Severe Weather & Lightning
#27
Every day a winding road
I'm not going to get too worked up about it unless I am on a mountain or some other reason to believe the lightning is funnelled my way. Just because some expert has come up with a way to make you look even more foolish than normal in the foam helmet and fluro garb, doesn't mean one has to take the bait.
#29
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Last nite I read info that rubber tires, even auto tires, don't protect vs lightning. In autos it's supposedly the metal body acting as a "Faraday cage" that protects; not rubber tires preventing grounding. OTOH your strategy makes sense as long as shelter is close enough to reach. BTW if they start making passenger cars out of carbon fiber (as with many race cars)--would that affect Faraday cage protection?
#30
Senior Member
My approach has generally been to take shelter if there is any available and the storm is bad. The thing is that many of the times when it would have been nice to have shelter, there was nothing but flat ground without so much as a guard rail, post, ditch, or even low spot for miles. In those cases I just rode it out.
#31
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Lightning is one of those things, like wild animal attack, that is very scary but statistically very unlikely. We should do our best to mitigate risk, though.
#32
Senior Member
Where severe weather is concerned, the thing that worries me the most would be hail. Very heavy rain does not phase me when I'm cycling, I'll just keep going unless it's extremely gusty as well.
Lightning, there are various strategies to avoid being hit, but with hail, stones are being thrown down with great regularity. It's harder to dodge those.
It's been suggested to me that I get a swag and in the event of hail, I get inside it then roll up-side-down so the mattress is on top of me for shelter. How do people handle hail when on tour?
Lightning, there are various strategies to avoid being hit, but with hail, stones are being thrown down with great regularity. It's harder to dodge those.
It's been suggested to me that I get a swag and in the event of hail, I get inside it then roll up-side-down so the mattress is on top of me for shelter. How do people handle hail when on tour?
#33
Senior Member
Hail is pretty rare, so it's very unlikely, but I guess if really caught out, a pannier or two over the head would work and it's usually very short lived.
I've been lucky in regards to this topic in general, as others have mentioned the chances of any of this stuff are pretty slim.
What is a swag?
I've been lucky in regards to this topic in general, as others have mentioned the chances of any of this stuff are pretty slim.
What is a swag?
#34
Senior Member
I have been caught out in hail a number of times on tour. I have been lucky enough to have some shelter available to get under most times. When there was no shelter I just kept riding, but depending on the size of the hail that could be pretty rough. I have only been caught out with no shelter in hail that was just a bit bigger than pea sized and even that stung a bit. I guess with golf ball sized or bigger hail I'd definitely be improvising some way to cover up.
#35
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I have had lightning strike close enough to me to make the hairs stand up twice in my life. One of the times I was indoors at a doorway, the other under a picnic shelter. While sitting in my grandfathers house it struck the chicken house roof, went across a clothes line, in through a metal window screen and blew out the light I was sitting next to.
Childhood buddy of mine got struck getting a coke from a machine.
The point of that is, it doesn't much matter WHERE you are. IF you are going to get struck some silly crouch isn't going to do crap. My thoughts are, ride it out and hope it isn't your time, yet.
Childhood buddy of mine got struck getting a coke from a machine.
The point of that is, it doesn't much matter WHERE you are. IF you are going to get struck some silly crouch isn't going to do crap. My thoughts are, ride it out and hope it isn't your time, yet.
#36
Senior Member
bringing up statistics and chances of this sort of thing happening, when I see how many people tour without a mirror, it makes me think that the chance of having an incident of being passed super close by a car, truck or RV and not being aware of this incoming danger is in the thousands and thousands more times likely to be a real threat, with potential every time you ride.
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NWS isn't recommending it anymore: Weather Service expert clarifies: The lightning ?crouch? is not recommended - The Washington Post
Last edited by gpburdell; 05-27-15 at 09:25 AM.
#38
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The (modicum of) safety of being inside a car comes from the Faraday Cage effect of the metal body channeling the current around the occupants.
This motorcyclists' rubber tires were FAR bigger than yours yet that didn't seem to help: Lightning Strike Kills Colo. Motorcyclist
#39
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Better than standing on the ground where a nearby lighting strike passes through the ground and up your leg.
Ever seen a spark plug wire ? 10,000 volts yet you can hold it in your hand and not get shocked.
I'm sure a lightning bolt is in the hundreds of thousands of volts so probably a poor example.
Ever seen a spark plug wire ? 10,000 volts yet you can hold it in your hand and not get shocked.
