# How much wind is too much wind?



## drwsport (Sep 7, 2010)

Fighting a head wind is one thing I don't like. When it is under sustained 15 I don't mind. When it gets to sustained 20 and up I reconsider. Gusting in the high 20's and 30's is just too much for me. Am I giving up too easy when I would rather stay in and ride the trainer instead of fighting the wind?


----------



## Ventruck (Mar 9, 2009)

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?p=2498466

*poops*


----------



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I'm heading out in a few minutes.. 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph....I'll head into the wind for 3 hours and turn around and be rewarded on the way home


----------



## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

When you ride in NYC, you get used to riding in the wind. NYC is one of those places where you can ride around the block and, because of the buildings, have a headwind in all four directions.

Do whatever makes you comfortable but riding in the wind is all about state of mind. Accept the wind as just one more element and it makes riding better. It's a variation of the Greg Lemond quote - it doesn't get harder, you just don't go as far.


----------



## Dumbod (Dec 31, 2004)

Dave Hickey said:


> I'm heading out in a few minutes.. 25 mph with gusts to 40 mph....I'll head into the wind for 3 hours and turn around and be rewarded on the way home


I prefer to have a tailwind on the way out. Yeah, it makes the ride back harder but at least I know that I'm going to a tailwind. Whenever I start out with the wind in my face, it manages to die or change direction by the time I'm ready to head back so I find up with a headwind in both directions.


----------



## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

Dumbod said:


> Whenever I start out with the wind in my face, it manages to die or change direction by the time I'm ready to head back so I find up with a headwind in both directions.


I though that only happened to me....100% of the time !


----------



## BetweenRides (Oct 11, 2005)

It's a given in Chicagoland, only the direction changes. We use the wind as a factor for where to ride, always head out into it for a hard workout. Riding in a paceline lessens the damage and the return tailwind makes the ride home very nice. We have done group rides with winds up to 30-35 mph, although violent gusts or cross winds make it dangerous, in which case we might switch bikes and ride the trails with tree cover that cuts out most of the wind effect.


----------



## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

drwsport said:


> Fighting a head wind is one thing I don't like. When it is under sustained 15 I don't mind. When it gets to sustained 20 and up I reconsider. Gusting in the high 20's and 30's is just too much for me. Am I giving up too easy when *I would rather stay in and ride the trainer instead *of fighting the wind?


That's just plain f'd up.


----------



## vontress (Jul 19, 2009)

I rode 22 miles at end of a century, dead into 30 mph wind, 2 weeks ago. I'm still having nightmares. I got dropped by my group the last 5+. I paid dearly for that. Ouch.


----------



## Jim311 (Sep 18, 2009)

I hate riding when it's windy. I'll take out my mountain bike instead, or stay home. It seems like no matter what I've got a headwind going out AND coming back. It rarely works in my favor.


----------



## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

I don't get the wind issue.

Ride based on effort ( heart rate or power) and it doesn't matter into the wind or not, only thing that changes is the speed. 

The rest is mental IMO

Len


----------



## dcl10 (Jul 2, 2010)

I've ridden in gusts up to 60, which I figured out is my limit. Did 6 miles of that and just gave up. When your pedaling down a 9% grade and are only doing 13mph, well it's a little discouraging.


----------



## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

One could argue that everything in life is mental. Still, I think your opinion is in the minority, I would bet good money on it. 
I hate the wind but I do ride in it sometimes. A few days ago i headed out in a really crappy day into the wind as I figured I at least would get a nice tailwind for the reward. I get to my turnaround spot and the wind turned around with me. Damn! 
Had a couple spots of reprieve with only a side wind. I can handle wind or rain, I just don't do the 2 together if I can help it. Fortunately this doesn't happen too much.


Len J said:


> I don't get the wind issue.
> 
> Ride based on effort ( heart rate or power) and it doesn't matter into the wind or not, only thing that changes is the speed.
> 
> ...


----------



## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

martinrjensen said:


> One could argue that everything in life is mental. Still, I think your opinion is in the minority, I would bet good money on it.
> I hate the wind but I do ride in it sometimes. A few days ago i headed out in a really crappy day into the wind as I figured I at least would get a nice tailwind for the reward. I get to my turnaround spot and the wind turned around with me. Damn!
> Had a couple spots of reprieve with only a side wind. I can handle wind or rain, I just don't do the 2 together if I can help it. Fortunately this doesn't happen too much.


Just because it's in the minority doesn't make it wrong.  

