Windy

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
whoof
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Re: Windy - how fast?

Post by whoof »

LittleGreyCat wrote:I wandered along to ask what was the upper limit people regarded as too windy to go out for a ride.

On the East Coast they are saying around 30 mph gusting to 50 mph for tomorrow. That is too high for me.

For context I was walking in Liverpool on Sunday and I was almost being blown backwards at times. When You are leaning into the wind and pushing just to stay in the same place it doesn't encourage leisure cycling.

Hardcore cyclists presumably go out in anything and just head butt falling trees out of the way.
The prospect of being hit side on by a 50 mph gust is enough to persuade me to leave the bike at home.


It's definately the gusts that do it for me. Riding into a constant strong head-wind is a pain but I don't find it dangerous. A sudden side gust can move your road position quite a bit. If someone in a car is then overtaking and they don't give you much room it's not going to end well. I've ridden today I probably won't tomorrow.

I've known a couple of people blown over at the corner below. It's right next to the sea. As you go into it the wind is blowing form your left and if it's really strong you tend to lean into it. As you start going around the corner the wind bounces off the end wall of the pub on the right and the direction changes really quickly. If you're already leaning it's easy to end up on the ground.
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Pastychomper
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Re: Windy

Post by Pastychomper »

My cut-off is 40mph for gusts, as forecast by the Met Office. Not trying to plug them but I find different forecasts give much the same predictions, but with a few mph either added or subtracted depending on the source.

The exposed mile of road near w*rk gets unpleasant to scary at higher wind speeds.
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foxyrider
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Re: Windy

Post by foxyrider »

It takes quite a bit to deter me from riding, high gusty winds are certainly on that list. It's the gusts that are usually the danger rather than just strong wind and given that most of my rides from home are quite exposed I find myself adjusting to the weather regularly.

I have been out when you could barely stand up, not fun at all. I usually use a weather site and a visual of how bent the trees are to determine whether it's safe. No idea what that is in wind speed.
Convention? what's that then?
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CliveyT
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Re: Windy

Post by CliveyT »

I take a different route on my commute when it's windy and I've been doing it for long enough now that I know, even in the dark, where I'm going to be more exposed (open gateways etc). Even then strong winds from an odd direction can still catch me out. We have so few really strong northerlies I'd be more nervous heading out into that than I was today. Even then it was still quite entertaining. They've put up a lot of tall buildings on the Addenbrookes hospital site in Cambridge recently and I was getting a lot of reflection off of them.
Greystoke
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Re: Windy

Post by Greystoke »

This is my 3rd day cycle commuting into really strong headwinds/cross winds in Lincolnshire.
It's no fun, the trees & hedges don't offer protection this time of year.
geocycle
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Re: Windy

Post by geocycle »

Greystoke wrote:This is my 3rd day cycle commuting into really strong headwinds/cross winds in Lincolnshire.
It's no fun, the trees & hedges don't offer protection this time of year.


I'm in the car again today, horrendous in the NW. Did see a few brave souls on bikes but not worth the risk for me. Looking better next week.
rjb
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Re: Windy

Post by rjb »

rjb wrote:No problem with our tandem ride down here in Somerset today. Wednesday looks interesting but we are still planning a short ride. :D


50 mph gusts here today but we managed a 24 mile round trip to the cafe. The tandem is a quite stable in windy conditions, must be the all up weight keeping it from getting blown around, and the anticipation of reading the road ahead to identify problem areas. :mrgreen: Only saw 2 other cyclists an ex Olympic GB track rider and his son, they weren't fazed by the conditions either. At least it's not raining today. More wind and rain forecast now for tomorrow and Friday down here. :(
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NUKe
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Re: Windy - how fast?

Post by NUKe »

I think we are in the same place from Previous posts, rode yesterday and today. quite blustery riding to work at Martlesham this morning hoping the direction doesn't change before the return journey. This morning was worse than yesterday, Found myself correcting a couple of time s for the wind gust.
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whoof
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Re: Windy

Post by whoof »

In Bristol it actually felt like it was less windy today than yesterday, it's forecast to die down a bit for the return journey.
Greystoke
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Re: Windy

Post by Greystoke »

This morning 6am standing on the pedals, low gear, head down, 4mph :shock:
4pm going home same stretch of road top gear, legs like cartoon legs, briefly 32.4mph :D
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foxyrider
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Re: Windy

Post by foxyrider »

Well I decided to not go out today, a baseline wind speed of @40kph didn't seem too bad, it was the gusts of up to double that put the nail in. It's a bit frustrating as otherwise it's been a fair day, mostly dry and even sunny. However the trees have been bending well and the howling around the building almost continuous.

Forecast for tomorrow is more of the same hereabouts so it'll be calmer but wetter Saturday before I get out.

The last time I was deterred by weather was snow a year ago!
Convention? what's that then?
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londoncommuter0000
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Re: Windy

Post by londoncommuter0000 »

Greystoke wrote:This morning 6am standing on the pedals, low gear, head down, 4mph :shock:
4pm going home same stretch of road top gear, legs like cartoon legs, briefly 32.4mph :D


That's impossible. Everyone knows that a headwind when you go into work, will have reversed direction by 180° when you go home. :lol:
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puffin
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Re: Windy

Post by puffin »

Tee hee hee. I finished a LEJOG last summer during storm Hector. Downwind from Bettyhill to Lands End. Tee hee hee. And I have big ears so they helped out as sails. Got into JOG so early the surly hotelier said I was an hour early to check in so sent me away. Didn't matter, went for a coffee.
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Cugel
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Re: Windy

Post by Cugel »

londoncommuter0000 wrote:
Greystoke wrote:This morning 6am standing on the pedals, low gear, head down, 4mph :shock:
4pm going home same stretch of road top gear, legs like cartoon legs, briefly 32.4mph :D


That's impossible. Everyone knows that a headwind when you go into work, will have reversed direction by 180° when you go home. :lol:


In my 40s and early 50s I did a 50-60 round-trip commute across The Fylde in Lancashire - a large flat area between the rivers Lune & Ribble, exposed to the unfettered winds and also their frequent load of rain. It was a SW/NE journey (with wiggles) but there was often a NW wind, straight of the North Atlantic with only The Isle of Man in the way. This manifested as a constant headwind, both ways.... which was dispiriting.

The worst wind, though, was a stiff cold NEster - a headwind all the way home after a sometimes tedious & tiring long day. It was enjoyable in the way that all masochists take their enjoyment: it's nice when it stops. It was that and cutting mortise & tenon joints by hand that taught me how to persist, even when it seems better just to give up and cry. :-)

Cugel
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Brucey
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Re: Windy

Post by Brucey »

was riding along -on a bike path fortunately- in a fairly nonchalant fashion (er, might have been one handed, ahem) a couple of days ago and a gust caught me out. In order to stay on, I had to change course by about 45 degrees and found myself riding across the grass. The path was slightly elevated at this point, which probably strengthened the wind a bit. It is a long time since I've had that happen!

Into the teeth of that same wind, I found myself creeping along at about half the normal speed, using a gear that would normally be reserved for climbing 'quite steep hills'. Fine spring weather we are having..... :wink: :roll: :lol:

cheers
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