What is your cutoff for riding (due to high winds)?

[berserk87]

We are having a lot of wind here today. I used to ride without much consideration for the wind. It becomes a real chore with gusty cross winds, so I don't do it so much anymore.

My personal cutoff is around 25mph, with steady winds. Beyond that or with gusty conditions (like today), I tend to bag it. I don't like it when a ride goes from a workout to a balancing act. I had a gust on one ride blow me into the opposite lane of traffic. There was nothing coming the opposite direction, but it did make me aware of the danger.

I was on a ride 2 weeks ago and the winds really kicked up while we were out. I checked the wind speed when I got home and winds were 30mph, gusting to over 40. That kinda sucked, but at least we avoided crosswinds by going straight into it, and turned back with the tailwind.

Today I am dying to go out for a ride, as much to keep my streak as anything. I have not been on the trainer yet this year. I need to hit a ride, but it's just too iffy out.

[Bwana]

Have a friend drive you up wind a few miles, then just cruise home on the wind. :cool:

[BobO]

http://www.playrific.com/images/media/poohpoemwindckennedy.jpg

[batman1425]

That's about my cutoff too. More than 20mph and I'm sticking to back roads/gravel where there is less traffic. More than 25mph+gusts and I'm on the trainer.

[Hilltopperny]

That's about my cutoff too. More than 20mph and I'm sticking to back roads/gravel where there is less traffic. More than 25mph+gusts and I'm on the trainer.

Same here. I'll ride the canalway trail or local seasonal roads in the woods when the winds are high and steady.

[Black Dog]

As long as the wind is constant and less than 40km/h no worries. It is the big gusts that knock folks of their bikes and that is where I draw the line.

[OtayBW]

As long as the wind is constant and less than 40km/h no worries. It is the big gusts that knock folks of their bikes and that is where I draw the line.
How much is that in Fahrenheit? :D

[Matthew]

Here on Lake Michigan it seems it's windy all the time! I will head out in 30mph. or less usually but anything gusting beyond that I will likely stay home. Or go out on the trails instead.

[Black Dog]

How much is that in Fahrenheit? :D

I think that it is about 7.5 pints/acre.

[BobO]

It is the big gusts that knock folks of their bikes and that is where I draw the line.

I got body slammed off the bike by a dust devil a couple of years ago. It came across a golf course so I didn't see it coming. Fortunately I landed on grass and only cracked my helmet.

[jruhlen1980]

Varies depending on temperature and my mood.

[OtayBW]

Varies depending on temperature and my mood.Yeah - I hear you. Anything more than 7.5 pints/acre and I'm done! ;)

[Seramount]

Have a friend drive you up wind a few miles, then just cruise home on the wind. :cool:

when I lived in far west TX, we'd do exactly that in spring when the winds tend to howl relentlessly...

ride with a stiff tailwind and arrange for the GF to drive our route a while later. when she caught us, the ride was over...load the bikes up and drive home.

was fun seeing how many miles we could cover before she reeled us in. 75+ was pretty typical...

[Black Dog]

Yeah - I hear you. Anything more than 7.5 pints/acre and I'm done! ;)

For my metric brethren that would be 19 decilitres/hectare. ❄️

[marciero]

Will know tomorrow. Expected 20 mph with gusts 40 mph.

[godfrey1112000]

20 mph, with sun shine under 55
Cloudy 10-15mph, I am down on the rowing machine for 50 minutes

Summer is usually never a problem the wind isnt blowing that hard at 6am

[weisan]

Was out riding earlier today with my 13-yr-old on our tandem. I don't know what the wind speed was but we had the tailwind on our way back and were going 28.5, yet we still didn't quite feel the wind in our face so I am guessing it's probably in 30+ mph range.

If not because my son and I had agreed to go for a ride (and he seldom does these days) a week ago, I wouldn't have stepped out of the house at all. :D

When we got home, my son said, "hey dad, that was FUN!"

[berserk87]

The forecast called to the wind to die down by tonight. It's actually picked up to a sustained 36mph. For our Canadian friends, that's 57.9kph.

Headwind riding doesn't bother me so much. If there is a steady headwind, I will just ride slower. The cross winds are the worst though.

[simplemind]

The cross winds are the worst though.

Yeah, that kills it for me too.I ride in the mountains in the summer, and you get terrific side wind gusts that are pretty scary, especially in a fast descent. :(

[Tickdoc]

18-20 happens around here more often than not. It sucks, but the ride back is sweeeet.

[djg21]

That's about my cutoff too. More than 20mph and I'm sticking to back roads/gravel where there is less traffic. More than 25mph+gusts and I'm on the trainer.