IME most people hate the wind because it's harder to go fast.......I get that, but to me it all comes down to effort and attitude I look at a headwind as a chance for some mental training.

If you start with "I hate wind" you are already beat. 

Len


----------



## GetReal (Jul 26, 2010)

Len J said:


> If you start with "I hate wind" you are already beat.



And there are alot of fair weather wimpy riders! Throw in some wind or a hill and they wuss. But yet there are still all of these "which light wheels" threads. There are plenty of good riders but far too many posers.:cryin: 

I don't understand it, a bike is built to ride, now go ride it!:thumbsup:


----------



## tfinator (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks for getting the discussion back to the original topic (I get it, I get it, Len J and GetReal are the only real cyclists on RBR). 
For me there is no cut-off as to when I won't ride because I dont want to, it just depends on how motivated I am that day and what kind of ride I'm looking for.
For safety sake, I dont think I would ride over 30MPH. At that point even cars are heavily affected, so I don't think it's worth the risk.


----------



## wibly wobly (Apr 23, 2009)

I wouldn't ride in this.


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

I timed a ride badly hoping to miss the wind storm, and got caught out in this:










It was a challenge. Fortunately, I had a triple, but still it was granny ring, big cog and hunkered down in the drops all the way home.

Would I go out in that? Only if I had to go to work, otherwise, no. But since riding in that I've never really worried about the wind.


----------



## vagabondcyclist (Apr 2, 2011)

tfinator said:


> For safety sake, I dont think I would ride over 30MPH. At that point even cars are heavily affected, so I don't think it's worth the risk.


For me it's a safety issue too. I live where it's flat and windy. The roads here are narrow too so if the wind is blowing me and then maybe also blowing the cars, things can get sketchy quick.


----------



## D. W. Davis (Feb 21, 2007)

*Wind*

Gusts this afternoon were 30+ mph, which made for a cool ride up my local 10-mile climb but proved spooky on the return trip downhill. For me, it's discomforting to encounter a gust when coming through a switchback or entering an open area. I was moved about five feet to the left on several occasions. I encountered one rider who had crashed in an "open area" switchback, and I also noticed descending riders were taking it uncommonly slow today. I'm uncommonly slow ever day, so I hope that didn't throw any one off their game.


----------



## eyezlee (Nov 28, 2009)

I live in NE Oklahoma and I didn't ride in the wind I'd never ride. This last 10 days have been crazy. Seems like 15+ each day with gusts 35-40. Most rides are planned to start out south bound into the prevailing wind. Its just something else to love about being outdoors.


----------



## killerRabbit (Mar 7, 2011)

Where I ride, strong headwind is but guaranteed. Ive long accepted it and actually like it because it makes me push myself even more. Its almost like a training partner.

Yes, i am crazy.


----------



## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

Technically I agree that you are 100% correct. 
It doesn't matter. You're still wrong. Nobody thinks that way.


Len J said:


> Just because it's in the minority doesn't make it wrong.
> 
> IME most people hate the wind because it's harder to go fast.......I get that, but to me it all comes down to effort and attitude I look at a headwind as a chance for some mental training.
> 
> ...


----------



## wgeorge111 (Nov 27, 2010)

I base it off of the Beaufort Wind Scale. If the wind is higher than a Beaufort Scale Force 8 I use my indoor trainer. Mainly for safety precautions.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html


----------



## GumbyN (Dec 6, 2010)

eyezlee said:


> I live in NE Oklahoma and I didn't ride in the wind I'd never ride. This last 10 days have been crazy. Seems like 15+ each day with gusts 35-40..


same for KC area. every ride i've been on this year has been 15+. *****ed about it, but i guess i'll just have to cope with it based on where i live.
i don't think i can plan a certain direction to start. where i rode today was essentially a head wind both directions. two days prior, it was a tailwind to start (coming from the north).
if it was consistent, i'd be able to plan it out better.


----------



## walrus (Jan 29, 2004)

When it blows me off the bike or knocks me down I look for a more protected route.


----------



## walrus (Jan 29, 2004)

When it blows me off the bike or knocks me down I look for a more protected route.


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

Rode a metric today. The trip out was directly into 22mph wind with gusts to 30. Didn't bother me, but the way back was nothing but Yeeehaw!


----------



## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

It's been windy here in Kansas a lot. I think it's going to be one of those years. It runs in cycles and last year had quite a few calm days, so I think I'm gonna be paying the price this year. 

The crosswinds were so bad today I couldn't hardly keep it on the road, but the workout went well and the trip back home at 30-38mph was fun.


