Weather and lots of it...

'There is no such thing as bad weather - just bad clothes'…

Really?

I struggled up the stairs to my flat the other day having spent a, shall we say - 'refreshing', 5 hours out in some lovely west coast December weather. I pulled my 100% waterproof goretex lined winter boots off, turned them upside down and stream of dirty water poured out. Knowing that it was going to be wet, I had taken the precaution of pulling on my 100% waterproof 'Sealskin' (brand name rather than actual sealskin) socks that morning. These were wet through. 

I struggled to pull off my 100% waterproof 'Arctic' Gloves too. The suction caused by them being saturated meant it took quite some time to liberate my now soaked and wrinkled hands.

I have a 100% weather proof computer that sits on my handle bars, measuring my speed and distance. Apparently they test these things under water to make sure they work in adverse conditions. As I am sure you have gathered, there is a theme running here. My prized Garmin 750 may have been tested in some southern californian swimming pool, but it didn't survive a wee jaunt up the Crow Road in the rain.

To be fair, we have had a particularly wet December, with many areas in the UK flooded, and you do get a particular type of wet when you are on the bike. Not just wet from above, but the spray from the roads ensures that you are getting rained on from below as well as from above.

Cycling in December and January in Scotland gives lie to the adage above. No matter how good the clothes there is always bad weather in winter in Glasgow.

The weather too takes a toll on the bike. The spray from the roads contains grit and salt. The salt devours all parts of the bike, the grit acts as a grinding paste accelerating the wear on all moving parts. I am getting through a pair of brake blocks every couple of weeks at the minute. During the summer, I'd expect to change my break blocks maybe once. The short days mean that cleaning your bike, if done at all, has to be done in fading light or even by torch light. After a cold wet day out on the bike, your'e lucky if you have the time or the spirit to perform a perfunctory spray down with some WD40 to repel the water.

In some weathers even the Vomitron seems appealing…

From Glasgow,
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