Riding in the gales.

jimmythecuckoo

There has been plenty of debate in the those their fens over the last few days about when wind is worse than ice and you should not ride.

I have been out both Saturday and Sunday, one day alone, one in a group.

To be honest I knew what to expect with the strong winds and apart from going much slower than usual and needing to take care when crossing gaps in hedges, it wasn't that bad.

How did others find it out there :?:

cougie

I went out on Sunday morning for a bit - Saturday it was ridiculously windy round here - I struggled just walking into it.

I didnt do a long ride Sunday as it just didnt seem like fun. So I did a shorter but much more intense ride on the turbo.

I think it all depends how windy it is and how gusty it is.

TheHound

Riding in the wind isn't as bad as people make out. You just have to pay a little more attention.

I always go with someone if it is windy though just in case you do come off, at least you have someone there.

TheHound

Sinnige training 050211.mp4: http://youtu.be/H8qgjyqibwY

Ignore the awesome euro techno

thegreatdivide

On the east coast of Scotland it's just standard weather for this time of year. I've got two days off work, but right now the wind is 30mph with gusts in the high 40's and when I took the dog for a walk at 7am it was even worse (found a slate from the roof in the garden). So the turbo is coming out for the second time in about 12 months.

Tomorrow it's 15mph and light snow so 'll be out for sure! Ice and snow never stops me, it's just a matter of reading the road, with wind, especially on the wide flat exposed areas of the Tay estuary, it's a whole different game.

markhewitt1978

I find it fine if it's at your back or you're head on into it. It's the side winds I don't much care for.

keef66

I was out for 2 hours yesterday. Colder and windier than I was expecting; often a struggle to make progress on the flats. Good workout though; legs are complaining a bit going upstairs today.

iron-clover

I'm not really a fan of riding when the winds are forecast for 25-30mph+ because of the much stronger gusts that accompany them. I ca ride in them if I have to, such as commuting or needing to get somewhere within 10 miles or so, but don't usually bother with club runs or general riding- it wouldn't be any fun.

I've ridden in a gale at the top of the Cat and Fiddle on a group ride- there was virtually no traffic about and although very difficult, it wasn't all that bad.

The next year I was defeated by Holme Moss when I rounded the penultimate corner at about 400m to go and hit a steady 50mph ish wind with 70-80 gusts. I could have physically finished but there was the occasional car coming up and down not really giving much consideration to the wind so decided it was probably not worth being blown under a car.
I tried to walk up but even that became near impossible as my bike (~10kg with winter kit on at the time) was trying to fly like a kite about where I was holding the top tube. I turned around with my friend and made it back to our digs in the Peaks using the valley roads which were pretty calm rather than attempt using the Snake Pass...

Bordersroadie

The big thing to watch in high winds is riding downhill (ie fast) with a strong gusty crosswind specifically when you pass gaps in hedges/walls, farm gates and the like. It can easily push you into the middle of the road although rural roads are quiet round here anyway so as long as you're aware, riding in 50mph gusts is still doable with limited risk.

thegibdog

iron-clover wrote:

I've ridden in a gale at the top of the Cat and Fiddle on a group ride- there was virtually no traffic about and although very difficult, it wasn't all that bad.

Went up there just before Christmas, was fine in the Goyt Valley but the top of the Cat was a nightmare. I was getting blown into the middle of the road and the guy I was with actually got blown all the way across the road into the path of a car which luckily stopped for him.

This weekend I stuck to the turbo on Saturday and did a short ride, avoiding the big hills, on Sunday.

iron-clover

We were lucky when we did it- we were coming up from Macclesfield and the hill shielded up from the worst of it until we neared the top, when it was blowing from the South so we were being blown off the road (and not off the hill either) rather than into the middle which made it much more bearable.

tangled_metal

Commuted into work this morning took a lot longer at least 33 % longer due to the wind. You have no choice to go slow with a strong headwind with gusts. I found the wind changing direction a lot, about 180 degrees at times. At one point the low hedges with a strong and steady side wind meant I had to ride leaning the bije sideways into the wind just to stay on. Kind of like leaning on a car when it gets too close.

It was my worst ever experience of wind I think. Once strong wind and rain used to make me want to go faster just to get out of it but now I just haven;t the energy to fight like I used to. now I slow down and make sure I get there safely.

This is all commuting, I would never go out for a pleasure ride in this. I like cycling and I like battling against the weather and conditions when in the hills walking but on a bike in rush hour in wind is a little scary. The cars this morning were particularly bad at driving close to me. I might have been riding a bit further out to give me reaction time for a sudden gust but that is no excuse for driving half a metre away from me. I can get blown a metre quicker than any of us could react in that wind. Makes it all interestin anyway.

jimmythecuckoo

I suppose its a condition that we all need to be aware of and master.

Living in the fens I am used to strong nagging winds that change direction and give you a headwind on all points of the compass!

The last couple of winters have seen a fair few of those gusty winds that were mentioned up the thread a bit.

