downtube frame mount mudguard also.
metal sintered brake pads-noisy bud no-nonsense when trying to stop!
some rare 1.5'' continental mud tires (tubeless setup) that i managed to get my hands on from a ex-belgium pro, they were for the pro team only and my god are they good! before you start complaining about how narrow they are, the theory is that they slice through the mud, attaining the hardpack underneath, the agressive nob pattern is also open enough to ensure mud doesn't build up.
i must say, i rate these tires 10/10.

my 2c