When it's that windy, I prefer to be on my MTB in woods that are more sheltered.

[bikinchris]

It depends on the direction of the ride. Into and out behind rides are not so hard. I have done those above 35mph when I was younger and I was in training. It's the only hills we have. If it's cross winds I would like to keep it below 25mph.

[rccardr]

We get 20-25 with some regularity here in VA, especially in th spring. But in Palm Springs in January and February (where we go to escape the ugly stuff here) it's not that unusual to see 45, especially up near the pass.

A good headwind can be kinda like a steep hill on level ground...

[johnmdesigner]

Are we so devoid of things to talk about here that we are actually talking about wind?
Do you really get up in the morning and look at the computer and say “gee, it says 25 mph but if it said 26 mph I would stay home?”
I went for a ride in Holland once. It was really windy. I got blown into a canal and got a mouthful of cow **** water and a month long eye infection. I cried like a baby. When I got over my infection I went for a ride again. It was still windy.

[jlwdm]

In Arizona I would not ride in 20 mph winds, but it was not windy often. In Texas you have to ride in 20-30 mph winds or you would miss too many days.

Jeff

[zap]

I get a little concerned when bigger tree limbs start coming down. I will also be more selective with whom I paceline with.

[unterhausen]

a few years back, I went out into 25mph winds for a 60 mile ride. A ride that long around here is straight down a valley and straight back another. So it's pretty common that the winds are amplified, and there were a lot of times where I was just stomping into a wind barely moving. Took me many hours to get to the turnaround. It was cold and I ran out of food before I got there. I didn't know where to get any food. I was bonked pretty badly. A sane person would have made the call of shame, but there was no way I was going to waste that tailwind.

Ride back was a lot of fun. A lot of hills that are normally a slog were really easy. I just coasted with the wind on the last hill before my house. It's not steep, but it's enough of a hill that it's normally the last hurdle for a ride. Would have been nicer if I had more food, but it was worth it.

Sometime in the next year, I dnf'd a 200km brevet that featured gusts up to 50mph. Near Lancaster, that isn't any fun. I made it a little over 75 miles before I gave out. There are roads on that ride that I remember taking me a half hour to complete that take 5 minutes on a normal day

[chiasticon]

when I lived in far west TX, we'd do exactly that in spring when the winds tend to howl relentlessly...

ride with a stiff tailwind and arrange for the GF to drive our route a while later. when she caught us, the ride was over...load the bikes up and drive home.

was fun seeing how many miles we could cover before she reeled us in. 75+ was pretty typical...if you found a woman that would follow a 75+ mile route just to find you and your buddies and pick you up because it was windy, please tell me you married her. :eek:

around here, 18mph or so is pretty typical. once it's sustained 30ish we'll get a wind advisory (and usually much stronger gusts will come with that). usually that's my cue to analyze whether the ride is worth doing or not. typically, those just happen in the spring, so it's usually not a huge issue to just re-plan my riding for the week.

[berserk87]

Are we so devoid of things to talk about here that we are actually talking about wind?
Do you really get up in the morning and look at the computer and say “gee, it says 25 mph but if it said 26 mph I would stay home?”
I went for a ride in Holland once. It was really windy. I got blown into a canal and got a mouthful of cow **** water and a month long eye infection. I cried like a baby. When I got over my infection I went for a ride again. It was still windy.

To answer your first question: yes. But one could say that about any of the topics here (handlebar tape color selection, water bottle cage weight). Why are you picking on wind?

Your second question is so inane that it does not deserve a response. If you don't like the topic or think it's beneath you, move on to one that scratches your itch. It's a discussion forum. Discussion is the point. Trying to belittle a discussion thread is rude. My question to you is: why don't you have the self-control to just ignore a discussion you don't like, instead of insulting others?

[19wisconsin64]

High winds make it too difficult to ride around NYC, but 15 to 20 mph winds aren't too bad.

Back in the day I used to ride my bike in the flat parts and rolling hills parts of Southeastern Wisconsin. Sometimes I'd be gone for an hour in one direction and then a serious wind would pick up and it would take me about 2 hours plus to get back. Honestly, I bailed several times when that happened and got rides from local folks driving by who had pickup trucks.

You know you are in trouble when you are in your easiest gear and you are having trouble both moving forward and keeping balance.

[shovelhd]

I'll ride in just about anything, but be careful when racing in high winds. The last time I did it cost me a shattered collarbone, two broken ribs, and a punctured lung. The wind just took out the guy in front of me. I never saw it coming.