road bike or mtn bike which is safer in the wet

[mickle]

Buy a tricycle.

 

[cyclekat]

Well I finally cycled home from work in the
wet. It waswasn't torrential but the roads were fairly wet. I know it's nothing much but feel quite pleased with myself. Trying to avoid drain covers and white lines etc so many of them though. thanks for all the advice given its helpful.

 

[classic33]

Buy a tricycle.

He'd have to learn to ride again.

 

[Profpointy]

I find that surprising.

Welllll..... Whilst It's harder to get much braking force in the wet, but if you do finally manage to get the brakes to grip well you are certainly more likely to skid, and a front skid is likely an "off"

Guess how I know this.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Welllll..... Whilst It's harder to get much braking force in the wet, but if you do finally manage to get the brakes to grip well you are certainly more likely to skid, and a front skid is likely an "off"

Guess how I know this.

Good advice. Better to emphasize the rear brakes. Of course, in the US, our rear brakes are on the right hand side of the handlebar, generally.

 

[DooDah]

It was a stupid comment! I pointed that out, not particularly rudely either IMO.

Nope, I would have said that is rude.

 

[lukesdad]

If you can t stop a bike on the road in the wet on rim brakes you shouldn't really be there. Discs will stop you quicker, they will also have you off quicker. The overriding advantage of discs is rim wear if you are bothered about that sort of thing. As for tyres you ll have a bigger tyre footprint with mtb slicks than road and lower pressures which will displace less water from the tyre footprint. If its really slippery neither will perform very well try a little test on ice. As for rider skill, anybody can come a cropper given the right circumstances and skillfull riders tend to travel a lot faster without means to stop themselves in an emergency I'ii refer you to my first sentence

 

[Bman]

Rule #64 - Cornering confidence increases with time and experience.
This pattern continues until it falls sharply and suddenly.

 

[Tommy2]

MTB would cope better with puddles that look innocent but turn out to be craters filled with water. Avoid puddles unless you know what is under it.

 

[brucers]

These seemingly innocuous straightforward questions are great....I pick up so much new info/hints and tips from the replies!

 

[Cycleops]

Sometimes you really do make some stupid comments!

Sorry Rob, I certainly seem to have rattled your cage. I thought my comment was very innocuous, and was merely saying we should be skeptical about the claims manufacturers make. If on the other hand you are prepared to swallow all the guff that they pump out without question, then it looks like you are the one that is mentally challenged.

 

[MikeW-71]

Rob doesn't sound like a guy who believes claims blindly.

I know from experience that compound is everything in the wet, from cars to bikes to R/C racing.

Why do you think most budget car tyres are called "ditchfinders"? In the wet, the compouns they use has no grip, no matter what tread pattern they have.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Which is why I always find my road bike much better on wet roads than my MTB with proper off-road tyres. Knobbly tyres are excellent on the rough stuff, but on tarmac they offer much less grip than road tyres. More rubber in contact with the road = more grip.

Tread on road tyres is just for marketing. The slicker the better, even in the wet.

I do understand this but I can never get my head around if this is the case only on smooth roads.

On roads with a slightly broken top surface my logic (which may well be illogical) still says that a tyre without a tread will not drop down into troughy bits whereas a tyre with a tread will and thus provide some resistance to slithering sideways.

Strangely in over 12 years of using an MTB (moderately aggressive trail tyres) on roads I never came off once yet within months of purchasing a road bike I came off twice (sideways slips on gravel and diesel). Not conclusive but enough to get me wondering and not having total faith in slick tyres.

 

[HLaB]

I do understand this but I can never get my head around if this is the case only on smooth roads.

On roads with a slightly broken top surface my logic (which may well be illogical) still says that a tyre without a tread will not drop down into troughy bits whereas a tyre with a tread will and thus provide some resistance to slithering sideways.

Strangely in over 12 years of using an MTB (moderately aggressive trail tyres) on roads I never came off once yet within months of purchasing a road bike I came off twice (sideways slips on gravel and diesel). Not conclusive but enough to get me wondering and not having total faith in slick tyres.

If your tyre pressure isnt too high the slick tyre will deflect better and confidence helps too. FWIW Ive only lost more wider or treaded tyres, Ive never lost a 23mm.

 

[Cycleops]

Rob doesn't sound like a guy who believes claims blindly.

I know from experience that compound is everything in the wet, from cars to bikes to R/C racing.

Why do you think most budget car tyres are called "ditchfinders"? In the wet, the compouns they use has no grip, no matter what tread pattern they have.

Don't worry, I am sure he will be along soon to tell us what a clever, polite bloke he is.