cyberphat

Hi,

The forecast calls for strong wind tomorrow with gust up to 90Km/Hr (55MPH). Should I drive to work? How hard does the wind have to blow before you would find alternate mode of transportation?

Thanks,

katcorot

you on the west coast?

for me, with current wind warnings of 50-70km/h winds hasn't stopped me riding yet. only thing I've changed is leaving bit earlier to compensate the wind slowing me down.
Side winds moving you around especially in traffic isnt nice. So I stick solely to the MUP or quite streets.

crazyed27

I ride in whatever elements mother nature throws my way. It is what it is...just leave earlier than normal in bad conditions.

irclean

Strong headwind this morning. Just put my head down and grinded it out. Felt like riding uphill, but the cool November air was envigorating!

stevage

I find riding in strong wind fun, if anything. Take care though - 90kph is pretty fast, and all sorts of stuff can get blown at you.

crazyed27

If it is a tailwind that would be sweet!!!!!

RT

I loathe the wind, seems it is always in my face. I see it as a better workout, but would rather ride in hail than headwinds.

akohekohe

Well, I'm as tough as the next person and I've ridden in gale force winds but my commute goes along a route with a lot of trees and the last thing I want it to have a tree branch, or the whole tree, blow down on top of me. So, if I start seeing things blowing around I take the bus (pretty much my entire commute is on a bus route and the buses all have bicycle racks).

Aloha, - John

LesMcLuffAlot

A 55mph side wind could blow you dangerously offline. Your call.

I don't generally cuss, but when I ride alone into a gusting headwind I cuss non-stop.

cyclezealot

During those side gusts, I completely agree. You think you are about to loose it.. I pretty much don't ride above 50 mph winds.. But, sometimes it's happened that winds grew stronger mid -ride..
Once I even had to walk the bike about 2 miles, to get home; since it felt so dangerous.

FreddyV

I'm out of money at the moment, so I don't really have a choice

Totaled108

I'm in Portland, we have had some good winds in the last few days, and some more to come. Its gusting to 33mph, that is hard enough, it is kind of fun, for a little while. That was 90% head winds, it was about 20mph side winds, and I wouldn't want to ride in 50mph side winds, or head winds. Though is would be fun to try one day on a MUP.

Best times in the wind are when I look at the computer and it read 27-30mph, and I'm pedaling like I'm cruising at 17mph, love the tail winds. I just have to remember to brake sooner before a turn.

daven1986

If there is a lot of side wind then I take the lane. Doesn't matter if I am only going at 10mph. Don't want to risk being blown into the side / path of a car.

Take care.

K'Tesh

I'm also in the Portland Oregon Metro area...

I had a wonderful ride on Monday night... 50mph tailwind blowing me home!!!

Headwinds are another story... Cycle Jefferson (Oregon) 2009, day one, had us climb out of Medford up to the Siskiyou summit, and down into southern Jefferson State (Yes, there is a Jefferson State... I should know, I'm a NATIVE of Jefferson State). The whole way into Yreka was into a 31+ steady headwind with gusts. I made it all but the last 7 miles (which was caused by a problem with the Glycos(sp?) drink that we were given on the lunch stop). We were often going into headwinds on that trip, but I managed to ride each day, completing the legs and pulling off 401 miles during the week.

If it's a headwind, plan on taking a lot longer than usual.

All the Best!
K'Tesh

CCrew

I've ridden in gusts to 60mph. No fun in it for me. That said, I'll ride in what Mother Nature throws my way, but doesn't mean I always like it.

-R

tarwheel 

I often commute on days when winds are gusting to 30-35 mph. However, I wouldn't ride in 50+ mph winds if I could help it. I don't think that would be safe.

Riding in windy weather is tough. A lot of my cycling friends just won't show up for group rides on windy days. However, with a decent paceline you can minimize the effects quite a bit. It is brutal riding solo or taking a pull on really windy days. One of the toughest rides I ever did was a bike tour in Wisconsin when we had to ride about 80 miles into a strong headwind on the final day.

KLW2

My commute is 25 miles each way so in winds that high, I drive. I've done it but I'm so wiped that it just isn't worth it. Especially on sub zero F. temps...no way.

rhm

I've ridden in some pretty wicked winds. It's the kind of thing that is total fun some of the time, and distinctly no fun some of the time, but when it's all over you remember it all as fun.

I don't let wind alone stop me from riding, but faced with the combination of hard rain and strong wind, well, I might decide to work from home that day.

xtrajack

When I was in the Army, a friend and I found our selves riding during a tornado. If we had known we were riding in a tornado we would have been scared silly.

Like a couple of others here, I ride in whatever weather is on the other side of the door.

chipcom 

Commuting isn't a pecker size contest. You do what feels the safest and most comfortable for you.

If anyone wants to worry about pecker size, whip it out, put it in my hand and I'll show you something you have never seen before...



...the other end

DogBoy

To me it depends on how much the wind is gusting. A stable wind can be compensated for, even if its coming from the side, but 50 mph is REALLY blowing. If there are any verticle eddies it could make you feel like it is picking you up and your probability of crashing will go up significantly. Personally, I wouldn't do it if I knew what I was getting into, but I rarely check the weather anymore, so I pretty much just ride in whatever is happening that day. Still, go get in your car, get up to 50 and then stick your arm out the window. THAT is some serious wind.

thdave

I've ridden in 35 mph winds before and enjoyed it. But it did feel a bit unsafe, because of the large trees all along my ride that were really blowing and all the debris that was falling. I doubt I'd ride in 50 mph winds.

Tundra_Man 

I live in South Dakota. We call 50+ mph winds "Tuesday."

But +1 on what Chipcom says. This isn't a contest. If you don't feel comfortable, don't ride.

cyccommute 

I got blasted by an 80 mph gust (headwind) once on the way to work. The boulders that kind of wind kicks up leave permanent scars

We regularly have winds in the 50 mph range. Sometimes a headwind, sometimes a tailwind. You just kind of deal with it. The nice thing about having high winds on a regular basis is that it weeds out the stuff that can blow around. Trees, roofs, trash cans, cars, small dog, etc. tend to get blown away so you don't have to worry too much about blowing debris.

YMMV Ride if you feel safe. Don't ride if you don't.

JimJimex

40mph is my absolute cut off point