Cycling in the rain does not always have to be uncomfortable. With a few tips and the right equipment, you can cycle safely to your destination and stay dry even in the cold and wet seasons. Especially when riding on wet tarmac at high speed, it is important to have good grip on your pedals and be optimally connected to your bike. Slipping off your pedals is never nice and can have dire consequences.
Click pedals prevent slipping by means of a mechanical connection between the pedals and dedicated cycling shoes. The advantage: you are securely connected to the bike. The disadvantage: fast mounting and dismounting are not always possible and can lead to accidents. Especially in the stop and go of city traffic, this can be very hindering. In addition, you need special shoes and more often than not have to carry a second pair of shoes for everyday use.
As the name suggests, pin pedals prevent slipping through protruding pins. Advantage: Pins provide a more secure grip than conventional pedals. Disadvantage: If you do slip off, the pins themselves can cause injuries. The pins can also quickly destroy the soles of your everyday shoes and often prove to be somewhat uncomfortable on longer rides, causing pressure points on the soles of the feet.
MOTO Flat Pedals stylish and safe in any weather.
MOTO Flat Pedals were developed directly for urban everyday life to avoid the beforementioned disadvantages through an innovative design feature. The Reflex Pedals as well as the wooden variants MOTO Urban Classic and Colour are suitable for all everyday shoes, providing excellent slip resistance without shredding the soles of your shoes while doing so. All while being as easy to safely get on and off as any other pedal. The completely flat full-surface grip tape tread provides optimal grip even in wet conditions and is as comfortable on long-distance rides as it gets.
The perfect rain gear is water-repellent, insulating, and breathable.
The most important piece of rain gear is a good rain jacket. The ideal jacket has a hood, is water repellent, cold insulating, and breathable so that wetness doesn't seep in from the outside while excess heat and sweat are transported to the outside. For commuters who cycle to work all year round, a pair of rain pants that can be practically pulled over your clothes to keep your legs dry and warm are also worth considering. Special cycling gloves are essential to avoid cold and wet hands as well.
Plastic fender as a minimalist protection against dirt and moisture.
A compromise can be a clip on fender made of plastic, which is attached to the saddle. It offers less protection against dirt and moisture than conventional mud guards, but is more minimalist in appearance, has less wind resistance and can be attached as needed.
Wider tires provide better contact with the ground in wet conditions, and tires made of softer rubber also have a better grip. If your bike is not equipped with tires specifically for wet conditions, it helps to reduce the pressure by 1 - 1.5 bar on rainy days to maximize grip. Regularly degreasing your tires will give you better grip on slippery roads.
Even after a short rain shower, your bike's braking distance is significantly longer. As soon as your rims are wet, the brake pads need much longer to grip due to poorer friction. So drive carefully and with foresight. Especially on roads with white road markings, cobblestones, leaves, and large puddles, you should ride with caution.
MOTO with non-slip grip tape surface and reflective tape.
When the roads are slippery and visibility is rainy, it's even more important to have a good grip between your feet and pedals. Slipping off or the pedals rolling out from under your feet is a big problem in wet conditions. This can result in injured shins or, in the worst case, crashing off your bike.
The griptape surface of the MOTO Reflex pedals provides unmatched grip in wet rainy weather, even with rubber boots. The full-surface tread increases static friction and thus also your stability. In addition, MOTO Flat pedals are designed so that they remain in position, even if the foot is set down.
The proximity to the spindle on Reflex pedals allows for more direct contact with the bike and thus better all around control of your bike. The MOTO Reflex pedals have reflective stripes for greater safety. As an added touch of color in gray weather, our MOTO Reflex pedals are available in 6 different reflector colors.
Regular maintenance is essential for a long bike life.
To ensure that you and your bike get through many rainy days together, you should give it a thorough cleaning on a regular basis. In addition to mud and dirt, you should especially clean your tires with a cloth to remove small stones and check for glass and other sharp objects. To get the most milage out of your chain it is beneficial to clean and relube your chain after washing the bike. Water-displacing sprays are especially good if fluid has accumulated in parts of your components.
It doesn't take much to get your griptape looking like new again after a ride through mud and rain. With a worn toothbrush and a little water, the cleaning the griptape of our MOTO pedals can be done easily and quickly.