I'm sure a lightning bolt is in the hundreds of thousands of volts so probably a poor example.
#40
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Electrical storms can generate a potential of up to 100,000,000 volts. A couple of skinny WET tires aren't going to do any more than the rubber in the soles of your shoes would prevent a shock from a streamer to a nearby strike. (which is what's really happening when you refer to a nearby strike "passing through the ground and up your leg") Facts & Figures all about Lightning.
See my link above regarding a motorcyclist struck while riding. Motorcycle tires have far more rubber between the road and the metal rim than anything but a fatbike tire.
#41
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bringing up statistics and chances of this sort of thing happening, when I see how many people tour without a mirror, it makes me think that the chance of having an incident of being passed super close by a car, truck or RV and not being aware of this incoming danger is in the thousands and thousands more times likely to be a real threat, with potential every time you ride.
True indeed, I love my Safe Zone helmet mirror. 5.7 cm diameter gives nice clear view. Looks kinda nerdy but so what. A couple of people have asked about it since AFAIK most bike shops don't carry it.
#42
Senior Member
wow 5.7cm that is huge compared to my Take-A-Look mirror.
Well, no matter the size or where it is mounted, my comment was really about "possibilities of life threatening incidents" in regard to lightning--what I hoped to illustrate is that getting sqwershed by Mr and Mrs Retiree in a fricken Love Boat sized RV, or Billy Bob in his pickup pulling a trailer who doesnt give a rats ass, these sort of risks are magnitudes of times more of a danger to us than getting hit by lightening or getting a bonk or 20 on the head by hail.....
Well, no matter the size or where it is mounted, my comment was really about "possibilities of life threatening incidents" in regard to lightning--what I hoped to illustrate is that getting sqwershed by Mr and Mrs Retiree in a fricken Love Boat sized RV, or Billy Bob in his pickup pulling a trailer who doesnt give a rats ass, these sort of risks are magnitudes of times more of a danger to us than getting hit by lightening or getting a bonk or 20 on the head by hail.....
#43
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Bedroll ... more or less.
Australian Songs, Waltzing Matilda, Lyrics and Music
https://panique.com.au/trishansoz/wal...lda/waltz.html ... this one has more definitions.
Australian Songs, Waltzing Matilda, Lyrics and Music
https://panique.com.au/trishansoz/wal...lda/waltz.html ... this one has more definitions.
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#44
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In reality it is probably a 5 percent improvement, but to be really scientific about it, it could turn out to be another helmet issue where the risk actually goes up. Panic, shot while trespassing to middle of field... To really make a scientific determination someone would have to run a some real experiments. But so far while I have known about what to do about lightning since my mountaineering days in the 70s, I am not going to get my shorts in a knot over trivial risks and no real information.
"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Doesn't sound to me like he was talking about the sheeple who go looking for mummy at the first sign of bad weather. But hey, maybe it has a different meaning for scientists like you. It's sorta a stupid quote anyway. For example Hitler went wrong by trying to control the environment so totally. That is the totalitarian impulse, you get so successful you want to control outcomes, and then before you know it a few million people are missing. It's usually a mistake to take your philosophy instruction from scientists.
#47
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Midwest US known for some spectacular thunderstorms (lightning, tornadoes, hail etc). But at least there's usually accurate enough prediction so that one could arrange to cut a day's touring early to avoid afternoon/evening storms. East coast gets less of the more violent storms. Though South Florida gets frequent afternoon deluges. They only last a few minutes but ya' gotta scurry to shelter to avoid getting soaked.
#48
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I don't "go cycling" in the rain (let alone a storm).... but I do go cycling when foul weather is predicted. I have a rain bike equipped with a rack and trunk bag with a jacket and a poncho (in the winter it has hand warmers). I know where the parks, stores, and friends are along my routes. The odds of getting hit by lighting is remote.... the odds of getting injured by a near-by lighting strike a little more likely. Wind and flying debris are a big concern from storms as well as lighting.
The poncho is a very nice item to have along when the weather looks sketchy.
We have snakes too!
#50
Senior Member
We get the no-legged type… and some of the worlds most venomous too.
That is another concern I have, going to sleep one night and finding I have reptilian company the next day. That said, I haven't had it happen before so probably not likely to happen anytime soon.
That is another concern I have, going to sleep one night and finding I have reptilian company the next day. That said, I haven't had it happen before so probably not likely to happen anytime soon.