Road Cycling - Cycling through Bad weather

At what point in bad weather do you stop cycling? Let's be honest, I don't want to hear heroic lies or anything. Rainstorms?? Thunderstorms?? Hail?? Windstorms?? Heat?? Lack of heat?? It's just that I didn't want to go for a ride today b/c of the harsh thunderstorm.

When the visibility serious drops, I get off the road. I need glasses to see where I'm going, plus drivers around here seem to speed up in inclement weather.
Go figure.

I too seek shelter when the visibility degrades beyond reasonable levels to keep moving at least at 12MPH. I will also bag it if the winds and crosswinds exceed the point where I can reliably hold a line. This is usually around 25MPH gusts. Additionally, if I can't be assured of my tyres ability to keep me on the road, I'll stop riding. All of this boils down to one of safety. Every once in a while, I'll read about someone who's braved the elements and cycled through a shower of burning meteorites and such and I'll admire their bravery and skill for it but the one thing that always comes back to my mind is the saying, "there are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old bold pilots". Know your limits and value your safety. Even if you're physically up to it but mentally you're not, you should consider aborting the ride.

Heat - I have no problem riding in the heat. Here is Tucson it is at least 102 degrees during the day in the summer so you either get used to it or dont ride at all. I am a native Tucsonan so I have grown quite partial to warm summer days.

Cold - For a Tucson boy 40 degrees is pretty damn cold. I usually put on my thermals and hit the road.

Rain - I'll skip a ride if it is raining outside but if I am caught in a downpour I will press on. Hell, I'm already out there so why not keep going.

Hail - it hurts but I was caught in an unexpected hailstorm . Did it once and will never do it again.

Thunder - I'll ride thru it.

Lightining - No way.

I just love to ride so ill do whatever, whenever.

If I had too worry about the weather up here in montana.....i would never ride. Last sunday I rode in 30 mph winds gusting to 45 mph. I had about a 2 mile uphill stretch in a headwind....It was the first time ever I had to get off the bike and walk a bit....I did get back on and finish the hill though.....I commute with my roadbike so I am at the mercy of the weather...



kern

I commute year round. I will not ride below ZERO, if the wind is gusting higher than 58MPH, hail, lightning.

As for just going out for a ride for the fun of it? I'll skip it for a lot less. :D

This will one of those: Don't want to highjack the thread but... I have two other questions:

How dangerous is lightening when biking? I was couth in the storm last Sunday and did not enjoy the feeling of being the highest object on the hill.

How do you keep yourself warm going downhill when you are soaked? Again, every hill ends sometimes and you need to zipp down fast, but it is cold...

Thanks,

D.

At what point in bad weather do you stop cycling? Let's be honest, I don't want to hear heroic lies or anything. Rainstorms?? Thunderstorms?? Hail?? Windstorms?? Heat?? Lack of heat?? It's just that I didn't want to go for a ride today b/c of the harsh thunderstorm.

Um...so much snow that cars start sliding. Otherwise, ice, no problems (thanks to nokian) Hail? Hurts, but can be ridden through...thunderstorm? Bike's carbon <g> Rain? Rain is. Wind? Makes you stronger. Cold? Well...when it's under 10 C (14 F) it's cold...need other clothing, but otherwise...make your own heat!

Granted, these are commuting rides, not training rides, but when I trained, they were treated as commuting rides too. That being said, I've also wimped out. It's more like "Do I have enough time to ride into work today" which would keep me from riding...

happy trails,
Tom

I've ridden through torrential rain (10 inches in one night), thunder and lightning, hail, extreme heat (47 degrees C), freezing cold (in Tasmania it snows in summer) and laughed at all of them. The one thing I will never ride in again is a dust storm (or really heavy bushfire smoke). That **** gets into your lungs.

I commute all year round come rain or shine -the only exception is when the snow and ice on the ground make the journey suicidal-then I use the car

Seattle weather is for the most part really mild, so I ride almost everyday. I won't ride when there's a lot snow or ice on the ground, if the wind is to the point of blowing me into traffic, or in lighting, all for safety reasons. Anything else I'll ride in.

At what point in bad weather do you stop cycling?
When the guy in front of me in the paceline get's struck by lightning, I think about stopping.

Actually, dealing with bad weather is pretty psycological. If the mind is willing, then the body usually is. However, unexpected turns in the weather in the middle of a ride suck the most - I'm usually mad at being caught unprepared.

55/Rad

There's no such thing as bad weather. There's only unpreparedness and a bad frame of mind.

