As Brits we love to talk about the weather.
But even with all that chatter, there’s a lot of misinformation out there, particularly about cycling and the weather. We wanted to look at some of the preconceptions about bad weather and cycling to see if they’re really true.
To do this we got some help from the Met Office. Here are five common myths about cycling and bad weather – and whether or not there’s any truth to them.
1. It always rains when I ride my bike
Living in the UK it can seem like that sometimes. But we all know the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothes”.
A rain jacket (and maybe a pair of waterproof trousers if it’s really chucking it down) are really all you need to cycle all year round.
According to the Met Office, England gets around 850mm of rain annually and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland get a little more. Our Danish and Dutch cousins get around a comparable 710mm and 700-900mm respectively and they’re famous for their cycling prowess.
The truth is, if you can walk in it then you can cycle in it.
2. It’s fine when it’s a nice day but when it’s windy cycling is impossible
Facing a headwind on a bike can be challenging. The windiest part of the country, northern Scotland, has wind speeds in some places averaging 14 miles per hour. This may sound a lot but according to the Beaufort Scale of Wind Force, this ranks as just a ‘moderate breeze’, capable of raising paper and moving small branches.