----------



## bike_guy (Mar 26, 2002)

When it starts to affect, more than normal, people's ability to control their vehicles I'll modify my riding plans. And to a certain extent it depends if it's a sustained wind or is gusting. A car can be passing and giving a fair amount of space, but if a gust from the side hits it watch out. Whereas with a sustained wind they are "somewhat" more aware of it.


----------



## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

Jay Strongbow said:


> That's just plain f'd up.


Yup. So it's windy, if I didn't ride on a windy day then I wouldn't ride in the spring. It only bothers me in a strong gusty crosswind going down a hill. One 'yikes' moment the other day...


----------



## wgeorge111 (Nov 27, 2010)

I live in Florida where it is flat. Windy days provide me with simulated climbing


----------



## ronbo613 (Jan 19, 2009)

25-40 mph wind is a regular occurrence around here. Riding into that kind of wind is a real workout, but it's easy to know which routes you might want to avoid.
Since this is the Cascade Mountains, you don't notice the wind that much on the 18% grades. 
Wind isn't the problem, it's rain and snow; we are supposed to have all three today. Gotta get out there whenever you can.


----------



## psychorider (Nov 12, 2009)

I've done 40 mph gusts. It's not fun, but it's better than not riding. As long as visibility is not a problem (i.e. rain or fog) I'll still ride but may shorten the planned distance.


----------



## AlexCad5 (Jan 2, 2005)

Most people *generously* over estimate wind speed.
If the wind is howling under the eves, I generally stay inside. On windy days, I head for the Oakland hills where there is some protection from the trees.


----------



## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

It was windy on the commute today. Of course I was headed directly into it, and Monday is a two full pannier day. 

I go past the airport on the way to work, and according the NWS, winds at the airport at the time were from the west at 40, gusting to 51.

This is why my commuters have triples.


----------



## Love Commander (Aug 20, 2009)

I keep on clicking on this, hoping it's a fart thread.


----------



## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

BetweenRides said:


> It's a given in Chicagoland, only the direction changes. We use the wind as a factor for where to ride, always head out into it for a hard workout. Riding in a paceline lessens the damage and the return tailwind makes the ride home very nice. We have done group rides with winds up to 30-35 mph, although violent gusts or cross winds make it dangerous, in which case we might switch bikes and ride the trails with tree cover that cuts out most of the wind effect.


I am also in the Chicago area. My group generally likes to ride into the wind to start. Sunday was a beautiful day, with the exception of the 20+ headwind in our faces for the first 25 miles. But coming home was how I imagine Heaven is. In answer to the OP's question, I think each individual has his/her own threshold for wind, and mine depends on how I'm feeling that day.


----------



## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

yeah...it was a touch breezy in the upper midwest on Sunday!


----------



## Cygnus (Nov 26, 2004)

i agree with len. 

with the right attitude, the wind offers a hard slower-riding training ride, like a long sustained climb.


----------



## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

Id rather roll around in broken glass than ride in the wind! I get pretty sharp ear pain after about 5 minutes. Just not fun.


----------



## cyclesport45 (Dec 10, 2007)

psychorider said:


> It's not fun, but it's better than not riding. .


Yes. That, exactly.


----------



## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

TomH said:


> Id rather roll around in broken glass than ride in the wind! I get pretty sharp ear pain after about 5 minutes. Just not fun.


Try putting some lightly packed cotton in your ears.


----------



## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

I did hill repeats into the wind on Sunday. I was rewarded with a new PB top speed of 53.5 mph on the way down the hill thanks to the 15mph tail wind.  (first time over 50)

On a flat route wind is demoralizing. A strong gusty cross wind on a descent freaks me out.


----------



## kmunny19 (Aug 13, 2008)

Len J said:


> Ride based on effort ( heart rate or power) and it doesn't matter into the wind or not, only thing that changes is the speed.
> 
> 
> Len


I agree, and need to where I live. If I get the average HR I want over the alotted time, I met my goal. 

Its 20-25 mph windy here often enough that I only take note of it because of how much it surprises me that people who live here act like they're not used to it. I've lived here six years and am shocked that people who've lived here their whole lives still say "sure is windy out there" when its only 15 mph. 

If I didn't ride outside in wind, I wouldn't need a front wheel.


----------



## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

I rode 35 mi. today with a vicious 30mph, gusting to35mph wind from the N.E. Going into the wind was difficult to say the least. With quite a lot of effort I could get close to 15 mph, but only for a short time. 11-12 mph was the rule of the day.


----------



## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

I just hate it when you have to down-shift going down a good descent to maintain 15 mph!


----------