I wonder whether these storms are getting worse or if its just that I am on a single speed in the winter months now.

mfin

Q. Is wind a new thing or something?
A. No.

peat

I'll try to avoid going out in gusty winds, it's not nice. But, if you take it steady and be prepared for it it's ok.

I just hate that it can feel like you are battling a gale and struggling to stay upright and the approaching car behind has little to no idea what you are going through.

ben@31

I suppose its a matter of planning routes wisely to match the conditions... Cycling along the bottom of valleys. Staying away from high exposed ground. One city centre offered a fair bit of shelter too.
A few months ago I had a surprise while cycling down a hill, it felt alright but then I must have past a gap in a tree line or a gate in a wall, as I went next to no wind to almost being blown off sideways in an instant.

wishitwasallflat

I normally take 35 mph gust forecast as my limit but decided to commute last week when 38 was forecast. At one point a gust caught the back of the bike and rear wheel slid 6-8 inches across the road. Luckily for me it got grip again and I stayed upright. I think I will stick with 35 as my limit.

kajjal

It also depends if the wind is randomly gusting at you from different directions. Riding into a strong constant wind is hard work. Riding into a strong gusting wind without a fixed direction can be very dangerous.

I tend to get the mountain bike out in stronger winds as the wider bars have more leverage, big knobbly tyres more grip and lower gearing helps.

DavidJB

Rode to a race Saturday (28 miles) into a constant head wind...was knackered by the time I arrived!...normally ride there at 130bpm...crested a small climb and looked down to 175 BPM doing about 7 MPH...windy as fk...

Good tail wind on the way back though

Saturdays winds (30MPH) was probably my limit...a couple of dodgy moments but nothing too bad.

kingofthetailwind

wishitwasallflat wrote:

I normally take 35 mph gust forecast as my limit but decided to commute last week when 38 was forecast. At one point a gust caught the back of the bike and rear wheel slid 6-8 inches across the road. Luckily for me it got grip again and I stayed upright. I think I will stick with 35 as my limit.

:?:

thegreatdivide

wishitwasallflat wrote:

I normally take 35 mph gust forecast as my limit but decided to commute last week when 38 was forecast. At one point a gust caught the back of the bike and rear wheel slid 6-8 inches across the road. Luckily for me it got grip again and I stayed upright. I think I will stick with 35 as my limit.

What about 36mph? Too much?

tangled_metal

How do you know the wind speed? If you believe the weather forecast I seriously doubt you can distinguish between 35 and 38mph. Perhaps you need an anemometer to get that level of distinction.

Personally I only ride in strong winds when I have to like commuting to work when I don't have use of the car. If i can hear the wind is strong that is enough for me not to bother riding for purely leisure (although commuting counts as leisure for me too but necessary leisure to get to work).

I think Silva do a really good one called ADC and Kestrel anemometers are highly rated. Or just get yourself a weather station that links to PC by WIFI. I think some on here have that sort of kit. Alternatively I believe there are sites that show individual's weather stations that are linked to the website so anyone can see the recent readings.

wishitwasallflat

thegreatdivide wrote:

wishitwasallflat wrote:

I normally take 35 mph gust forecast as my limit but decided to commute last week when 38 was forecast. At one point a gust caught the back of the bike and rear wheel slid 6-8 inches across the road. Luckily for me it got grip again and I stayed upright. I think I will stick with 35 as my limit.

What about 36mph? Too much?

I suppose it would have to be as I check the Met Office detailed forecast as close as I possibly can to when I need to go out and feel like I have to set something as an upper limit. I cross two open high bridges which are very heavily used by trucks on my commute and getting blown just a few feet sideways in a gust could leave me and my family in trouble.

Like any quantitative measure based dichotomous choice how can the 1 mph change makes it too much/ok knife edge scenario be avoided?

Tangled Metal wrote:

How do you know the wind speed? If you believe the weather forecast I seriously doubt you can distinguish between 35 and 38mph. Perhaps you need an anemometer to get that level of distinction.

Personally I only ride in strong winds when I have to like commuting to work when I don't have use of the car. If i can hear the wind is strong that is enough for me not to bother riding for purely leisure (although commuting counts as leisure for me too but necessary leisure to get to work).

I think Silva do a really good one called ADC and Kestrel anemometers are highly rated. Or just get yourself a weather station that links to PC by WIFI. I think some on here have that sort of kit. Alternatively I believe there are sites that show individual's weather stations that are linked to the website so anyone can see the recent readings.

No I'm not insane and am not claiming I can tell the difference between a few mph here or there, but, as above, due to having had a few close calls, when the forecast said 35 mph gusts, I feel I need to set some limit. Having pushed it last week - by going in to work when 38mph gusts were forecast and the rear end of the bike got blown across the road, I'm back to feeling 35 has to be the limit. The Met Office site shows forecast and current wind speeds from a weather station less than 1 mile from my house and data from several others that I pass on the way to work so that's what I go on.

