Serious question.

Tomorrow, the wind is supposed to be a pretty steady 40+mph here in Cardiff, and Mrs SR and I are considering relenting and actually giving the kids a lift to their various schools.

Normally, they all walk and I take my bike, but the wind speed may convince me to drive and give the kids a lift on the way.

How powerful does the wind have to be before either you refrain from riding, or consider it dangerous?

It wasn’t much fun commuting last Monday in London, getting blown all over the road – and that was about 30mph.

I’m going to give it a miss tomorrow as forecast is looking similar.

I got blown off my bike in Iceland. That was too windy.

40mph sounds like hard work heading into it, fun running with it and sketchy if it’s a cross wind.

Never too windy to ride. Maybe just take a little more consideration of where you ride. I have been on top of the local hills here, and its been windy enough to blow my glasses off my face. Its all fun.
Built up areas like Cardiff won`t be too bad.

If its forecast gusts of 40mph+ I give it a miss, no point in being blown out into the path of a car on the road or flattened by a shonky tree in the woods.

Commuting can get scary if you get blown into passing cars which don’t take any notice of you and the wind.last November I came back of a ride on Exmoor due to the fact it was blowing me of my Fat bike and have had a few really windy days in the peaks and just knock it on the head.
Just leave the bike alone for a day just not worth it.

Many years ago i tried to get to the top of skidaw, got to the rise before the true summit and had to lie down and crawl back dragging my bike so we never got blown away, that was to windy ! : )

I don’t like riding in anything nearing/over 30mph. Where I live on the coast I have the prevailing winds to consider, being on a peninsular and at the bottom end of it on the seafront, I always hit it coming home – I have no choice.
It’s quite demoralising having rattled around the Downs in the Morning, to be treated by a solid increase in wind at lunchtime, then have to peddle downhill to the seafront all the way home.

So whilst I can hide in the Hills, I can’t hide heading home. 😕

I don’t like riding in anything over 20+, I don’t mind the wind as such it’s the room drivers give you leaves no margin for error, same as rain, I don’t mind riding in it, but it seems to flip the idiot switch in most the drivers around here with the added bonus of reduced visibility it’s not for me.

SaxonRider – Member

Tomorrow, the wind is supposed to be a pretty steady 40+mph here in Cardiff

Who knows what tomorrow brings?
In a world, few hearts survive, All I know is the way I feel
When it’s real, I keep it alive
The road is long, there are mountains in our way, But we climb a step every day

HTH 😀

Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry on a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know, up where the clear winds blow?

Never too windy to ride. Maybe just take a little more consideration of where you ride. I have been on top of the local hills here, and its been windy enough to blow my glasses off my face. Its all fun.
Built up areas like Cardiff won`t be too bad.

Bollocks, there comes a point when you just get blown sideways into a ditch with very little say in the matter. There was a particular unpleasant ride on Iceland where this happened repeatedly, the sustained wind speed was bonkers. Also on Mull in a storm with gusts over 70mph.

Seriously though, I’m thinking of knocking the commute on the head tomorrow. Last Friday there were wheely bins, branches and roofing slates flying and its meant to be worse (Scotland) tomorrow and Tuesday. That and heavy side winds and riding in traffic give me the fear.

It all depends on the direction of the wind. If you ride in a straight line with the wind on your back or face you’ll be fine. Any cross wind or tall buildings on your route in anything above 30mph find your trainers.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qgjyqibwY[/video]

This looks too windy for me

I would say these 40mph+ winds are too strong for riding in the road on – you know how lousy UK drivers are anyway, there’s no way enough people have the wisdom or skill or even the expectation, to deal with a cyclist getting shoved sideways by the wind. No doubt if you get a close pass and the wind takes you into the car, they’ll start shouting at you rather than actually understanding the situation.

Mind you, I rode to work last week in 40mph + winds and it was fine – but I live in Milton Keynes and the cycle network here is a) largely sheltered and b) often below road level, so it really wasn’t that bad. Especially the last half mile when I was coasting at 20mph with the wind behind me :-). Less fun on the way home, mind!

Anyway, get your wife to drop you downwind from home and getting smashing those strava kom’s

Never too windy to ride

is, as has been said

Bollocks

unless by

Maybe just take a little more consideration of where you ride

you mean, not on-road?

I commute year-round but I gave it a miss on the 2 days this last week where we were forecast 45mph winds. I’ve been blown 3 feet sideways from a gust through a hedge break on my commute on a rural rat run, which could very easily have put me in front of or under something travelling too quickly to be able to react.

20+ is tedious hard work. 40+ is dangerous. And urban areas can be worse with buildings acting as wind tunnels as much as wind breaks.

It would need to be urgent to get me on a bike @20mph+.(unless it’s 100% in the woods 🙂 )

Been hit by a squirrel blown out of a tree and a chimney just missed my bike while I was in the house windy was almost too windy.

the other day had 45mph gusts which was tricky

.

If there is a weather warning for wind, it is too windy. Not too worried off road, but road rides, being blown into traffic, no thanks.

how do you post a youtube clip?

In the reply box click on Video and insert the youtube link.
Like this one of the wind and snow yesterday.
[video]https://youtu.be/p0jWMcC6ddE[/video]

I don’t think there’s any definitive answer. I do a lot of riding high up and exposed across the moors where 40mph winds are relatively normal. A straight headwind is a hard work, but manageable. It’s just like doing a long climb really. Tailwind is an absolute joy. But crosswinds, I hate them, and they begin to get pretty menacing at 40mph.

It’s not so much the winds, but the gusts. I certainly wouldn’t ride busy roads with gusts pushing me into the traffic. I’m lucky in most of the roads I ride are fairly desolate, but there are certain ones with powerful crosswinds where I spend as much time looking behind than I do forward, and I’m prepared to step off the bike and wait for traffic to pass if I see any!

Descending in cross winds is pure speed wobble mania in my own rigidly-fear-stricken experience. That’s no fun either.

But then you get back to low ground, and it’s fine… Until you pass a gate.

Overall, I think every ride needs to be judged on its own merits.

Once it gets up to around 70mph mind….no fun at all, and getting anywhere becomes near impossible. You spend more time with your feet on the ground trying to stay upright.

Copy and paste the url into the ‘Video’ tab below (next to ‘IMG’)

Like this one of the wind and snow yesterday.

Looks like Trident has made the gravity sideways

If any small branches on the trees in our garden are even moving, I aint going anywhere on a bike.

Never too windy to ride.

Bollix, ever been in the Yorkshire Dales in a 60mph Northerley? 😡

Tomd- Member

Bollocks, there comes a point when you just get blown sideways into a ditch with very little say in the matter. There was a particular unpleasant ride on Iceland where this happened repeatedly, the sustained wind speed was bonkers. Also on Mull in a storm with gusts over 70mph.
Seriously though, I’m thinking of knocking the commute on the head tomorrow. Last Friday there were wheely bins, branches and roofing slates flying and its meant to be worse (Scotland) tomorrow and Tuesday. That and heavy side winds and riding in traffic give me the fear.

Of course – some little princesses do not agree.

rode 100km into a steady 45km/hr headwind just after new year to find the ferry i had used a lot of energy to get to on time was cancelled due to high winds 🙁

I was blown off the road onto the pavement this morning, luckily not the other way into the traffic. Bit scary actually. The builders who witnessed it thought it was funny though. If it’s this windy in the evening I’m commuting via the pub/taxis.