Wind Speeds

mystic.bertie
mystic.bertie Posts: 136
edited September 2012 in Road beginners
when do you guys consider a wind speed to be too much that you dont go out? I have been commuting 4 days a week 12.5m each way and last week on the Tuesday coming home the winds were face on and very strong to the point i was hating it, so same again on the Wed and Thurs, so after 4 days of windy conditions my legs were so sore and i had less energy each day so i was just hating the cycling, i felt the ride home on thursday was constantly uphill. So looking at tomorrows weather im gonna be getting 20mph winds on the way home, so im thinking i should get the bus although i probably wont.

so how strong would a wind have to be to put you off riding?

Comments

  • daxplusplus
    daxplusplus Posts: 631
    For me it's not so much the hard work it's whether it's safe to go out. I've been out in wind that was gusting at a predicted 50mph and that was OK but is probably around the limit for me.

    I've learnt one thing from it though - take an emergency gel just in case. As you say the amount of extra effort required can be as though cycling up a continous hill and I thanked my lucky stars I was able to break open a gel to get home on that commute.
    Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail

    strava profile
  • mystic.bertie
    mystic.bertie Posts: 136
    DaxPlusPlus wrote:
    For me it's not so much the hard work it's whether it's safe to go out. I've been out in wind that was gusting at a predicted 50mph and that was OK but is probably around the limit for me.

    I've learnt one thing from it though - take an emergency gel just in case. As you say the amount of extra effort required can be as though cycling up a continous hill and I thanked my lucky stars I was able to break open a gel to get home on that commute.

    what is the gel thats a new one one me. 50mph would be ok as long as it was behind me lol. The thing about commuting if you dont get hit with the wind going then you will coming back, its also coming from different directions at times, it comes from the side and next thing its in your face, i dont know if thats the case but it does feel that way. :lol:
  • thegibdog
    thegibdog Posts: 2,106
    Don't think I've ever been put off a ride because of the wind - I even rode out to the stage of last years Tour of Britain that was cancelled due to high winds! You do have to be more aware of things such as gaps in hedges, tall buildings, lorries etc.

    I think DaxPlusPlus is referring to having an energy gel to replace the extra energy that riding in strong winds takes out of you, shouldn't be an issue on a 12.5 mile commute though.
    https://gibworth.mypixieset.com
  • ♠ChumBucket♠
    ♠ChumBucket♠ Posts: 388
    I did 35 miles this morning in some serious wind! For the first half (into the wind) it was like one of those dreams you have where you're trying to run away from something but you just can't get any faster, like a force holding you back!!!

    The second half (tail wind) was super fast though!! 31mph on the flat on a MTB! :shock:
    B'TWIN Triban 5A
    Ridgeback MX6
  • mystic.bertie
    mystic.bertie Posts: 136
    thegibdog wrote:
    Don't think I've ever been put off a ride because of the wind - I even rode out to the stage of last years Tour of Britain that was cancelled due to high winds! You do have to be more aware of things such as gaps in hedges, tall buildings, lorries etc.

    I think DaxPlusPlus is referring to having an energy gel to replace the extra energy that riding in strong winds takes out of you, shouldn't be an issue on a 12.5 mile commute though.

    it amazing how it only takes a little wind to slow you right down, even with it being cold and wet i noticed my cycling was tougher and the bike was not freewheeling as fast as it normally would. :shock:
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    Headwind isnt so bad - had a wicked crosswind gusting on a really fast A road on friday with lorries wizzing past, creating holes in the wind then then surges once they had passed - now THAT was scary... If I could, I might have got off and walked but there was no pavement and no real verge to do that.
  • mystic.bertie
    mystic.bertie Posts: 136
    ♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:
    I did 35 miles this morning in some serious wind! For the first half (into the wind) it was like one of those dreams you have where you're trying to run away from something but you just can't get any faster, like a force holding you back!!!

    The second half (tail wind) was super fast though!! 31mph on the flat on a MTB! :shock:

    yeah i know the feeling lol, once its behind you you feel superfit :lol: Im commuting so i know i need to get to work and i know i need to get home, im just not sure if i could force myself to ride into high winds just going out for a ride. :mrgreen:
  • daxplusplus
    daxplusplus Posts: 631
    Yep the gel was to replace energy. I was on a 25 mile commute home and into the wind the whole way. At one point I looked down at the speedo and was doing about 5 mph! On the drops! I bloody well needed that gel when I go to the 20 mile point.

