beyond
2nd March 2009, 17:47
February is normally hot, sticky and usually has lots of melted tar about. But, when we get the odd rough weekend there are other things you need to worry about and keep an eye out for.
When we have a good downpour, slips are common. Your favourite piece of road can change overnight so you need to be constantly on the alert for the signs. Maybe car tracks coming your way showing clay or dirt, excess dust about... points to a slip ahead or dirt over the road. Be more watchful after these "tropical storms" pass through.
Sometimes you can get long lasting riverlets from seepage which can make life a bit exciting as you "cruise" around that nice sharp corner.
At this time of the year, we begin to have a few seasonal problems appearing which can cause major grip issues. Where there are a lot of pine trees near the road you have to watch for cones, branches but even pine needles. They might look soft but I can assure you that sliding on a bed of these things and hitting the road is going to be just as painful as any other time.
Leaves are another thing many riders don't realise will cause your tyres to loose grip when cornering with disastrous results. The more leaves the more careful you have to be, so again look for stands of trees near the roads especially as Autumn starts to set in.
Keep her rubber side down, shiny side up.... safe riding peeps. :)
When we have a good downpour, slips are common. Your favourite piece of road can change overnight so you need to be constantly on the alert for the signs. Maybe car tracks coming your way showing clay or dirt, excess dust about... points to a slip ahead or dirt over the road. Be more watchful after these "tropical storms" pass through.
Sometimes you can get long lasting riverlets from seepage which can make life a bit exciting as you "cruise" around that nice sharp corner.
At this time of the year, we begin to have a few seasonal problems appearing which can cause major grip issues. Where there are a lot of pine trees near the road you have to watch for cones, branches but even pine needles. They might look soft but I can assure you that sliding on a bed of these things and hitting the road is going to be just as painful as any other time.
Leaves are another thing many riders don't realise will cause your tyres to loose grip when cornering with disastrous results. The more leaves the more careful you have to be, so again look for stands of trees near the roads especially as Autumn starts to set in.
Keep her rubber side down, shiny side up.... safe riding peeps. :)