That being said, there's also such a thing as good judgement and knowing what you are prepared to handle and what you are not. Ride lots. You will learn how to handle more and more.

when i'm not going to enjoy myself or run the risk of injuring myself and my equipment, i don't ride.

nyc sees a wide range of temperatures, from the 90s in the summer, to the teens in the winter. my general range for riding is about 28 up to about 95.

i don't ride in rain heavier than a light drizzle. i live in a fairly small apartment and coming in with a soaking bike that needs an hour of cleaning - well, i'd rather just avoid it.

also, if the roads are icy, i'm off the bike as well.

the weather changes frequently enough here and just isn't that bad for that long, so i know that if i need to take two or three days off the road and hit the rollers, i'm not going to lose any form, and i'll be better off in the long run.

my attitude would no doubt be different if i lived in an area where it rained every day for two weeks, or was super cold for months on end. then, i'd adapt and ride.

Thunder - I'll ride thru it.

Lightining - No way.



Just so you know, if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to get struck.

Actually, most people who get struck by lightning (not too many in reality) are usually "miles away from the storm".

Just so you know,

ehenz

cold kills my motivation, and unless it's a crisp clam sort of cold, i'd rather be inside on the trainer (which sucks too). i'd like to change this though for the next winter.

Will not ride in downpours, lightning, or cold below 30F. I agree, its a state of mind.

The weather is 5 centigrads and we climb a mountain about 1100 meters.it is about -10 C there and all the road is icy.There was no grip in the tires;then we descend like skiing.

I don't like the thunder/lightning scene but have gotten caught out in it a few times. Usually not much to do but press on.

In terms of cold weather, I will start using my trainer when it gets real cold. On the other hand, I am finding that each season (I am in my second now), I stretch the weather envelope in the cold weather. Part of it is continuing to make the investment in gear.

When all of the roads are covered in ice or snow, I only ride my mountain bike... just around town for a total of a few miles maybe.
I try not to ride in a thunderstorm.
Besides that, its all good.

I don't like the thunder/lightning scene but have gotten caught out in it a few times. Usually not much to do but press on.

In terms of cold weather, I will start using my trainer when it gets real cold. On the other hand, I am finding that each season (I am in my second now), I stretch the weather envelope in the cold weather. Part of it is continuing to make the investment in gear.

indeed. picking up long tights, leg and arm warmers, booties, a good wicking undershirt, windbreaker, skully/helmet cap and decent gloves can keep you riding through all but the coldest winter.

buy the stuff on sale in the spring, or from the catalogs when you get a 20% off coupon and it's cheap cheap cheap.

I draw the line at hurricanes myself. I would probably wait out an intense dust storm as cars cant even see other cars in that situation and I definitely don't want to be a fender bender for somebody. Rain is usually fun. Hail, helmets help with that somewhat although I am considerinig a helmet cover for rain storms. I will ride in most inclement weather that isn't psycho weather (high winds and heavy precipition or micro bursts). Usually psycho weather doesn't last more than a few minutes down here. I also ride in heat by the way and have already had a 113 degree day this year. Which after having looked at Chris Ls post of 47 celsius doesn't seem as hot anymore.

Freezing rain makes for interesting riding. It can turn to ice on the road. Its not worth getting studded tyres, so I just give it a rest till the freeze-up blows away.
If it just snow, then I carry on.
The biggest problem with ice is not comming off, but what happens next. There is usually a car just coming along.

Heat? hell this is texas.
Cold, doesn't happen enough to be an issue
(but when it does its usually accompanied by ice storms and I don't ride).
rain? that depends. we get some good storms here, I can deal with the
water, its the hail, wind (tornado? Dorthy? where are you?) and lightening I
prefer to not be in.
If the wind can push trains over (happend last week) I'm sure not going out.
So for me it depends on the type of weather and just how lucky I'm feeling.
If I'm having an exceptionally bad day, weather can be an good excuse. . .

Marty

Actually, if it's real crappy, I'll run instead.

It's all good.

I must be weird because the extremes don't bother me as much as the transitional stuff. You can prepare for 30 degrees or 90 degrees, but its tough when it can be both during the same ride. jeff

I think the main problem with bad weather is if you're cycling in town. It's the cars you have to worry about. In Japan they think you're crazy if you ride on the road instead of the sidewalk. Once a bus passed me and immediately pulled in, as if he was deliberately trying to run me off the road. At the same time an old geezer went out into the road a little to get on the bus leaving me with only one thing to do; shout the f word, plough past the pedestrian and power out in front of the bus before it stpped its pull-in, whereupon I "avian-saluted" the driver smartly. In Japan, stay off the road in really bad weather. But if you ride on the sidewalk in the UK, yu can actually be prosecuted.