Hi all, it’s been a while! I got my first uni as a random Christmas present last year, spent most of my January evenings indoors, and was consistently managing rides of around 15m before the walls got in the way. I then moved out onto some flat cement handstanding and was managing 100m rides. Then the weather got in the way! So far this year we have had over 1.5m of rainfall here, which has put me off riding.
My questions are, is it harder to ride and learn in the wet? Do others ride regularly in cr#p weather? Do I just need to man up and get on with it?!
I have been out twice this week, managing personal best distances both times with a record 1.3kms tonight, which is encouraging. I definitely don’t want to quit!
I think it depends on how hard it’s raining and how far you’re riding.
I don’t personally care much for riding in the rain, but as it happens, we did some yesterday. We were about 3 miles in on the trail and it started coming down pretty good. My helmet has a visor, so that kept it off my face fairly well, and since we were riding pretty hard, my shirt was already wet anyway. Didn’t seem to make a huge difference. (But we stopped under a tree when it came down hard.)
I think if I knew it was going to rain pretty much every day, I would get a suitable rain coat, put waterproofing on my shoes, and go for it.
Cheers! (Post pictures!)
If you’re gonna ride in the wet, just make sure to use grippy shoes and grippy pedals.
I’m using 5.10 shoes & the standard Nimbus pedals just now, and I can’t move/reposition my feet on the pedals. I guess that means 2 things, first my shoes are grippy enough and second I’m still not relaxed & trusting my weight to the seat enough!
I’m ok with riding mtb in the rain. If I didn’t I’d hardly ride at all. I just find it a bit soul-destroying upd’ing and having to walk back to my mounting post in the wet! I need to work on my free mounting.
Nothing demonstrates dedication to a sport like practicing in the rain! I store my pads and shoes outside. When it rains, I end up putting on cold, wet pads and shoes. They start warming up immediately.
If you need more practice free-mounting, I would suggest practicing the tire-grab mount, assuming it is compatible with your setup (I learned it on a 24"). The tire grab mount can be performed slowly, giving yourself enough time to set the second foot carefully, and thus have both feet fixed on the pedals where you want them. Wear gloves. The tire grab will force you to look down at where you are placing your second foot. You mentioned ‘not’ being able to adjust on the pedals. That technique might take a long time to get…but if you get your feet in the right position, you’re good to go, especially in the rain.
My favorite rides are in the rain!. Love it on the trails, messy but truly exillerating. It’s so cooling that all your sweat just blends in together with the rain. Traction on trails shouldnt be problem, at least it wasnt for me. Pedal grip wasnt the best on my New Balance 969, but Im sure I’ll be wearing my FiveTens this winter. There’s plenty of control and must less slip then you would get from a mountain bike at higher speeds.
Love it when it rains now, and I’ll take advantage of making some mud trails at any chance, especially here in California, when we’re into a major drought.
My longest learning session when I was just starting out was at night in light rain. I could sense I was just starting to “get it” and I wasn’t stopping for darkness or rain.
I have ridden substantial distances in the rain too. Clothes normally get soaked with sweat anyway so rain isn’t so different.
I have cycled in Scotland and totally loved it. Cycling faster than the Midges might be more of a challenge than the rain though. I would prefer a light drizzle over a midget attack 
So the consensus is I just need to man up and get on with it! That’s pretty much what I was starting to think anyway. I’ll give the tyre grab mount a go, and I’m also almost there with roll back. I’ve just not really focused on mounting yet, I’ve been more concerned with staying on once I am up. I think free mounting will open up a lot more options though, given that currently m limiting myself to just a couple of locations with railings or posts I can mount beside! Thanks everyone for replying.
You’ll learn to love your shoes sticking to your pedals, trust me 
That is NOT a bad thing! But you will also have to learn to unweight your feet to shift them around (I try and do quarter-revs 1-footed to reposition 1 foot at a time). I guess falling over on the wet ground is even more motivation to get better, that way you’ll do it less
I wouldn’t say it’s harder to ride (or learn) in the wet at all, unless you’re already doing off-road tracks in which case the wet clayish mud would make you slide all over the place (been there done that). Presumably if you’re learning you’re not doing that though, so wet pavement shouldn’t pose any bigger problem than dry pavement.
As for manning up and getting on with it… If you don’t mind riding in the rain, get out there and get it done. There’s nothing wrong with avoiding the rain if you don’t enjoy it, many people don’t! I’ve personally been caught up in the rain enough to know I don’t really care, but I tend not to go out if it’s already chucking it before I leave