In many parts of North America, spring has sprung. I live in Wisconsin so we’ll go from 40 degrees to 85 in a matter of days, however, they are calling for 8 -10 inches of snow by tomorrow. Any way you look at it, a major part of springtime riding is wet roads. These are the antagonists of riding if you ask me. They are tricky, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to be tricked going 40 mph down a hill with nothing between me and the road except a carbon bike frame and some spandex shorts. I’ve decided to put together some tips to help you keep those gorgeous stems of yours out of road rash hell.

Brakes
First of all your brakes are bound to deceive you when they are wet. These are the biggest tricksters of the bunch when it comes to riding in wet conditions. The basic thing to remember is this. Once the pads are wet, they are much less effective than when they are dry. No, I do not think you are an idiot, I’m just starting from the beginning here. Some schools of thought will tell you to lightly keep pressure on the brakes as you’re riding so that the pads rub against the wheels and wicks away the water so that when it is time to brake your pads are more effective

Tires
Tires are what they are. If you start to encounter some wet conditions you just have to slow down, seriously. I know that doesn’t sound like rocket science though to keep the road rash at bay, this is what I recommend. Just watch any of the pros in the Spring Classics. Roughly ninety percent of those races are in the rain and those guys go all out and WHAM! Someone is down with a broken wrist or smashed up something or other and I’ll tell you what my little chickadees, your face and your hot bod is worth slowing down for.

Puddles
Oh, these little farts can be tricky. I recommend avoiding them at all costs because you don’t know what is hiding in there. There could be a huge pothole or a nail collection that someone decided to put right there for safe keeping. There may even be a smashed bottle or windshield lurking to latch on to that road tire of yours. These things can happen. If a quick swerve is going to save you from stopping to change a tire or ruining your slicks, I think its well worth it.

A Little List of Slick Stuff
This list is by no means complete, though some dicey things that you may encounter on the roads:
Road paint - The white and yellow kind. It’s common and brutal all at the same time.
Metal - I’m talking manhole covers, railroad tracks, etc.
Wood - Watch out for that “innocent” bridge when it’s wet out!
Leaves - I realize tis the season to keep these suckers on the trees, but a rain will bring ‘em down every time.

Feel free to comment with more Slick Stuff to watch out for!
Happy spring to all of you! Enjoy your ride!

Peace Out
bk