Palm Springs CA area
Road up Thousand palms canyon road to Dillon, was windy
but not bad.
Got up top, the wind picked up , turned to head back ...Wooa, guess over 30 mph
Heading West was work, going down hill. Had th turn left on 1000 palm cnyn rd.
Now a strong crosswind, buffeted me a couple time toward the middle of the So bound lane.
I slowed to near 15 mph , fought all the way down, riding more into the lane than normal,
Few times I backed up traffic but none of the driver seemed to get upset
Couple gust moved me left pretty good.

Got to R turn , now strong down hill head wind, was work all the way.

Anyone else get into something similar?



Any tips for riding in strong cross winds pushing you left ?

Glad you made it down safely. But...didn't you anticipate this? Weren't the winds blowing during the ascent? I mean depending on conditions of the road...and where the wind might blow you to, traffic, etc...AND you handling abilities...it might be prudent to turn back when first noticed.

Dan

Yes, there's one otherwise beautiful downhill near here that's a beast with a cross wind. Psychological pain is cruising down a hill at 45+ mph and having to slow to <20 to keep the bike on the road when I get to the curve at the bottom.

Thanks,

Good post! Something that I had been thinking about. Last fall I switched from 2014 Roubaix (rim brakes) with Mavik Elite wheels to 2018 Roubaix (disc brakes) with Roval SL 24 wheels. Almost immediately I noticed crosswinds really buffeting bike; it was never an issue before. Could the brake rotors and/wheels make that much of a difference?

Wheels can make a huge difference. Ask anyone who's ridden on the old fat bladed Ksyrium SLs. They are light, bombproof, and looked hella cool, but good lord were they terrible in a crosswind.

Good point, never thought about the bike being part of the equation.

Sirius with disc & 700x35 tires
Several side profile sq inches there.
Don't take much to make a difference,

Usually when wind blows there , it's a tail or quartering wind , yesterday 90°.

You should experience it riding a big bike with 36h wheels, 37c tires, four panniers and a tent strapped to the rear rack. Leaning right when getting pushed left becomes second nature.

Maybe that's why I remember Kansas looking like it was tilted to the right!

A couple of years ago I was riding 39 frequently after work and would be exiting Azusa canyon about 5:00 or 6:00 about the time the sundowner winds pick up. The Crosswinds out of the side canyons can be really surprising and unpredictable as to which direction they will shove you. Exiting the canyon when it becomes a pure tailwind is like being shot out of a cannon.

It doesn't take much to produce a big change in crosswind sensitivity. I could feel a big difference between 42 mm cross tires (Conti Cross ride)and a 25mm / 23mm racing set. (Force/Attack) on the same wheels.

I live in the mountains - well, they are more big hills called mountains. Winds are something I deal with often. My wheel of choice is Shimano DA C24. Deep rims would be a bad chioce.

A group of us descended Mt. Magazine, North side, a while back. In this case we had to ride in the center of the lane because the wind was trying to take us into the ditch and possibly down some deep hillsides. I had Mavis SL wheels on the bike. Switched to Open Pro after that on known windy rides. However, when riding my fully loaded touring bike, wheels make no difference. Just lean into it and go slow.

Best advice I can think of is understand and practice counter steering. As a former motorcyclist, it's something I do instinctively but I find it just as effective on a bicycle.

Having said that, there are limits. At some point you just have to slow down.

All other things being equal, in a cross wind deeper front rims tend to de-stabilize the bike while deeper rear rims tend to stabilize it. That said, when cross winds are severe and gusty, sometimes the best thing to do is to slow down.

+1. That’s
Good advice

Road same route yesterday,
Slight tail wind going up .

Problem then was, riding uphill with no breeze in your face to cool you down.
Sunny/warm , like riding in a bubble , I start to overheat.

Oh the obstacles this addiction force’s us to overcome. Just love it.

^^This^^

Prior to my retirement, I lived and worked in the Ozarks. One of my favorite rides was up and over a mountain, and I tried to do it mostly with an outbound headwind. The resulting inbound tail wind helped me back up the mountain and allowed to to try for new land speed records on the descent, coming in.

On one particular ride home on the final descent, I caught a couple of significant cross winds, which scared the stuffing out of me. After that ride, I payed more attention to the wind on that descent. If I encountered cross winds, I started applying brakes on and off at the beginning of the descent and assumed a little less aerodynamic posture on the way down. I felt like the decreased speed afforded me a little more control over my line.

Take the lane, don't fight it too much.

I had something similar for my Crater Lake trip. Full panniers (like sails on the back of my bike). It was generally just as I'd crest a hill that I'd get the full force of the cross-wind. Then it was ok once I dropped down in elevation again.

Just had to be careful every time one reached unprotected open space at the top of a hill.

If you're low enough, crosswinds just don't matter much. Even with the rear spokes covered, a 30 mph gust will only move me about a foot or so. A 30 mph cross gust on my highracer would be scary, though.