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how much wind?

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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
View Poll Results: HOW MUCH WIND IS TOO MUCH?
5+
0
0%
10+
2.38%
15+
9.52%
20+
21.43%
30+
38.10%
I RIDE IN HURRICANES
28.57%
Voters: 126. You may not vote on this poll

how much wind?

Old 04-07-09, 03:11 PM
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how much wind?

how much wind is too much wind for you to ride in?

its 24 mph wind right now with 35 mph gusts.
on a sunny day? haha.

i rode 5 miles and decided it was too much.

on the way home i saw a guy biking and felt like i was a lil *****.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:15 PM
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I've never not ridden because of a little wind...
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Old 04-07-09, 03:18 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
I've never not ridden because of a little wind...
so if it was 30 mph outside....you would still be up too it? its scarry for me because were i live there are massive hills everywhere, i get going 40 mph down hill when huge wind hits me from the side....not fun.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:26 PM
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i AM a hurricane.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:31 PM
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I sometimes like riding on windy days because it's a great workout.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:45 PM
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*sigh*. Just go ride. A little over a week ago a friend and I rode a century. 30 mph winds with gusts over 50. We had a fun time.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:50 PM
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On very windy days I just take the mtb to the deep woods.
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Old 04-07-09, 03:54 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
I've never not ridden because of a little wind...
You have also never ridden in Nebraska or Iowa.
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Old 04-07-09, 04:06 PM
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i experienced a great deal of wind on a 600k starting in The Dalles, OR. we went east, carried by a 25+ mph tailwind; many did their first sub-6-hour century (these are randos, after all).

the downside to the awesome tailwind was that it turned into a nasty headwind for the remaining 275 miles... there are few things in life less fun than pedaling down a steep hill and barely hitting 15 mph.. ugh, i hated wind that day (from 5 am to 10 pm no less).

also at the beginning of the ride, a smaller rider said she was lifted off the ground by a gusting side-wind and ended up in a ditch. wow.
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Old 04-07-09, 04:12 PM
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Originally Posted by SushiJoe
You have also never ridden in Nebraska or Iowa.
True but I have ridden in 30+ winds many times. One one particularly windy day I went riding in the mountains and along the ridge there were 30+ sustained winds coming across the ridge from the side with gusts around 45 or more... I don't remember the exact numbers but I was nearly blown over a few times!
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Old 04-07-09, 04:12 PM
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I don't ride in Hurricanes, but we routinely ride in 20+
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Old 04-07-09, 04:30 PM
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over 20 and I'll wait until tomorrow....but wind is just something we deal with around here
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Old 04-07-09, 04:31 PM
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I live next to the ocean (literally. I live on the water and the roads I ride are right next to the water). There is no such thing as no wind. All rides are windy.
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Old 04-07-09, 04:36 PM
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I like the MTB + deep woods idea or hitting some steep hills when it is windy.
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Old 04-07-09, 04:43 PM
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why are mornings less windy than afternoons?
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Old 04-07-09, 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by coasting
why are mornings less windy than afternoons?
rising temps from the rising sun cause turbulence, that's my guess.
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Old 04-07-09, 04:58 PM
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Originally Posted by k12ug
how much wind is too much wind for you to ride in?

its 24 mph wind right now with 35 mph gusts.
on a sunny day? haha.

i rode 5 miles and decided it was too much.

on the way home i saw a guy biking and felt like i was a lil *****.
Whimp I rode on Sunday into the wind at that speed for 2 hrs at a steady cadence of 80. Oh! and it was lightly raining with mixed snow.
 
Old 04-07-09, 05:34 PM
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Seeing as (a) the forecasts around here are usually off by a factor of 30-50% (30G35 forecast usually means 45G55) and (b) I'm a spasz* who has been blown off my bike by 45-50mph crosswinds in the past, I set my limit at ~30mph forecast.

However, in a weird way I enjoy windy days. I suppose it's the challenge?

*can you believe the @$#! filter thinks s-p-a-z is foul language??!
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Old 04-07-09, 05:51 PM
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I know the last choice is a joke, but I live in Florida and have biked with a hurricane just offshore.
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Old 04-07-09, 05:59 PM
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30+ is a bit of a pain in the @ss, but sometimes those tough rides are the best, builds character they say.

I have ridden in 30+ sustained, and have never canceled a planned ride on account of wind (or snow or cold for that matter). You just have to pay attention.
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Old 04-07-09, 06:49 PM
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I rode Sunday ... the wind was about 35 km/h (22 mph) gusting to 52 km/h (32mph). It was a bit breezy but not bad.

Winds up around 80 km/h (50 mph) weren't uncommon during the spring in Manitoba. If you get that at your back you can pick up some good speed!! Of course turning around and going home is a bit of a workout.

And I got caught in a "microburst" which had winds clocked at 162 km/h (100 mph) ... it kind of lifted me off the ground a little bit.

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If you come up here to do my 200K or 300K brevets I can almost guarantee you a 35 km/h gusting to 50 km/h wind for those rides. The wind just flies off the mountains in the spring.
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Old 04-07-09, 06:53 PM
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I ride along the river here and there seems to always be a head wind of 15+mph (and by always I mean in both directions)..

It gets so bad that I put aerobars on my comfort bike (my commuter). I don't give a flip what people think of me when I'm in the aero position it puts 3-5mph back on my speedometer.
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Old 04-07-09, 06:54 PM
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Was in a group ride last year, not sure of wind but I do know drafting didn't mean anything, we were all in our small ring of front big on back and it was all we could do to make any head way. Was fun in a crazy kind of way. I seem to remember looking down and seeing 12km/h and thinking never again.
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Old 04-07-09, 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by DrakeSuperbus
I know the last choice is a joke, but I live in Florida and have biked with a hurricane just offshore.
its no joke.....i live in Florida too. i know this old guy that rides his bike all the time, and i saw him in the hurricane and offered him a lift and he said he does this all this time....
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Old 04-07-09, 07:14 PM
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I live on an island so I can see water most of my rides.... no wind is the exception. If I waited for low or no wind riding I would get in very few days per year.

Gotta love the Pacific Northwest for the entertaining weather.
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