You really shouldn't have...

muzzan

Well today valour got the better of discretion on my part & I took the bike to work. Way in was very windy but do-able. Way back was ridiculously windy, and it was swirling all over the shop. Pretty hairy at times, esp on flyovers & next to the canal.

From now on I am going to set a limit of 20mph wind speed and stick to it

Anybody else make the same unwise decision?

Initialised

If you can decide not to bother with the bike you're doing it wrong.

But yeah, 20mph headwind both up the lunch hour hill and all the way home combined with getting used to the new toy made me wonder why new thing didn't mean faster.

raymondo60

Trouble is...wind is an almost constant factor for cyclists. Its always windy, except on those rare high days and holiday when it isn't. Best way of dealing with it is to think of it as a challenge, and an additional 'training aid'. I mean, if it weren't for the wind, this cycling lark would be so easy!

Good luck chaps.

tgotb

After 4 years of commuting by bike I still occasionally get up in the morning and wonder whether I can be bothered to cycle to work, but I have never ever arrived in the office and wished I'd taken the train, not once. On the rare occasions I do take public transport, I often end up regretting it.

Reminding myself of these facts is always enough to overcome those motivational issues...

TheStone

TGOTB wrote:

I have never ever arrived in the office and wished I'd taken the train, not once. On the rare occasions I do take public transport, I often end up regretting it.

This.

(except once, last week, when I punctured and had a faulty spare tube and it was raining)

corriebee1

Yup. As above.

I mean, I've only been commuting for 3 months, but I just love the feeling, even after an uber tough ride in the rain, of getting into work feeling like I've achieved something!

I had a really tough morning commute the other day, and sent a text to the wife after i got in saying "when I get oiut of bed, and think about not cycling, remind me how good I always feel when I do".

In saying that, I brought the car in this morning as I needed to deliver 5 shirts, a clean towel and some supplies! (I eat about twice as much during the day as I used to). I'm also making a board presentation so wanted to get in asap and without worrying about punctures etc.

bunter

I can deal with a simple headwind. yesterday, however, I was on a fast descent with gusty crosswinds hitting me (and the panniers, which seem to make the wind much more of an issue) and I was bricking it. The passing traffic is not really aware of the wind, or that you might not be able to hold your line, and continues to pass really close.

in this situation, is it better to keep pedaling or freewheel down? I feel as though I maybe have a little more control if I keep pedaling...

The Rookie

Pedal...I recall one blustery day pedaling like crazy as a way of keeping cars from passing as readily, on one downhill Strava showed a max speed of 45mph (50 limit) for about 1/2 mile, no cars went past!

tgotb

If I'm being blown all over the road, I normally move out a bit. Counter intuitively, it discourages people from passing too close, and if they do you have a bit more space. I find it easier to hold a line in big gusts when I'm not pedalling, but that may be a personal thing.

Kieran_Burns

31 mph descent yesterday, went between 2 houses either side of the road and a sudden gust caught me. I cleared a manhole cover.. sideways.

muzzan

bunter wrote:

I can deal with a simple headwind. yesterday, however, I was on a fast descent with gusty crosswinds hitting me (and the panniers, which seem to make the wind much more of an issue) and I was bricking it. The passing traffic is not really aware of the wind, or that you might not be able to hold your line, and continues to pass really close.

^^ This is what I'm talking about really. I'm loving the bike at the moment as well, which is exactly why I took it yesterday, I'm TOO motivated LOL. Thing is the forecast was for 25-30mph winds which I've ridden in before, but some of the gusts were (apparently) over 60mph :shock:

Bottom line is, didnt really enjoy the trip home. Would rather have been in today when the rain s heavy, but wind is much less of an issue.

meanredspider

Wind is never really a problem except for the bridge. It's incredibly exposed and the path is narrow with a 4' barrier stopping you falling into the Moray Firth 140' down and a 3' line of Armco prefectly designed to catapult you into the path of the traffic :shock: Passing traffic then creates shelter & wash in turn so that you steer an approximation to a sine wave! At this point you hope the amplitude of the wave isn't greater than the width of path available :shock: On a calm day, I can hit over 30mph coming off the bridge - on a really windy day I've been closer to 3mph when I've decided it would be faster walking...

UndercoverElephant

TGOTB wrote:

I have never ever arrived in the office and wished I'd taken the train, not once. On the rare occasions I do take public transport, I often end up regretting it.

2nd January last year. When I set off from the house, the Met Office said that there was a yellow warning for wind, it was a headwind, but I'd been cooped-up over Christmas and quite fancied it. By the time I got to Prestonpans, it was getting a bit stronger - I was having trouble pushing to 10 mph, but I was four miles in, so decided I'd continue.

By the time I reached Portobello, it got stronger still, I was grinding away and going forwards still. By the time I reached Seafield, the other side of Portobello Prom, the wind was so strong, I had to hold on to both my bike and a lampost, to stop both me and the bike being blown into the Forth. I stayed there, clinging on, for a few minutes until it died down to the point where I could walk whilst holding onto a railing. I walked the rest of the way.

When I eventually got to the office, the Met Office had upgraded to a red weather-warning. The wind speed in Edinburgh had peaked at 102 mph. I should have got the train that day, no doubt about it.

muzzan

meanredspider wrote:

Wind is never really a problem except for the bridge. It's incredibly exposed and the path is narrow with a 4' barrier stopping you falling into the Moray Firth 140' down and a 3' line of Armco prefectly designed to catapult you into the path of the traffic :shock: Passing traffic then creates shelter & wash in turn so that you steer an approximation to a sine wave! At this point you hope the amplitude of the wave isn't greater than the width of path available :shock: On a calm day, I can hit over 30mph coming off the bridge - on a really windy day I've been closer to 3mph when I've decided it would be faster walking...

Yep dont fancy the Kessock in anything other than a mild breeze tbh. The erskine bridge is steeper I think, but has nice big suicide fences & a quite wide cycle lane, so chances of dying not so high, but chances of wishing you were dead significant on a day like yesterday