Riding in less than perfect weather.

[The Spin Doctor]

There's way more grip on a road when it's been raining steadily for a while,up to the point of standing water anyway. I wasn't talking so much about grip levels,which vary on any road dry or wet,I hate the long cleaning sessions afterwards. That's what puts me off riding at all.

I just clean the bike in the late autumn, then spray the entire bike (well, not the brake discs and tyres obviously) in wax polish. Then I clean in spring and repeat. The layer of polish really helps the dirt shift.

It's the only way I can cope with cleaning. Otherwise I'm almost as obsessive as Weeksy. I found myself lying on my back, cleaning the middle of the centre stand once.

[Skub]

Almost immediately, it felt like I had a lurid slide turning left/right switching from one bank to the other over a bridge over a stream. It was probably a twitch, but not expecting it, it felt huge.

It completely wrecked my morning's riding - I began to make all the cornering mistakes I see nervy riders making on my Confidence: BUILDER courses - slowing ineffectively, braking too late, turning-in too early, running wide on the exits. And of course, the more mistakes I made, the worse it got, to the point where one of my buddies came over and said "what's wrong with your riding this morning?"

At the lunch stop, I took myself off to a quiet table and more or less rebooted - I ran mentally through all the things I coach into riders with cornering problems. When we went back on the road, I went to the back of the group and rode at my own pace - rather slower than the rest - whilst going back to basics on every bend - slow in, cautiously round, faster out and so on. Braking upright, steady throttle round bends, counter-steer to adjust lean if the bend changes radius, accelerate when upright again.

Within thirty minutes, I was feeling myself relaxing and the timing and speed was coming back. Within an hour, I was back to normal.

Point being, if we're feeling uneasy, going back to basics nearly always works.

It's an interesting point. Aside and separate from conditions,we are not always the same rider.

We all have days when it doesn't feel quite right and we expect it to be like the last time,when everything flowed seemingly without thought. My approach to that is similar to yours. I back off well within myself,to the point the fun comes back. I think if you don't do that,then those are the times things can happen to spoil your day.

After all,if it isn't fun,then what's the point.

[Yorick]

I think we're due some rain in February. It rains then most years.

[Noggin]

Almost immediately, it felt like I had a lurid slide turning left/right switching from one bank to the other over a bridge over a stream. It was probably a twitch, but not expecting it, it felt huge.

It completely wrecked my morning's riding - I began to make all the cornering mistakes I see nervy riders making on my Confidence: BUILDER courses - slowing ineffectively, braking too late, turning-in too early, running wide on the exits. And of course, the more mistakes I made, the worse it got, to the point where one of my buddies came over and said "what's wrong with your riding this morning?"

At the lunch stop, I took myself off to a quiet table and more or less rebooted - I ran mentally through all the things I coach into riders with cornering problems. When we went back on the road, I went to the back of the group and rode at my own pace - rather slower than the rest - whilst going back to basics on every bend - slow in, cautiously round, faster out and so on. Braking upright, steady throttle round bends, counter-steer to adjust lean if the bend changes radius, accelerate when upright again.

Within thirty minutes, I was feeling myself relaxing and the timing and speed was coming back. Within an hour, I was back to normal.

Point being, if we're feeling uneasy, going back to basics nearly always works.

It's an interesting point. Aside and separate from conditions,we are not always the same rider.

We all have days when it doesn't feel quite right and we expect it to be like the last time,when everything flowed seemingly without thought. My approach to that is similar to yours. I back off well within myself,to the point the fun comes back. I think if you don't do that,then those are the times things can happen to spoil your day.

After all,if it isn't fun,then what's the point.

Very occasionally I have had a day when things just don't feel right. I go home and read a book instead of riding!! But generally it'll be 'something' that put the randomness in my head, so if I back off and rebalance things usually go right