Tips to enjoy rainy days with our bicycle summed up in 3 essential points

bicycle rainWith the arrival of autumn the rain increases, but this should not be an excuse to abandon our bicycle at home. Here you have some safety tips to avoid accidents and also enjoy the rain:

1. Appropriate equipment:

Starting with your clothes, always have a thick raincoat on hand; if you have a backpack, the raincoat should be wide enough to cover it (there are also trousers which you can wear over the ones you are wearing at the moment), It’s important to always keep dry in order not to arrive at your destiny with a cold.

Your feet are important too. Be sure that your footwear resists rain without problems!

In addition to raincoats, your clothes should be visible. Remember that inside a car the vision can sometimes be difficult. Try to maintain your bicycle lights in good condition, even though it is daytime and you have a good visibility, this helps others to see you. Equip your bicycle with a front mudguard to improve your visibility and a back mudguard so that, for example, you don’t arrive at work with your back full of mud.

2. Get your bicycle ready:

You can help to improve adhesion on the road by reducing the tire pressure (a little bit! If not, you will be in danger of getting a flat tire) and check that the treads of your tires are well marked. Maintain the chain clean and lubricated and check if your brakes respond quickly.

3. Reinforce your concentration on the road:

Emphasize the attention referring to the habitual precautions: brake before a curve and take it slowly. Keep a safety distance with regard to the other vehicles.

In addition to these, you have to take other new precautions: avoid puddles and the road edges (there is usually lot of water there); keep an eye on the marks painted on the road, especially pedestrian crossings, and multicolour marks on the road (they appear with rain), they are car oil and they make us skid easily.

It is always is better to avoid the hours with worse visibility, such as when the sun rises, at sunset or at night.

If you follow these tips, you will be able to enjoy your route and arrive at your destination dry and warm.