I'm also sure there is a chance that the offending gust hit me just at an unlucky moment when my rear wheel was on something slippy on the road - and so maybe I could have slipped anyway - but I was riding straight ahead, not braking nor accelerating, felt the gust just when the rear end slid out across the road, so, on balance ...

awavey

I went out on Sunday, as the wind seemed to have died down after Saturday when theyd reported gusts of 60mph+ in places :shock: it was still breezy and gusty in parts, but didnt feel unsafe at all

and it wasnt, actually seemed ok on the outward leg, felt like I was hitting a cross wind of sorts, but should have noticed something wasnt quite right when I realised I was making remarkably rapid progress.

and lo and behold of course on the return leg, it was strong headwind all the way, no idea how strong but it was stop pedalling and dont have to use brakes to stop rapidly kind of headwind,and with no real hedges or shelter to hide behind I just had to battle through it, even when I tried to vary the route try and tack across it, the wind just seemed to be chasing me around.

after an hour of that, my legs were totally spent, not helped by fellow cyclists heading the opposite way grinning like idiots enjoying their free rides, whilst Im just spinning and think I was doing just 5mph at one point.

funniest part I guess was I was nearly home and this car about 50metres ahead, wanted to turn right across in front of me, and must have thought oh we'll stop and let this nice cyclist go past first and waited, and at this point Im just spinning in my lowest gears to get home, and you can see them thinking, blimey shes going really slow, and so I felt I had to show I was making an effort, so I even got out of the saddle and pedalled as quickly as I could and I still only hit about 10mph, they could have done a 3point turn, had a cup of tea, and still made the turn before me

still feeling it in my legs 2 days later.

rolf_f

I commute whatever the weather. I have a pretty steep hill at the start of my ride which gets exposed near the top to crosswinds. Riding slowly uphill and with gaps in the trees can make the first five minutes pretty unnerving but it is generally fine after that. If things were really bad I could take a lower route into town.
Once in town I'm likely to get the worst of it though because big buildings are far worse than gaps in hedges. I've been riding along with a nice tailwind at 30mph only to have the front wheel lifted off the ground and moved to the right a foot or two thanks to one of the random architectural messes in central Leeds.
Going home there are certain places which tend to be a bit brutal but usually these are proper headwinds so less likely to be blown sideways.

wishitwasallflat

Rolf F wrote:

I've been riding along with a nice tailwind at 30mph only to have the front wheel lifted off the ground and moved to the right a foot or two

Fork me does that not scare you? Presumably you are riding amongst some traffic if its between buildings?

Moonbiker

The Met Office site shows forecast and current wind speeds from a weather station less than 1 mile from my house and data from several others that I pass on the way to work so that's what I go on.

Yeah this is what i do also.

60 mph gusts today on the forcast which is abit to windy for me anyway 8)

I set the limit at 50mph gust max.

wishitwasallflat

Moonbiker wrote:

The Met Office site shows forecast and current wind speeds from a weather station less than 1 mile from my house and data from several others that I pass on the way to work so that's what I go on.

Yeah this is what i do also.

60 mph gusts today on the forcast which is abit to windy for me anyway 8)

I set the limit at 50mph gust max.

50 ! I'm beginning to think I may be a wimp setting 35 as my limit - have you ever had any bad experiences though especially getting moved sideways in traffic? If yes does it not worry you?

Moonbiker

Only once a few yrs ago I got blown across the road a few metres by a gust, was lucky there was no cars & I didn't crash into the stone walls as was a narrow lane.

Riding in windy conditions is something you kind of get better @ the more you practice it i think. Its above average windy here on Anglesey alot of the year.

cougie

Rolf F wrote:

I commute whatever the weather. I have a pretty steep hill at the start of my ride which gets exposed near the top to crosswinds. Riding slowly uphill and with gaps in the trees can make the first five minutes pretty unnerving but it is generally fine after that. If things were really bad I could take a lower route into town.
Once in town I'm likely to get the worst of it though because big buildings are far worse than gaps in hedges. I've been riding along with a nice tailwind at 30mph only to have the front wheel lifted off the ground and moved to the right a foot or two thanks to one of the random architectural messes in central Leeds.
Going home there are certain places which tend to be a bit brutal but usually these are proper headwinds so less likely to be blown sideways.

Jeez !

Where was it that a woman was killed by a van on a windy day ? The wind was funneled round a block of flats and picked up a van driving by and 'dropped' it on the poor woman ? I'm sure it was Glasgow or Leeds. Really scary.

whoof

There's a section of road in Men's Pants on a corner near the Jubilee Pool. The wind howls off the sea from your left but as you go around the corner is seems to bouce off a large wall and is then coming from your right. I've know a couple of people who've been riding along leaning into a really strong wind from the left and the next minute they are lying on their side.

I change my commute on the way home when it's very windy. I start with a long downhill but it's a bit exposed with a few gaps between buildings. These can result in sudden cross gusts. I therefore use a more shettered decent on these days.