Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Commuting
Reload this Page >

wind is the worst

Notices
Commuting Bicycle commuting is easier than you think, before you know it, you'll be hooked. Learn the tips, hints, equipment, safety requirements for safely riding your bike to work.

wind is the worst

Old 01-31-13, 03:11 PM
  #26  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
Crosswinds are when we fatties can make the skinny guys suffer.
caloso is offline  
Old 01-31-13, 03:30 PM
  #27  
Notso_fastLane
Senior Member
 
Notso_fastLane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Layton, UT
Posts: 1,606

Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 626 Post(s)
Liked 701 Times in 418 Posts
You don't need to tell me about wind. I lived in KS for 7 years.
Notso_fastLane is offline  
Old 01-31-13, 04:27 PM
  #28  
marqueemoon
or tarckeemoon, depending
 
marqueemoon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: the pesto of cities
Posts: 7,020

Bikes: Davidson Impulse, Merckx Titanium AX, Bruce Gordon Rock & Road, Cross Check custom build, On-One Il Pomino, Shawver Cycles cross, Zion 737, Mercian Vincitore, Brompton S1L, Charge Juicer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I hear complaining about the wind really helps.
marqueemoon is offline  
Old 01-31-13, 09:36 PM
  #29  
buzzman
----
 
buzzman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Becket, MA
Posts: 4,579
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 4 Posts
My 10.2 mile ride in to work today was like something out of the Wizard of Oz. I take the Dr. P. Dudley White bike path along the Charles and at a certain moment the wind came whipping down the river with a pelting rain that made me seriously wonder if I were in the middle of a tornado. Saw two other cyclists pulled over and literally huddling against buildings as I whipped by pushed hard by the wind. Tree branches were flying down in front of me and that was scary.

On the road home it was a steady grind into powerful wind of about 30 mph. There was a big tree down across the bike path about a mile from my home.

Fierce. Glad I survived it. And in retrospect really kind of fun!
buzzman is offline  
Old 01-31-13, 11:50 PM
  #30  
Bike Gremlin
Mostly harmless ™
 
Bike Gremlin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Novi Sad
Posts: 4,424

Bikes: Heavy, with friction shifters

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1105 Post(s)
Liked 213 Times in 127 Posts
Originally Posted by Doohickie
It's usually on the ride back that I get the headwinds. I've taken to tacking off the direct headwind direction, riding a few miles out of the way, then riding back across to my neighborhood with a crosswind, and completing with about a mile of wind at my back.
When going back (commuting from work), headwind is not a problem. I'm in no hurry. It is a nuisance, but not a problem. Winds can get pretty strong here, but not as strong as to stop you from riding - no hurricanes. Also, they tend to blow strong along Danube (river) bed, so no changing direction (i.e. getting headwind both ways!).

P.S. I hope these posts don't anger the wind gods and make us all regret!
Bike Gremlin is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 07:25 AM
  #31  
tarwheel 
Senior Member
 
tarwheel's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,900

Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts
Stiff wind out of the SW this morning and it's supposed to shift to the NW this afternoon, so I'll get the double-whammy -- headwinds both ways. The upside is that it's helping me burn more calories, which I need to do after gaining some weight over the holidays.
tarwheel is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 07:34 AM
  #32  
locolobo13 
Senior Member
 
locolobo13's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Phx, AZ
Posts: 2,108

Bikes: Trek Mtn Bike

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 280 Post(s)
Liked 2,601 Times in 930 Posts
The wind rarely gets over 5mph here. At least not during my commutes. Most of my commutes are less than 2mph winds. Of course I complain about the 2mph headwind.
locolobo13 is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 08:31 AM
  #33  
Ozonation
Senior Member
 
Ozonation's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,093

Bikes: Helix, Brompton, Rivendell, Salsa, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 43 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by phulin
Maybe it's my mindset, but I'm way more enthusiastic about inclement weather when it's my choice...
Yep... if the weather's not so great - blowing snow, drifts, etc. - it's time to take the fat bike out for a spin!

