Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Road Cycling
Reload this Page >

When is it too windy?

Search
Notices
Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

When is it too windy?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 04-19-05 | 03:47 PM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
 
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
When is it too windy?

I'm sitting at work looking out the window at 30 mph and wondering if I really want to ride tonight. When is it too windy for you guys?
oakleydo is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 03:48 PM
  #2  
lotek's Avatar
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 17,687
Likes: 12
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
__________________
Sono più lento di quel che sembra.
Odio la gente, tutti.


Want to upgrade your membership? Click Here.
lotek is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 03:49 PM
  #3  
timmhaan's Avatar
more ape than man
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 8,091
Likes: 2
From: nyc
around 30mph i consider using the trainer.
timmhaan is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 03:51 PM
  #4  
waterboy's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
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.
waterboy is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 03:53 PM
  #5  
OCP
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 6,289
Likes: 2
From: MILWAUKEE

Bikes: The kind with two wheels

All the %&^$#%@ time around here in spring!
Hipcycler is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 03:57 PM
  #6  
caloso's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
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.
caloso is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:02 PM
  #7  
'nother's Avatar
semifreddo amartuerer
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 4,599
Likes: 2
From: Northern CA

Bikes: several

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!
'nother is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:06 PM
  #8  
caloso's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
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!
I did exactly that on this morning's pre-work ride. It feels like a treat you've saved for yourself when you turn around.
caloso is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:31 PM
  #9  
Back in the Sooner State
20 Anniversary
 
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.
ImprezaDrvr is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:43 PM
  #10  
JBar's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
From: Arkansas

Bikes: Cannondale R1000, Marin Pine Mountain

If cows are getting blown over, it's too windy to ride.
JBar is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:52 PM
  #11  
Avalanche325's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,162
Likes: 1
From: Pasadena, CA

Bikes: Litespeed Firenze / GT Avalanche

Not today baby!!!! My kit is sitting right behind me at my desk. 1hr 9min to go! But, who's counting?
Avalanche325 is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:57 PM
  #12  
Crack'n'fail's Avatar
Photog Extraordinaire
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 863
Likes: 0
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.
Crack'n'fail is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 04:59 PM
  #13  
caloso's Avatar
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 40,863
Likes: 3,115
From: Sacramento, California, USA

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

I hate when that happens.
caloso is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 05:04 PM
  #14  
Smaug's Avatar
Drug Company Pawn
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 278
Likes: 0
This would be too windy...

Smaug is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 06:31 PM
  #15  
wabbit's Avatar
Sprockette
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,503
Likes: 0
From: Canada
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!
__________________
You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. That's great...if you want to attract vermin.
wabbit is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 06:50 PM
  #16  
H. Star's Avatar
Short bus rider
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 424
Likes: 0
From: South Florida
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!
H. Star is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 06:52 PM
  #17  
gcasillo's Avatar
Maglia Ciclamino
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,073
Likes: 2
From: Mason, OH

Bikes: Bianchi Aria, Bianchi Volpe

This guy should be out riding.

gcasillo is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 07:34 PM
  #18  
Guest
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
If it's dangerous to ride, like you're getting tossed about or can't keep your wheels on the ground, it's too unsafe. That's about it.

Koffee
 
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 09:09 PM
  #19  
Anbaric Cog's Avatar
just your average Fred
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: Central California
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.
Anbaric Cog is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 10:00 PM
  #20  
raodmaster shaman
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,431
Likes: 0
From: G-ville
its never too windy! probobly wanst a very good idea but i went out and rode my beater aroud durring a tropical storm here in florida. i got too bored with the power off....
roadgator is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 10:00 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
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!
Give me hills over wind any day of the week!
Comatose51 is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 10:18 PM
  #22  
suntreader's Avatar
Out of breath again.
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 645
Likes: 0
From: Myrtle Beach SC
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.
suntreader is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 10:48 PM
  #23  
catatonic's Avatar
Chairman of the Bored
20 Anniversary
 
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!
catatonic is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 11:00 PM
  #24  
apple_boy_'s Avatar
Member
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: washington state

Bikes: cannondale-R700, gitane-1968, raleigh record-1973

the only time not to ride is when you cant see an inch in front of your face even with a light.
apple_boy_ is offline  
Reply
Old 04-19-05 | 11:20 PM
  #25  
gcasillo's Avatar
Maglia Ciclamino
20 Anniversary
 
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.
gcasillo is offline  
Reply


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.