Your Max. Wind Speed
#76
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2013
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From: Bozeman
Bikes: 199? Landshark Roadshark, 198? Mondonico Diamond, 1987 Panasonic DX-5000, 1987 Bianchi Limited, Univega... Chrome..., 1989 Schwinn Woodlands, Motobecane USA Record, Raleigh Tokul 2
I'm off topic, but there's been a few questions about the hand position in the windy conditions. Here's a quick update with a new photo that may help understand the road condition. This pic is from a friend that rode the course (part of it):
Attachment 567113
Parts of the road were like riding a CX sand trap or a beach, meaning you need to keep weight off the front wheel to allow you to control in the deep, soft, sandy gravel. However, the crosswinds caused you problems pushing your front wheel when it wasn't weighted.
Attachment 567113
Parts of the road were like riding a CX sand trap or a beach, meaning you need to keep weight off the front wheel to allow you to control in the deep, soft, sandy gravel. However, the crosswinds caused you problems pushing your front wheel when it wasn't weighted.
#77
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2014
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From: Minnesnowta
Bikes: 2016 Trek Emonda SL, 2016 Framed Wolftrax
#79
Freddin' it
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 807
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From: Wichita
To start, I live in Kansas, so there's that. If you don't ride when the wind's over 30, you miss a lot of days. Fortunately, trees and development abates the brunt of it. My worst wind experience was on the road right at the end of the longest Wichita airport runway. A gust blew me sideways into the curb. I had to aim downwind to get the bike going again. I checked the weather log for the airport and at the time of my incident, it reported 52 mph wind speed. I kept riding in the crosswind, bailing as soon as I could find a more sheltered road in the vicinity.
#80
I probably would not intentionally ride in winds much more than that. Even gusts in the high 30s are enough to make me pause and ride very gingerly...so as to not get blown off the bike. Perhaps those with more mass would fare better (I suspect as much, but I am not a physicist).
#81
20-25+mph wind is too much for me now. I used to go out still if it was pretty windy but really, it just sucks, so I don't bother anymore lol. Iv been blown over by the wind. And the last time I tried riding on one of those windy days I was stopped mid hill by the wind...Having to duck your head and body down around the bike while the wind just beats into you is not fun. Those were just the usual 20-25mph winds, with gusts around 30mph or so.
#84
Here's another one in 100 km/h (60 mph) winds. No way you can ride in that!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...e-race-toilets
Worst I had was 25 mph head wind on my commute near a river. I DON'T like it at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...e-race-toilets
Worst I had was 25 mph head wind on my commute near a river. I DON'T like it at all.
at least those days the roads are empty

i mean, its even an offical race:
#85
Me duelen las nalgas

Joined: Aug 2015
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From: Texas
Bikes: Centurion Ironman, Trek 5900, Univega Via Carisma, Globe Carmel
I was thinking of Hypno Toad's video during yesterday's ride on my new-to-me skinny tire road racing bike, 700x23 ice skates masquerading as tires. I got lost on the trails looking for a new section, ended up on a segment of squirrely pea gravel/crushed limestone, and suddenly the wind kicked up to 20 mph with strong gusts. And I'm thinking "Why did I get this silly road bike when what I really need is fat bike?"
#86
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Amsterdam
Bikes: 1980 Koga-Miyata Gentsluxe-S, 1998 Eddy Merckx Corsa 01, 1983 Tommasini Racing, 2012 Gulf Western CAAD10, 1980 Univega Gran Premio
I've been riding the Mississippi River Trail in New Orleans, which is an asphalt path on top of the levee. The path is about 6 feet wide, with minimal shoulder, and slopes down off each side. In many places the slope is 20 degrees or more, and drops down 10-20 feet. There is virtually always a 10-15 MPH wind off the river, and up on that path not only is there nothing to break up the wind (no buildings, nearest trees well away), but the rise tends to intensify the cross winds on the path, the same way putting your thumb over the end of a hose intensifies the stream of water. On higher wind days, the 20 MPH cross winds are more like 25+, and I've been blown right off the path once, and blown down once. It takes a lot of concentration, and I spend a lot of energy just keeping a half-way straight line. It's a meandering path, since it follows the river, so sometimes you get a nice tail wind, but it's almost always mostly a head wind on the return leg.
The good part is it's made me a much stronger rider. If I only rode on low wind days, I'd barely ride at all. I can judge how bad the wind is by the differential between my speed going out, and coming back. On a good day it's 19 mph out, 16 back. On a bad day it's 21 out, 13 back. I had riding that slow while putting out that much effort, but it's also gotten me used to riding a couple of hours straight in the drops, or on the hoods with elbows at 90 degrees.
It's also got me thinking of getting a skin suit.
The good part is it's made me a much stronger rider. If I only rode on low wind days, I'd barely ride at all. I can judge how bad the wind is by the differential between my speed going out, and coming back. On a good day it's 19 mph out, 16 back. On a bad day it's 21 out, 13 back. I had riding that slow while putting out that much effort, but it's also gotten me used to riding a couple of hours straight in the drops, or on the hoods with elbows at 90 degrees.
It's also got me thinking of getting a skin suit.
#88
meh

