“But what do you do when it rains?”
Rain (photo by Amir K on flickr)
My usual response to this question is that it doesn’t actually rain that often and anyway it doesn’t really matter if you are well prepared. This month I have seen the first part of this answer severely tested. Apparently the wettest November since Novembers began, it did start to get a bit tiresome.
However it give the opportunity to test out my preparedness. And full marks go to:-
Altura Night Vision Evo Waterproof Cycling Jacket Easily kept most of me dry, and the hi-vis reflective bits are reassuring.
Shimano SLX Disc Brakes Wet days are when they really come into their own. Hardly effected by the wet, my Tikit came to a halt when I wanted it to quietly and calmly. And you know all that crap you thought was coming off the road? a lot of it was really your brakes and your rims ground up into a nice black paste. It’s remarkable what a difference having discs makes to the amount of cleaning you have to do.
Shimano Alfine Internal Hub Gear No jockey wheels scooping up the muck, the hub gear seems to be keeping all the moving bits dry and lubricated. The Alfine gear changes are silky smooth unless you are really putting some torque through the chain climbing out of the saddle. As with dérailleur gears you learn to ease up just as you flick for a change. 830 small wheeled miles though the hub and everything is purring nicely.
IQ Fly Senso+and Alfine Hub Dynamo This combination really pumps out the light and, somewhat to my disbelief, motorists appear to be able to see it and what is more, recognise you sufficiently as a vehicle with rights of way. Slightly un-nerving really.
These are precisely the conditions my Alfine Tikit was designed for – the daily commute, on the days when you’d rather not – and this last month has shown it to be fit for the job.