If, on the other hand, you were planning to ride into work today with all that "work stuff" you need to bring - and wind chill is -18C and wind gusts expected to peak at 50 km/h - ah, it's not so much fun...
Ozonation is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 10:27 AM
  #34  
Stealthammer
Still spinnin'.....
 
Stealthammer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Whitestown, IN
Posts: 1,208

Bikes: Fisher Opie freeride/urban assault MTB, Redline Monocog 29er MTB, Serrota T-Max Commuter, Klein Rascal SS, Salsa Campion Road bike, Pake Rum Runner FG/SS Road bike, Cannondale Synapse Road bike, Santana Arriva Road Tandem, and others....

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Yesterday I did a 20 mile loop to pick up a gyro from my favorite Middle Eastern deli, and the final leg was an 8 mile stretch into a 20+ mph headwind pushing a good amount of icy snow crystals (not flakes!), and by the time I got home I needed a warm shower before I could even eat the gyro. Yes the wind sucked, but the icy snow made it far worse.

Generally I just treat the wind as hills these days, because since moving to central Indiana I really miss climbs in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains of CA, so without the snow I would have just had a great ride.

Last edited by Stealthammer; 02-01-13 at 12:18 PM.
Stealthammer is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 10:39 AM
  #35  
Rick@OCRR
www.ocrebels.com
 
Rick@OCRR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Los Angeles area
Posts: 6,186

Bikes: Several bikes, Road, Mountain, Commute, etc.

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 2 Posts
I am fortunate (and I know it) since in the morning I have either no wind or a mild tail-wind; in the afternoons I almost always have a decent tail-wind (off the ocean) heading east as the wind comes out of the west.

Okay, there have been exceptions to the above rule, but fortunately not very often.

When riding RAGBRAI several years ago I saw someone wearing a T-Shirt with the message "The Wind Doesn't Blow, it Sucks!" I rode some brutal all-day-long headwinds crossing Iowa.

Rick / OCRR
Rick@OCRR is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 11:47 AM
  #36  
Gatorfreak
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 353
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Hills I can see and shift to the appropriate gear. Wind comes and goes with no warning so I can never get in the right gear. That's what bothers me most about it.
Gatorfreak is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 12:08 PM
  #37  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
I have often ridden 5 miles past my house into a headwind, just so I can turn around and finish with a sweet sweet tailwind. I am sure I am not alone.
caloso is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 05:28 PM
  #38  
turky lurkey
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 780

Bikes: 1986 Cannondale SR600, 1965 Schwinn Super Sport, 1973 Schwinn World Voyaguer, 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper, 1985 Specialized Rockhopper, 1988 Schwinn Traveler

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 4 Posts
Yesterday I had a head wind on my morning commute, the wind switched during the day and I had a head wind all the way home as well, that was a bummer. But wouldn't you know it, today made up for it. I had a light tail wind this morning, and a howling tail wind this afternoon. I was flying home!
turky lurkey is offline  
Old 02-01-13, 08:40 PM
  #39  
dramiscram
ouate de phoque
 
dramiscram's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: La Prairie, Qc, Canada
Posts: 1,781

Bikes: Bianchi, Nakamura,Opus

Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by caloso
I have often ridden 5 miles past my house into a headwind, just so I can turn around and finish with a sweet sweet tailwind. I am sure I am not alone.
The confession thread is on the roadcycling forum
dramiscram is offline  
Old 02-02-13, 07:20 PM
  #40  
spivonious
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Lancaster, PA, USA
Posts: 1,851