Joined: Jul 2014
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From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Thank you to [MENTION=356006]italktocats[/MENTION]!
Here's info on that "race": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_..._Championships and info about the winds speed at this event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale The 2016 event was held with Wind Force 9 (47–54 mph)
Here's info on that "race": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_..._Championships and info about the winds speed at this event: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale The 2016 event was held with Wind Force 9 (47–54 mph)
#89
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Amsterdam
Bikes: 1980 Koga-Miyata Gentsluxe-S, 1998 Eddy Merckx Corsa 01, 1983 Tommasini Racing, 2012 Gulf Western CAAD10, 1980 Univega Gran Premio
I finally took some photos of the levee path by New Orleans where I usually ride these days. There's usually a steady 10-15 mph wind, sometimes off the river, sometimes towards the river, and it's clear that being up on the levee tends to focus/intensify the crosswinds. You can see the amount of incline up and then down the levee in the first photo of a curved section. The river side is around 25-30 degrees incline most of the way, while the other side is usually a a gentler incline. Fortunately, if you get blown off the path, there's usually some grass, though it's concrete in many places.
The second photo shows a scary section where there's a 45 degree incline downwards, in asphalt, leading into a gentler concrete incline section of around 25-30 degrees, then (after some rains) muddy water. These photos are after several very heavy rains, so you're seeing water where there's usually dry land. The water's probably about 3 feet deep here. The perspective in the second photo minimizes how steep it is. If you look towards the road, your eyeline on a bike is level with the top of two story businesses. Most of the path has a couple of inches of angled asphalt at the edge, so if you try to correct your line if you're blown onto the edge, you just go right down. You can't do what's shown in the video of the gravel grinder race. And of course this open area a great place for people to bring their dogs to let them run off leash, so on a windy day you might be struggling to control your bike, and you get to dodge the dopes wearing headphones, and their dogs.
Fortunately the time I got blown right off the path, I wasn't in the dangerous section. The undulating nature of the path means that you end up with crosswinds most of the time, with variable sections of headwind or tailwind. Definitely toughens you up.
My point in showing these photos is to suggest that sometimes weather data isn't the whole story. When I'm riding surface streets to get to the levee path, the wind is often much less intense.
The second photo shows a scary section where there's a 45 degree incline downwards, in asphalt, leading into a gentler concrete incline section of around 25-30 degrees, then (after some rains) muddy water. These photos are after several very heavy rains, so you're seeing water where there's usually dry land. The water's probably about 3 feet deep here. The perspective in the second photo minimizes how steep it is. If you look towards the road, your eyeline on a bike is level with the top of two story businesses. Most of the path has a couple of inches of angled asphalt at the edge, so if you try to correct your line if you're blown onto the edge, you just go right down. You can't do what's shown in the video of the gravel grinder race. And of course this open area a great place for people to bring their dogs to let them run off leash, so on a windy day you might be struggling to control your bike, and you get to dodge the dopes wearing headphones, and their dogs.
Fortunately the time I got blown right off the path, I wasn't in the dangerous section. The undulating nature of the path means that you end up with crosswinds most of the time, with variable sections of headwind or tailwind. Definitely toughens you up.
My point in showing these photos is to suggest that sometimes weather data isn't the whole story. When I'm riding surface streets to get to the levee path, the wind is often much less intense.
#91
Passista


Joined: Jul 2005
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Last Sunday was windy. I did a 120km ride and later learned there were 75km/h gusts. No problems, but my main concern was being thrown into oncoming traffic by a right side gust.
#94
Fredly Fredster

Joined: Jan 2017
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10mph sustained winds in the winter.... 15mph sustained winds in the summer. That's my limit. I don't ride if the wind is any higher than that.
I hate the wind with a passion. I'll ride -20° F if there's little or no wind. I'm not a wimp when it comes to the cold. The wind... I despise.
I hate the wind with a passion. I'll ride -20° F if there's little or no wind. I'm not a wimp when it comes to the cold. The wind... I despise.
#95
Banned.
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 197
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From: Upper Left Coast USA
Bikes: Cannondale CAADX
Anything above 10 mph is uncomfortable for me. I'm tiny. 4'11" and not 100lbs. I can't ride in anything stronger. I once got knocked off my bike by a gust. Idk the wind speed. Ty has ridden in 30mph sustained winds and much higher gust.
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