    Actually that's something else I learnt - take a different route, if possible, that's out of the wind. I can dip down into some small valleys on my way home that are out of the worst of the prevailing winds. Longer but well worth doing if the head wind is getting on your nerves.
    Sometimes you're the hammer, sometimes you're the nail

    strava profile
  • ♠ChumBucket♠
    ♠ChumBucket♠ Posts: 388
    mystic.bertie wrote:
    ♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:
    I did 35 miles this morning in some serious wind! For the first half (into the wind) it was like one of those dreams you have where you're trying to run away from something but you just can't get any faster, like a force holding you back!!!

    The second half (tail wind) was super fast though!! 31mph on the flat on a MTB! :shock:

    yeah i know the feeling lol, once its behind you you feel superfit :lol: Im commuting so i know i need to get to work and i know i need to get home, im just not sure if i could force myself to ride into high winds just going out for a ride. :mrgreen:



    Yeah, it's less enjoyable for sure! However, it's been so windy here just lately I just had to bite the bullet today! :)
    B'TWIN Triban 5A
    Ridgeback MX6
  • Mikey23
    Mikey23 Posts: 5,306
    Depends why you are riding I suppose. If to commute then it makes no real odds and you might as well take the bus. It is character building though. I did 12mph all the way up and into the wind today and 18 to 20 on the way back downhill and with a following wind which was awesome
  • mystic.bertie
    mystic.bertie Posts: 136
    aye its definately character building lol.
  • thescouselander
    thescouselander Posts: 549
    When I were a lad I used to do a paper round that included a stretch of coast road on the Mersey estuary. The winds off the Irish sea in the middle of winter were ridiculous - enough to lift the flagstones off the pavement sometimes. After that everything else just seems like a summers breeze. Basically no wind is going to stop me. All I can suggest is to mtfu.
  • careful
    careful Posts: 720
    For me it's not so much the hard work it's whether it's safe to go out.
    +1

    Just think of headwinds as good hill training!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    The weather never stops me from cycle commuting though it might put me off a weekend ride.

    However, I might be forced onto a steel bike - even my MTB for better stability if things get really nasty.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • mystic.bertie
    mystic.bertie Posts: 136
    all interesting stuff guys so i just need to toughen up and build my muscles up
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    mystic.bertie wrote:
    all interesting stuff guys so i just need to toughen up and build my muscles up

    Well yes but gusting 50 mph headwinds are always going to be annoying and hard - you can be brought down to well below 10mph on the flat if you are unlucky but that's still better than gusting crosswinds. What out particularly on steep climbs as you get blown about more at slow speed.

    Ultimately, it is good experience but just be more wary of passing cars - give a good amount of space to the kerb in case you get blown into it and remember that when a gust stops you can steer yourself back a long way in the opposite direction. Ideally cars would know to give more space in such conditions but it isn't like that.....
    Faster than a tent.......
  • ilm_zero7
    ilm_zero7 Posts: 2,213
    ♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:
    The second half (tail wind) was super fast though!! 31mph on the flat on a MTB! :shock:
    you dont know wind until youve tried cycling in Qatar.... where the wind is normally northerly, and howls you back home - have regular runs at 50kph average, and one strava segment time for the last 3 km of a 100km ride timed at 2mins 57 sec!
    http://veloviewer.com/SigImage.php?a=3370a&r=3&c=5&u=M&g=p&f=abcdefghij&z=a.png
    Wiliers: Cento Uno/Superleggera R and Zero 7. Bianchi Infinito CV and Oltre XR2
  • Phill B
    Phill B Posts: 71
    Being by the coast in Blackpool it`s pretty much windy all year round, however some days ti`s just not safe to tackle the wind and un-observant motorists. I also find that sometimes it`s just not very enjoyable and correct me if im wrong but enjoying my ride is quite an important part of cycling. I know a lot of chaps will venture out regardless of the weather but not me, i am by no means a fair weather cyclist but i do want to enjoy the ride rather than find it a chore and spend 30+ miles with my head down doing 10mph and swearing a lot.
    Hills hurt but sofas kill.
  • andyeb
    andyeb Posts: 407
    Tip for people in the UK - use the Met Office forecast, as this gives you both predicted wind speed and gust speed.

    I will still tackle my homeward bound 30 mile commute with a 15 mph headwind and up to 40 mph gusts. The heart rate monitor registers quick a few more calories burned for these runs though!

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