Not The Chair’s Chatter

It’s early July as I’m putting my scattered thoughts down for this months’ Chair’s Chatter. I don’t know what happened to the summer, but it’s cold, wet and miserable as I write this. I guess it wouldn’t be British if we didn’t talk about the weather. However, a little bit of rain doesn’t put off our dedicated team of Observers, Ride Leaders & TEC’s, who’ve organised a jam-packed calendar full of OR’s and rides. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t raining, it ain’t training”, so sign up on Tracker, saddle up and get your waterproofs on.

Personally, the weather plays a huge part in how I ride. How does my ride change, I hear you ask? If I’m on the NSL Twisties and it’s warm, dry and I’m feeling feisty, I’ll be holding top speed longer, then harder on the front brake to be at the right speed (and gear) for the corner. To settle the bike down, I prefer to release the brakes about 2-3 bike lengths before I apply some positive steering and tip in. What about trail braking? Well, trail braking definitely has its place but it's way beyond the scope of what we’re expected to demonstrate for the IAM Advanced Test. I like to think of the front tyre as masculine – because it’s not very good at multi-tasking. It can brake or steer – not both. On the road, I do all my braking while the bike is upright and travelling in a straight line. When you start to mix braking and leaning, you only have to get it wrong once and you’re in a whole lot of trouble. However, I do use trail braking on the track, where you have a perfect surface, wide run-off areas and there's nothing coming the other way!

When it’s wet, my riding style changes completely (unless I’m following Rob in Wales – if you know, you know). I’m a lot less aggressive on the brakes. My braking point starts much earlier and I use more throttle and acceleration sense to be at the right speed, in the right gear, before I tip in. There’s a saying that “you lose 90% of your confidence and only 10% of your grip in the wet”, so don’t let a little bit of rain put you off.

One last weather-related point - after a prolonged dry spell, it’s super-slippery after the first rain comes. Dry oil residue and powder builds up on the road and the rain turns it into a skating rink. It’s always good to know how the unpredictable British weather can affect our safety and the way we ride our bikes.

Safe miles and I look forward to seeing you on the road.

Mark Clarke