Wind
 

How windy is too windy? I’m still trying to get into some kind of training and this time of year can get gusty. When do y’all just call it off?
This Friday wind will be 25-35mph here in N Texas.

I usually will not ride if the winds gusts above 30 mph.

Anything over 8-10 mph starts to ruin my day.

I prefer not to ride in anything over 20. Especially if it's a gusty wind. It's not much fun and can be a bit dangerous on the narrow country roads I have to ride.

I rode today for the first time in a while. It was windier than I like, but I was really needing the exercise. I'm south of you in Ellis county btw.
Just looking at the local ABC (channel 8) online weather forecast.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny and warmer. Winds: SE 5-15. High: 71.
FRIDAY: Partly cloudy, breezy, and warm. Winds: S 20-40. High: 76.

no one really likes wind, unless it it to your back. but if you are riding for exercise just ride into the wind so that the return trip is easier. i used to get demoralized when it was too windy but now it does not bother me since the end result is effectively the same. i find it funny that i have to pedal hard when descending sometimes. it actually puts a smile on my face now.

I've been caught out in extreme wind and kept going, but I think sustained 35mph or 60mph guests would keep me home. Lower numbers if I'm less motivated to begin with.

​​​​​​

Gusts 25+ are common around here as well, and that’s about the limit for me for road. A trail ride might be in order. This time of year the first warm weather is when the south wind really cranks up. There’s a nice downhill stretch I can make an attempt for a land speed record with a good south wind.

I tend to take the headwind first, or do a few laps of a shorter loop. Cross winds on narrow roads with no shoulder are super sketch, so I do think about route when the winds are strong.

On windy days, I plan my rides into the wind, grit my teeth, and know that the ride back will be easy. I’d rather ride on windy days than not ride at all, and unless trees are falling and trampolines are flying, I’ll probably be riding.

Too windy for me. Not only demoralizing, but dangerous having debris flying around.

And why is it that fighting an awful headwind seems never to be followed by a screaming tailwind? 10-mph outbound should be 30mph on the return. But it never is.

I'm good until the dust picks up, or I can't keep a line in a crosswind. Sandstorms are the worst. Got caught in one hiking the CDT outside of Deming, NM once. Tumbleweeds can do some damage.

For a pleasure ride, 20 mph is a reasonable limit. My 76 yo mentor's mantra is "The wind is my trainer. I shall not want."

RE: How windy is too windy?

Depends on your skill and your acceptance of the risks.
The biggest risk is being able to maintain control when the wind direction becomes cross since this can put you down.
I embrace the winds in the DFW area since it requires more power than the local terrain can offer, makes it more like hill climbing in areas that have mountians (CA, CO, UT, etc)
Riding up a DFW hill, maybe 10% for 1/2 mile, with a 25mph head wind provides this challenge. I can do this and embrace the challenge. Gusts and change of wind directions make it much more risky and increase your chance of being pushed over. This challenge should also help you learn to ride more aero in a low position. This kind of position also help with falling *better*.

For sure blown debris is a big risk to your vision.
Perhaps consider using goggles in these conditions.
Bigger shades in general help protect eyes better especially when there are lots of bugs out.
I hate getting bugs in my eyes when riding and carry eye drops incase needed.

I do not ride in wide open areas - generally city and suburbs. The local terrain shelters me from a lot of wind. I can see American flags up high blowing straight out but not feel that kind of wind blowing from that direction at street level. More reliable indicators for me are the leaves blowing, advertising flags, or the little flags the utilities companies stick in the ground to mark the lines. The forecast is also just a guide to potential wind. Sometimes the wind will seem to channel down a street.

That would be a hard no for me.

Guess I'm going to have to adjust. Seems like lately, it's almost always windy in our area. Had wind advisories the last couple of days. Don't like riding with 15mph wind, but think I'm going to just get used to it. What I find discouraging is that, no matter which direction I'm riding, it's always blowing towards me!

25 is close to the upper end of my comfort zone, 35 mph is above it.

There are really two things to worry about. First, as noted, is falling trees. The funny thing is how dependent on your location that can be. One place in a mountainous valley, tree limbs may start falling in a 20 mph wind. Near a windy coastline or ridge top, the trees see that kind of wind all the time, so it takes a 40 mph wind before limbs start coming down.

The second is how well you can handle your bike in the wind. You don't want to get blown out in front of traffic by an unexpected gust. I notice a crosswind gust around 10-15 mph higher than an ambient average, but it's usually 20-25 mph gust before I have trouble controlling my bike. Of course, that can happen when you come out of a road cut, or passing a large warehouse, even in a steady wind.

So like so many "how much is too much?" questions, the answer is, "how much is too much for you?"

Most of my routes have tall pines on both sides. You get use to the wind and gusts that blow through treeless sections that grab your front wheel. But only if you ride often enough in those conditions to get use to it.

Though for the parts where the wind is funneling down the road an my direction is directly into it, you just have to think of it much like you would climbing a hill. A lot of effort for the number of pedal strokes you have to make.

However on hot days, that's better than it being a tail wind and my ground speed cancels out the wind speed and I bake with seemingly no cooling breeze.

20 MPH or greater winds take the fun out of riding for me.

if I ride in the last hours of daylight, the wind is typically stronger when I start, so my tailwind on return isn’t as strong as my headwind outbound.

15mph headwind definitely pulls down the average speed even factoring the return trip, but in the Midwest, not riding when the wind is 15+ will rule out too many otherwise nice days.

When the temps start soaring, the wind feels good imo.

I used to ride a 200km RUSA ride straight south from San Angelo TX to Sonora TX and back. Pancake flat, typically with a south wind, and occasional brutal. Which made for a long southbound slog and borderline frightening northbound return. On the order of 6 hours/1.5 hour. It's a mental challenge. I would calculate how much air I would be moving through, and judge progress on air travel rather than ground travel. Mental games.

depends on how much I've been riding

if have been hitting it everyday for a while, might be a good day to take off

if have not been riding, have to get out in it

In flat land with little cover? Hard no for me, unless I am committed to do the ride.

It's a lot more tolerable if there are mountains or treed areas where you can get some cover. In those circumstances, I'd probably hit it.

For fun rides I opt out when the gusts are over 25mph.

For my 6-mile commute, I don't mind high winds when it's dry and the temperature is over 40. But if it's windy with rain or cold temps I drive.

I do not like wind unless it is at my back. I can usually deal with but My problem is when the wind continues to change direction. Just can’t get an into a pattern. But when it begins to hit high teens and twenty’s it then becomes a ride or no ride thought.
rdf37

I have no choice, I've always lived near the ocean and always have to deal with wind. I'm very use to riding in a 20+ mph headwind. If I set a limit, I'd never ride, since I'm a commuter.



.