Mnhunt85

Just got back into biking last week. I've been on a few short rides throughout the week, and today on the way back home I was riding into the wind, and was was it a butt kicker lol.
I'm sure me not riding for years may have a lot to do with it but it was like hitting a wall sometimes.

Walpurgisnacht

I know the feeling. At this point I'm just riding in a t-shirt and shorts, but it has me interested in seeing how much of a difference the tighter-fitting cycling jerseys and shorts would make. Hunching down lower to the handlebars and the frame helps, too, but isn't so comfortable to do with the flat bar...

1986raleigh

Get low and pedal on

camjr

Depending on your setup, you might be able to flip the stem, remove some spacers under the stem, or both to drop the bars a bit to lower your riding position. Of course, doing this will have other downstream effects on how he bike fits, etc. I tried both for a while, but ended up putting my stem and spacers back to the original position. I found that as my fitness and strength improved over the last month or so, it didn't have the impact that it did when I first started riding. Also, the original positioning of the stem and spacers worked better with the new Ergon GP2 grips and integrated bar ends for my hands and shoulders.

Just keep experimenting, remembering to make slight adjustments and not wholesale changes all at once.

handtool7

Go to a lower gear until you can pedal comfortably, and increase your pedal speed. As you get stronger, it will get easier.

jbchybridrider 

As handtool say's lower your gear and pedal comfortably. Don't worry too much about trying to maintain speed like there's no wind, just accept the speed loss and find a comfortable gear and pedal stroke.

rumrunn6

yesterday I told wifey it was windy so I wouldn't be pushing myself, that I would just be tooling around. I was prepared for the worst but it turned out fairly calm so I had a decent time.

wingtipsdown

I see a lot of people around here stay home when it's windy. I ride and figure you are getting a better workout.

dr1445

most of the time i am riding about an hour give or take. if the winds up i alter my route to a shorter one. less miles same amount of time.

camjr

I usually don't mind the wind too much - it is what it is and provides a good cardio workout. I will say that I have routes with long runs that are primarily north/south or east/west that I will sometimes choose when the wind is really up, similar to the way airports alter their inbound and outbound traffic on directional runways. It doesn't eliminate the impact of riding into the wind, but in tends to minimize it and often serves as a psychological "boost" knowing I don't have a long windward ride coming back home when I may be more tired.

David Bierbaum

I don't mind if the wind is strong on the outward leg of my ride, since I grab the inner elbows of my trekking bars, tuck in nice and aero, and grind into it at low speed. The trip back with the tailwind makes it all worth it!

If it's the other way around, I think about just staying home if the wind is over 20 mph.

Mnhunt85

Some good tips here. It really just let me know how out of shape I have become over the years.

ModeratedUser17082018

Pay attention to everything except the wind . Relax and be content with where you are and what you're doing. Eventually, you'll get a tailwind and then you can fly fly fly!

Jaeger99

Headwinds suck for everyone. The upright riding position of a typical hybrid makes the problem worse. You can mess about with clip-on aero bars and the like, but it will only help to a degree. Wind is a reality of riding - just like hills. The more fit you are, the easier they are to deal with.

Daddy Wags

If you have good size bar ends on your bike, you can take out your allen wrench and position the bar ends further out over the front wheel which will get you down in a lower riding position. Some riders will rest their arms on the grips in this position.

But like Jaeger99 said, "Headwinds suck for everyone." Trying to be patient and content with riding at a slower speed helps.

camjr

Certainly true. As my fitness level has increased along with my average weekly distance, I've gone from feeling as if I was towing the drag chute of the Space Shuttle when riding into headwinds to now just being a tolerable pain in the rear that I can deal with. Getting more knowledgeable about cadence, gearing, and breathing has all been a part of the improvement as well.

fietsbob

head down wind , pack for a longer trip .. its what a lot of riders do on the Oregon Coast in the summer ..


BTW a figure 8 bend Trekking bar substitutes easily for a straight bar ( controls transfer )

The far reach and a little elbow bending drops your torso,
so you reduce your frontal area presented to the wind..

PSYS

Had the same issue on my ride last Sunday. I'm still a newbie so this is what I did. Lowered the gear and kept pedaling. I came to the realization that keeping any sort of pace for myself was a lost cause because of the wind.
I'm in Wisconsin and the last couple of weekends have been absolutely brutal here!

practical

You're probably right and there probably isn't much more to be said, but boy can I empathize.

1986raleigh

If I stayed off the bike at anything over 10 mph wind I'd never ride, the wind is always blowing here, when I first started riding I rode in the wind so long the first sub 5 mph day I was amazed at how easy it was....

Wind anywhere between 15 -25 is a plain ol ride day for me. Was riding the other day and had to lean 4 degrees just to go straight down the road.