hefeweizen

TiHabanero's thread on "indoor riding about to start" got me thinking about wind speed.
What wind speed does it take to put you on your indoor trainer?

Morning temps are good now. But by 11 am the wind has been hitting 15 mph. That is ok for the loop that I ride but I'm not doing an out and back to my friends house. That would mean the way home against the wind.

tcs

Recreational riding on a loop ride or out and back the wind is like a climb (yeah, yeah, without the bragging rights, I get that). Having grown up on the Great Plains the wind is what it is, although wind chill in cold temperatures is not to be trifled with.

If the wind is a real problem in one's chosen geographical location, reduce frontal area and apply the science of 'wind speed gradient':

caloso

30 mph. 15 is the standard daily afternoon wind from the Delta around here.

hefeweizen

I don't think 15 mph wind is that bad. But with 50mm rims it can make things a bit crazy. Throw in some traffic and a gust can be deadly.

terrymorse 

A little wind won't stop me from riding. It's a good workout.

But if they're holding trucks over the passes, I'll stay indoors.

It can become dangerous when the wind really kicks up. More debris on the road, and trees fall. A local rider was killed by a tree on a very windy day.

big john

I used to hate the wind. As a non-aerodynamic rider, I have had lots of experiences with wind which have been memorable. I've become pretty good at fighting it and it has to be pretty bad to keep me from riding. Biker 395 is the expert here.

Biker395 

Lol ... not really. Ordinary winds, you just put your head down, get on the drops, and resign yourself to the fact that it's going to be a slog.

But I have been out there in some ridiculously windy conditions. The 2009 Furnace Creek 508 was the worst ... 80-100 miles of headwinds so bad, I got blown off the road. The Inyo Double a few years ago wasn't nearly as windy, but we had sand to deal with too. Steve M and Tony M put together a video ... fun stuff:

spelger

Not a fan of the wind but I do get a chuckle when I am getting tired struggling to pedal *down* a 4 or 5% grade.

gregf83 

I don't ride when they cancel the ferries which happens maybe once or twice a year. Otherwise, it's just an opportunity for a KOM

big john

Your writing about the 508 is what I was thinking about. Remember when we did Cruisin' the Conejo and people were walking their bikes on the flat ground because the wind was so strong?

big john

Done a bit of that! The other thing that happens is you crest a mountain and suddenly get blown up to 50mph on the descent. Super scary because you don't know if it's going to change to a crosswind.

mitchmellow62

I once lived on the open prairie where wind was the norm. If it was really high (I never kept track of the number) I would go out against it for as far as I could or had time for. It was a tremendous work out for the legs and the return home with the wind was truly magical (but so short in comparison). There were many times when I could have gone faster but ran out of gears. Now I'm in hillier country with more trees and the wind is not as much a factor. Oh, and yes, I'm older with less testosterone so I tend not to torture myself as much.

zacster

15mph wind is nothing. That's just a normal ride. 20, 25, 30 is getting strong.

I ride with a power meter and watch power more than speed now. When I have the wind at my back I'm disappointed that the power readings are way down. When I've drafted I've seen my power go down around 100 watts, and that too is a lot. Yea, it feels good to go fast, but you get your workout by expending watts, not going some arbitrary speed.

canklecat

Gotta be over 30 mph. Anything less is normal here.

I likethe normal headwind for training since we don't have any real long climbs.
And the tailwinds are fun.

Above 30 mph I worry about debris. Local construction crews are lax about securing stuff, so there's a risk of being struck by flying warning signs. Nobody wants to die being struck by a hazard warning sign. There's only just so much irony a person can tolerate.

I always avoid the treelined areas, especially the MUP, during and immediately after storms. Our "Live" Oaks are dying from blight. I've seen too many near misses from limbs and entire trees falling.

PaulH

I don't have a trainer and am not interested in expending energy on something that won't get me to work. There's no temperature too cold or hot to ride, but I'm sure there really are are wind limits. It's a good question. Up to 20 mph or so, it is a piece of cake, although headwinds are tiring. At 30, it's work staying on line. Somewhere over 40, I think one finds the limit of controllability. I recall coming home from work as Hurricane Isabel approached. Gusts were reported as over 40, but my route home was shielded by trees and buildings so it was OK. I think European transportation bikes, particularly Dutch, are much better for this than American-style sporty bikes.

rumrunn6

as much as I like riding in storms, I'd rather avoid falling trees. so if a "wind storm" is predicted, I'll stay in, but then I might go out the next day







I knew I would find this one

_ForceD_

For me, as strictly a road cyclist, the wind strength, and direction, is really more a matter of the direction in which I start my ride. whether it's and out-and-back course, or a loop/circuit, I usually try to ride so that I go OUT against the wind, and back home with the wind at my back. That's especaially in the winter.

Dan

zacster

I should have done that yesterday. I felt like Superman on the way out, cruising at a high speed. Then I turned around...

hefeweizen

This was crazy

BlazingPedals

I've ridden in 20-30 mph winds, no problem. Often in high-wind situations, it's not the wind that stops me but the other weather that's riding along WITH the wind.

zacster

I once started a century in the remnants of a hurricane. The wind was blowing like crazy and I should have just said fuggedahboudit. But I started, the rain started coming down in buckets within 5 minutes of starting, and then the bolt of lightning came down right where the tables were set up for the ride. I ducked under an awning at a diner on Manhattan's upper upper west side near the GWB, decided that a corn muffin was a good idea, and waited for the rain to let up just enough to get on the subway. When I sat down on the train the water squished out of my padded shorts. EWWWW.

OldsCOOL

Hurricane force?



(I dont have a trainer)

zacster

No, it was just the remnants of the hurricane. Maybe 20-30mph with an occasional gust.

mr_bill

Steady 30mph that afternoon, gusts to ~50mph.

Note the flags at the beginning and end of the clip. What caught me completely offguard was the wind blew down the facade of the Cathedral and turned UPWIND into the low pressure area behind the buildings across the street.


-mr. bill

bicyclridr4life

What indoor trainer?
I ride year round, in Idaho.
"Cold and windy"? That is why the gods invented snowmobile suits, muckluck boots, and snowmobile gloves so we can keep riding in less than ideal conditions.
They gave us adult trikes so we don't fall and break old bones or get squished by trucks and cars when the roads are snowy and icy.