Bikes: 2012 Trek Allant, 2016 Bianchi Volpe Disc

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Rode home in a 30mph headwind on Friday on my Trek Allant (i.e. very upright position). Took me 30% longer and was not fun at all.
spivonious is offline  
Old 02-03-13, 10:03 AM
  #41  
scroca
commuter and barbarian
 
scroca's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Potomac, MT, USA
Posts: 2,494
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by caloso
I have often ridden 5 miles past my house into a headwind, just so I can turn around and finish with a sweet sweet tailwind. I am sure I am not alone.
Lucky for you, you don't have to count on me. Otherwise, you sir, would be very much alone.
scroca is offline  
Old 02-03-13, 10:07 AM
  #42  
scroca
commuter and barbarian
 
scroca's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Potomac, MT, USA
Posts: 2,494
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by cyccommute
... we get significant wind events all the time... Anything that isn't nailed down has already blown to Kansas. ...small women... aren't used to high winds...
Am I reading too much into your post, or are you suggesting that Kansas is a good place to go to meet small women?
scroca is offline  
Old 02-03-13, 11:05 AM
  #43  
cyccommute 
Mad bike riding scientist
 
cyccommute's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,274

Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones

Mentioned: 150 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6147 Post(s)
Liked 4,092 Times in 2,325 Posts
Originally Posted by scroca
Am I reading too much into your post, or are you suggesting that Kansas is a good place to go to meet small women?
Well not if they come with a house and red shoes. And you happen to be green
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!



cyccommute is offline  
Old 02-03-13, 11:21 AM
  #44  
daven1986
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 2,324
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Head winds I can deal with,it is cross winds that I hate and that can be pretty dangerous
daven1986 is offline  
Old 02-03-13, 02:58 PM
  #45  
Brian@PedalBIG
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 104
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Great thread.

I hate headwind, but cross-winds can get dicey sometimes, especially in heavy traffic. The only way that I can even remotely appreciate headwinds is when I pretend they are making me a stronger cyclist. Unfortunately, reality usually sets in pretty quickly and I just tend to hate the wind.
Brian@PedalBIG is offline  
Old 02-04-13, 07:23 AM
  #46  
tarwheel 
Senior Member
 
tarwheel's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 8,900

Bikes: Waterford RST-22, Bob Jackson World Tour, Ritchey Breakaway Cross, Soma Saga, De Bernardi SL, Specialized Sequoia

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 196 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts
Rode 52 miles yesterday with friends and it was very windy. Although the temperatures were fairly mild for winter (40s), I was cold the whole ride due to the wind, which was out of the NW. When I got home, I wasn't at all sweaty and my fingers were still cold -- after riding for 3:15 hours. On my 1-hour commute this morning, the temperature was a good 15 degrees colder, yet I sweated more because there was very little wind.
tarwheel is offline  
Old 02-06-13, 02:41 PM
  #47  
ItsJustMe
Señior Member
 
ItsJustMe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 13,749

Bikes: Windsor Fens, Giant Seek 0 (2014, Alfine 8 + discs)

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 446 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times in 7 Posts
Wind is a hill with no soul
-- unknown
__________________
Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.
ItsJustMe is offline  
Old 02-06-13, 03:08 PM
  #48  
BassNotBass
master of bottom licks
 
BassNotBass's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Lou-evil, Canned-Yucky USA
Posts: 2,211
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 111 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
If you encounter a headwind on your commute to work, there's no better reason to turn around and head home and have the wind at your back.
BassNotBass is offline  
Old 02-06-13, 06:19 PM
  #49  
arsprod 
Senior Member
 
arsprod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 2,043

Bikes: Fairdale Weekender Drop, Motobecane 29LTD, Cannondale H400, Basso Coral

Mentioned: 25 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 183 Post(s)
Liked 17 Times in 14 Posts
well, we can whine about something which we have no control or do what this enterprising young Guy did
__________________
I'm slow, go around
arsprod is offline  
Old 02-07-13, 12:37 AM
  #50  
DTG
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Portland, Or
Posts: 216
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 37 Post(s)
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
Little late to the thread but I feel your pain. If anyone lives in Portland and has ridden the bike path on Marine Drive then that's all I have to say. For a little more clarification for those that don't live here, well the winds coming out the Gorge can be intense. On a good day it'll be calm with a slight feel good breeze, other times you could be riding into 25-50 mph winds, just depends. I actually stopped taking that way to work and took other surface streets that were ten minutes out of the way just so I wouldn't have to ride in it.
DTG is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.