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Living in San Diego is the closest most of us will get to paradise.  With near perfect weather year-round and sunshine, it doesn't get much better!  However even Southern California can be prone to a few wet spats every now and then.

Riding in the rain can be quite exhilarating.  Rain can lead to a heightened cycling experience as more of your senses are engaged, however it can also make your day-to-day commute into a terrifying, frustrating endeavor if you’re not prepared.  Here a couple of things you should know before riding in the rain:

Your chances of getting a flat increases.
Riding in the increases your chances of experiencing a puncture.  The reason for this is the water can act as a lubricant for those tiny pieces of rock and or glass that may otherwise bounce off your tire.  Likewise, small pieces of road debris tend to stick to wet rubber easier, so those same tiny pieces hang onto your wheel longer giving them extra time to dig in.

Suggestion: Purchase more flat-resistant tires with extra tread, the Specialized Armadillo All-Condition is an excellent option.

You’re going to get really, really dirty.

Riding in the rain tends to leave your bike as well as yourself extra dirty.  This is because the rain can bring up oil residue that normally lays dormant on the tarmac, being kicked up onto your legs and hindquarters as your ride over it.  A pair of fenders and or ‘Asssaver’ can help lessen the dirt (and help keep you dry).

Suggestion: For occasional rain riding, an Ass-Saver is an excellent investment.  For regular riding in the rain a pair of fenders may be justified.   

Layer up!
If you’re going to go out riding in the rain, you’ll want to layer up.  Any article of clothing that gets wet is unlikely to dry and subsequent wind-resistance from riding can render your ride quite frigid.  A water-resistant jacket over your regular jersey, booties, and or water-resistance bottoms are highly advisable if you’re planning a prolonged ride in the rain.

Suggestion: The Deflect Jacket from Specialized is an excellent and packable option.  It is both wind and water-resistant, however it won’t survive a heavy downpour (why are you riding in a heavy downpour?).  Booties are likewise recommended to prevent water pooling in your shoes.

Cap it!
Cycling caps aren’t just for hipsters.  Cycling caps feature shorter brims than traditional covers and are perfect for wearing beneath a helmet.  The cap will not only work to keep your head dry, but the brim will channel water away from streaming down your face which in a heavy rain can be quite blinding.  

Suggestion: Choose a cap you’re likely to wear!  I like these from Tenspeed Hero!

Cotton tires are known for their high thread count and supple ride-quality.  Among clinchers, they're touted as having the least rolling-resistance and most closely resembling a tubular-esque ride.  For this, among manufacturing reasons as well, many cotton clinchers are known as 'Open Tubulars.'

In this posts we'll look at some of the cotton clinchers/open-tubulars currently stocked here at Ride Cyclery and available from Specialized, Challenge and Vittoria!

Specialized Turbo Cotton:

Specialized has been making tires since almost the beginning, in fact a tire was the first Specialized product to ever carry the Specialized mark.  Holding the title 'World's Fastest Clincher', the Specialized Turbo Cotton is the tire ridden to victory by Tony Martin in the 2016 World TT Championships.

Featuring a super-supple 320tip polycotton casing and their patented GRIPTON compound, Specialize claims it is the fastest tire they've ever produced.  Apart from very little rolling-resistance, what riders immediately notice is the supremely supple ride.  Though also featuring Specializes BLACKBELT flat-protection, it is admittedly minimal and flats can be expected more often than not if ridden on debris strewn roads.

If you're looking for the best (and fastest) ride possible, and money nor fixing the occasional flat isn't a factor, this is the clincher for you.

$80, available in 24, 26, and 28mm widths.  Available here or in store.

Challenge Paris-Roubaix PRO:

Challenge has been making tires since the early 2000s (and the founder longer before that under a different name).  Priding itself on many of its tires still being handmade, Challenge offers many excellent options from track to gravel riding. 

The Challenge Paris-Roubaix Pro tire is a popular choice for its suppleness, wide-width, as well as durability (comparatively speaking).  Featuring a 300tpi SuperPolyCotton-casing and a 27mm width, the Challenge Paris-Roubaix Pro provides an exceptional ride from the gravel to the cobbles to the road. 

Vittoria Corsa G+:

Vittoria has a been a leader in the cycling industry for more than half of a century and currently holds the title as the world's leading manufacturer of bicycle tires.  With extensive clincher and tubular offerings, Vittoria compliments its tires with its own branded-wheels as well as tubes.

A favorite among our staff at our downtown location, the Corsa G+ features a supple 320tpi Corespun K casing with kevlar reinforcing the sidewalls.  Amongst all the featured cotton tires, the Vittoria Corsa G+ has displayed the greatest durability with about 1500 miles on a rear-wheel.

We are stoked to announce that we are bringing Dynamic Suspension Tuning to RIDE Cyclery. This week, Specialized has sent Luke, their suspension guru to guide us on Dynamic Suspension Tuning which will be offering as a new service for our customers.

Many shops only offer to set shock sag, which is only one element of many in tuning your suspension to suit your riding style and terrain. As part of the service, all new suspension bikes, including hardtails will get a Static Set-Up and customers will be given their baseline settings.

What takes your suspension set-up to the next level is having it dynamically tuned. We have designated a few local trails to take customers to in order to help them tune their suspension to their riding style and local terrain. Then, one of our trained technicians will head out to the trail to run you and your bike through these sections and tuning your suspension to your tastes to keep your tires connected to the ground. This will allow you to corner with more confidence and roll through sections once though too difficult because of previously incorrect suspension set up.

Saturday started off as a cold January morning, rolling the RIDE 2U van into the SoCal Endurance 8 Hours of SoCal event at 6:30 AM. The temps ramped up quick as the racers were called up to the starting line.

When the race started, the temps were perfect and not a cloud in the sky! I was actually able to meet one cyclist I have admired for years, Tinker Juarez! Even at 54, he was out there tearing it up as usual.

Keith Omundson, a new rider for the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery team this season, raced in the 4 Hour Solo/Men's Open Division and finished 2nd! He has been a great addition to the team, also winning at the Dirty 30!

As the day wore on, the conditions got dustier and dustier. I was working a lot with one of the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery riders, Michael Sowinski, as he was racing Solo in the 8 Hour, Masters 50-59 category. Handing off water bottles and keeping them full. Mike ended up finishing 2nd! Congrats Mike!

Jim Salazar, the manager of the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery team was racing the 8 Hour with his 9 year old son, Mason! They did great, completing 8 laps. Juniors better look out, Mason is going to be a force to be reckoned with on the bike.

Teammate, Eric Wilson, finished a hard fought day just off the podium in 7th in the 8 Hour Solo/Men's Open Division. Great job Eric!

To close out the day, the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery 2-Man Team needed a sub 52 minute lap from Seth Watson to shore up a 4th Place finish, Seth had been working hard all day, but his times had been tailing off on his last couple of laps. As the announcer was calling off the remaining minutes in the 8 Hour race, Seth appeared! He finished with a 50:09! Way to push through Seth!

All in all, it was a very successful outing and I look forward to a great race season from the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery mountain bike team!

Tomorrow morning, the Purely Dental/RIDE Cyclery mountain bike team is headed up to Vail Lake for the SoCal Endurance Series 8 Hours of SoCal #1!

The RIDE 2U van is following the team up to Vail Lake to give our guys some support during the race. We are looking forward to a long day of racing and continuing the successes of last season into 2017. We hope to see you out there!