Unfortunately, the reality is that it will sometimes you will need to cycle in rain while you are riding to work.
However, with the showery, on-off nature of the British weather, this won’t happen as often as you may think.
With a little planning ahead you can avoid any torrential downpours and have the right gear to stay dry if there’s a shower.
Check weather forecast before cycling
First of all, check the weather. Although weather forecasts can be inaccurate, they’re the best we have.
If thunderstorms are predicted all day, then it might be wise to leave your bike at home, unless you’re a particularly hardened cyclist.
The weather does change rapidly though, so rather than seeing a rainy week and deciding not to ride in, use the 24 forecast the night before, which is usually fairly accurate.
What’s more, if a day is forecast for showers, this may actually mean that it will only rain at lunchtime, leaving commuter hours rain free. Look at the detail!
Get the right wet weather cycle kit
Riding a bike is an easy place to get wet. With rain coming down from above and spray from the road from below, without the right equipment you can end up soaked.
But with a few extras fitted to your bike, and some decent clothing you’ll keep dry in all but the heaviest rain.
Change of clothes
However hard you try, there will always be times when heavy rain gets you a bit wet and you will need to change your clothes when you arrive at work.
Many riders also find that they get quite hot and sweaty riding and will want to freshen up. A change of clothes means that you’ll always end up at your desk, dry.