When is it too windy?
#2
Senior Member


Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 17,687
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From: n.w. superdrome
Bikes: 1 trek, serotta, rih, de Reus, Pogliaghi and finally a Zieleman! and got a DeRosa
I live in texas, if too windy were a consideration I'd never ride. . .
Marty
Marty
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#4
Senior Member

Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 169
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From: NorCal
Bikes: Trek 5.2, Rocky mountain Hammer, K2 Cruiser
I live in the SF Bay Area- I agree, if too windy was a concept, I wouldnt ride a bike. Every night I ride home from work into the teeth of 20-30 headwinds April through September. Dont let it psyche you out, it just makes you stronger. Crosswinds make you more agile and aware, and the elusive tailwind is joy all its own.
#6
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
If you have trouble keeping both wheels on the road, then it's probably too windy. Otherwise, ride on!
If you've got a 30 mph headwind, stand up on the pedals and pretend you're off the front: that's what the wind feels like to Pettachi on the sprint.
If you've got a 30 mph headwind, stand up on the pedals and pretend you're off the front: that's what the wind feels like to Pettachi on the sprint.
#7
I am sitting here looking out my window at the same thing, but my ride is in the hills tonight so the wind will be the least of my worries.
I generally don't skip rides because of wind unless it is accompanied by other nastiness like a lot of rain or very cold temps or some such (I would say snow but we never get that here). Builds character, I guess (but it still sucks while you're doing it!).
Advice: ride out into the wind, and enjoy the tailwind on your way back in!
I generally don't skip rides because of wind unless it is accompanied by other nastiness like a lot of rain or very cold temps or some such (I would say snow but we never get that here). Builds character, I guess (but it still sucks while you're doing it!).
Advice: ride out into the wind, and enjoy the tailwind on your way back in!
#8
Senior Member

Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
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From: Sacramento, California, USA
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur
Originally Posted by 'nother
Advice: ride out into the wind, and enjoy the tailwind on your way back in!
#9
Back in the Sooner State

Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,572
Likes: 0
From: Norman, OK
Well, it's gusting near 60 mph today. That's beyond my limit, as days like today create dust storms. Dust storms hurt like hell and breathing that stuff just walking around outside is enough to drive you nuts. Feels, appropriately enough, like sandpaper in your lungs.
But 30's alright. At least in Texas there's the occasional tree, or a helluva lot of buildings to take it in different directions. Here, the canyon effect just multiplies it.
I'm gonna go home and wash the sand out of my inner ear now.
But 30's alright. At least in Texas there's the occasional tree, or a helluva lot of buildings to take it in different directions. Here, the canyon effect just multiplies it.
I'm gonna go home and wash the sand out of my inner ear now.
#12
Photog Extraordinaire

Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 863
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From: Cincinnati, OH
Bikes: Santa Cruz Chameleon, Cannondale R800 (CAAD4) with Dura-Ace upgrade
I did a ride a couple of weeks ago on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where there was such a stiff headwind on a climb that it actually brought me to a complete stop. It was insane.
I concur with the ride out with a headwind theory. Funny thing is, I live in a river valley and the wind sort of shifts around throught valley so sometimes you do that and by the time you circle around to come back it's shifted and you have a headwind both ways.
I concur with the ride out with a headwind theory. Funny thing is, I live in a river valley and the wind sort of shifts around throught valley so sometimes you do that and by the time you circle around to come back it's shifted and you have a headwind both ways.
#15
Today it was incredibly warm, about 72, but very windy. At its peak, it was about 21 with gusts about 28. But it's going to rain tomorrow and the rest of the week looks sucky, so I went. But it's tough alone! HOwever,it being spring, it gets pretty windy and if you wait for no wind, you'd never ride- like everyone else here! The interesting thing is that near the water, no matter how warm the day is, the wind can still get really COLD. So even at 72f, you have to have a vest and take arm warmers.But once you got away from the water, it was really warm. But i'm not used to the warm weather yet, and combined with the headwind- I'm just fried and my leg muscles are sore, even though I didn't go that far. But let's all remember, wind is great for burning off all that ugly useless fat from the winter!
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#16
Last summer I finished my ride only hours before a hurricane hit. It's hard to say how hard the wind was blowing, but my heart rate was nearly 90% of max and I was making about 5 mph. If you can keep the bike upright, ride on!
#19
When you need to put body glide on you nose hairs to get forward momentum, that's too windy.
I'll take a hill any day. The problem here is that the wind tends to blow up into the hills, it took me longer to go down hill a few weeks ago.
That blows.
a.c.
I'll take a hill any day. The problem here is that the wind tends to blow up into the hills, it took me longer to go down hill a few weeks ago.
That blows.
a.c.
#21
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 420
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Originally Posted by 'nother
I am sitting here looking out my window at the same thing, but my ride is in the hills tonight so the wind will be the least of my worries.
I generally don't skip rides because of wind unless it is accompanied by other nastiness like a lot of rain or very cold temps or some such (I would say snow but we never get that here). Builds character, I guess (but it still sucks while you're doing it!).
Advice: ride out into the wind, and enjoy the tailwind on your way back in!
I generally don't skip rides because of wind unless it is accompanied by other nastiness like a lot of rain or very cold temps or some such (I would say snow but we never get that here). Builds character, I guess (but it still sucks while you're doing it!).
Advice: ride out into the wind, and enjoy the tailwind on your way back in!
#22
I rode my old Schwinn around the neighborhood during one of our hurricanes last September, just to see what it was like. Steady winds were about 40mph with gusts up to 80mph. It's alright when the wind is at your back, but wind direction changes so frequently that you can never get used to it.
I never got knocked off the bike, but some of the gusts were pretty hard to handle. Fortunately, it's really flat here, so I didn't have to climb any hills.
The best time to ride is during the eye of the storm. It's eerily quiet. Just don't go too far, because the rest of the hurricane is on its way.
I never got knocked off the bike, but some of the gusts were pretty hard to handle. Fortunately, it's really flat here, so I didn't have to climb any hills.
The best time to ride is during the eye of the storm. It's eerily quiet. Just don't go too far, because the rest of the hurricane is on its way.
#23
Chairman of the Bored

Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,825
Likes: 2
From: St. Petersburg, FL
Bikes: 2004 Raleigh Talus, 2001 Motobecane Vent Noir (Custom build for heavy riders)
I deal with crap like that on my commutes....had a nice 40mph headwind on a trip home a few weeks ago...my god that sucked.
Trying to spin a 46/23 and still gettting hard resistance is no fun...
All I gotta say is the wind may be a pain in the rump, but I'll be darned if it's not the best exercise I've ever had!
Trying to spin a 46/23 and still gettting hard resistance is no fun...
All I gotta say is the wind may be a pain in the rump, but I'll be darned if it's not the best exercise I've ever had!
#25
Maglia Ciclamino

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,073
Likes: 2
From: Mason, OH
Bikes: Bianchi Aria, Bianchi Volpe
As much as I hate hills, I prefer them to wind any day. Nothing spoils a nice flatland mash than a headwind. After a ride around the hills, my legs will hurt. But after a ride in gusty conditions, I'm all out knackered. I hate that.





