“Mommy, why would someone ride a bike in the rain?”
The little girls voice was behind me, still walking up to the door of the Pines Hills branch of the Albany Public Library. The mom hushed her and they hurried inside out of the weather. It was an interesting question, even more so since a little kid asked it. I was standing there under the roof taking a moment to catch my breath, sheltered from the rain, before I locked my bike up.
It caught me off guard.
Why did I ride out in the rain today? I am not a hardcore cyclist. I tend to not ride in the rain, cold, or snow. That weather, goodness, is not really my thing. I tend to go for the sun streaming down on hot roads and tank tops.
I really don’t know the answer to why I rode out today in horrible weather. Maybe it could be because I went on a ride last night for Friday Friday. Or, maybe the library is so close that I didn’t want to drive. A better answer would be there are rarely parking spots on Saturdays and several cars did the loop around the building before leaving. Those all would have been good answers for today, but why would someone normally just ride in the rain?
I rode in the rain today because I wanted to. I missed being on my bike and it felt good to get back in the groove. There really isn’t a reason that the weather should hold me back. Winter is way too long in the northeast to stop riding. Or at least for me it is.
Why do you ride in the rain?
Albany Bicycle Coalition 
(On some level you have to admit that a bicycle is a vehicle. Some people drive in the rain. Some people ride in the rain. Some people have no choice but to ride in the rain. I see people riding in the rain who are far less prepared/equiped than others.)
I like late summer rain. The day is so hot. A little rain shower is really nice.
I completely agree that a bicycle is a vehicle. To me it is a mode of transportation, especially since my current car is dying and I am dealing with the choice of replacing my car or not.
It is also true that riding in the rain prepared with a rain jacket and fenders would make it a ‘nicer’ trip. I wasn’t fully prepared, I need to install my rear fender still and get a real rain jacket. I am currently using a windbreaker which works most of the time.
You get double smugness points when pedaling in bad weather.
I ride in the rain all the time in South Florida ! Lots of fun