When do you consider it too windy to ride?

On the road, as long as its low traffic, I wouldn’t be too bothered. Probably would shy away from the aero wheels on a day like that. Ive been pushed clear across a lane before from a strong gust on 60mm wheels

For the MTB, I’d stay indoors. Ya know all those fun log-overs….windy days are how those are created, especially after rain. Chances of a tree falling on you are pretty slim, but I’m not interested in Mother Nature setting an example of me!

Living in Texas windy days are pretty common. I am generally fine with sustained up to about 15-20 mph although if winds are much above 10mph I will try my best to do a route with the wind at my back coming home. Like others I head for the MTB trails when winds are high.
Gusts are another thing. Once wind gusts get close to 30 mph I am out. I went on one ride last year where gust were 40 mph+ and I turned back for home pretty quick. It was dangerous - gusts were blowing me into another lane on the road and could not control the bike.

I’m happy enough to get out in the wind unless it’s dangerously strong or accompanied by heavy rain. It’s great training getting out and battling a strong wind. I like to plan my route around the weather unless it’s a very calm day. It’s always nice to finish the spin with a tailwind on your back.

I have only once decided not to ride my bike to work because I thought the wind was unsafe. I have ridden in 50 MPH gusts (I remember looking it up after the ride) and didn’t think it was unsafe.

The one time I decided it was unsafe I got about a mile before turning around and getting in my car. That one time is the time I was rear ended, totaling my car and putting me in a large amount of pain.

Up until recently I have considered wind to be more of a mental challenge than physical.

More recently, I chose to ride early on December 30th despite the high wind warnings locally. It was unusually warm due to the incoming weather early in the day so I left to ride at 8am. I was blown off the side of the road briefly on the flats, but I did not consider it dangerous at that point. I started up the canyon which often provides shelter, but in this case was funneling the wind. Several miles up I turned a corner and was quite literally blown off of the road. My only recourse was to sit on the ground with my bike flapping downwind like a kite. I had to backtrack by walking down the canyon (more of a run since the wind was pushing my so hard) and then carefully descended back to the flats. By the time I got to the bottom of the canyon I had a few messages from friends going to ride Marshall, and that of course was the start of a catastrophic fire that destroyed over 1000 structures. Winds were gusting over 100mph. Clearly in retrospect, I should have stayed on the trainer that day.

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My old block of flats on to the river Forth sea estuary was a bit like that. It and the block opposite channel the wind. I forget the exact distance but after a bit you get to a converted rail line that’s now a shared foot/cycle path which usually means you can get into the centre of Edinburgh no matter what the weather. One morning though I wheeled the heavy hybrid (35lbs +) out of the vestibule only to have it picked up like a kite and only being stopped from completely flying off by me pulling it back down by the handlebars. At which point I decided it was too windy to cycle.

Thanks all for your replies. It’s not the sustained wind speed that concerns me, 12mph is bothersome but not a big deal. It’s the now 30-40mph gusts that concern me.

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20mph sustained winds are my limit…not necessarily for safety reasons, just the mental grind. Anything above that, I’ll ride inside or on the gravel trail.

I still ride my normal ~60mm deep rims, regardless.

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Grew up KS… avg wind speed in August can be nearly 20 mph. We’d often ride out and back as wind direction was generally stable. I remember lots of rides, all Cat 1-2-3, averaging 10mph out and 37mph or so back. But a few times we just car shuttled. Amazing to go 70mi in 2 hrs and to literally sail up hills in the big ring, sitting up to get the benefit of a strong tailwind.

Variable, gusty side winds are the worst to manage and experience, especially if there is a bunch of wind borne sand or dirt. That can be painful.

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Never lol. I will ride in any wind. The only thing that keeps me inside on a planned outside ride in precipitation during a too cold day or uncleared roads from snow.

You will have no issues with getting blown around if you actually want to ride outside tomorrow. Especially if you’re 100kg

Obviously there is an actual limit to wind when it becomes dangerous, but below a Gale, it’s very subjective.
What I want to note that is important to understand, is that if you live in an area that does not get a lot of wind, even if the wind comes and isn’t relatively that strong, it can kick up a lot of dust and blow branches into the road and make it really dangerous and hard to breathe or see. Here in Utah, in fall and spring when the plants are either drying or budding, there’s usually a lot of loose dust and old branches that, during a wind storm, get disrupted and make it really dangerous to go out in.

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I’ll usually start to question it when it’s around 20mph sustained or 30mph gusts. It kinda depends on how I’m feeling, what direction the wind is, and what ride I have planned. But I only have my stock shallow wheels and I weight like 180lb (83kg) so I don’t get thrown across the road much.

I’m heavy and ride a recumbent. But even so, I really just hate wind. I’ll often skip even at 10 mph, but don’t always remember to check. Of course these day I almost exclusively ride on the trainer, so can choose to go out only under perfect conditions.

Depends on the route. 20 gusting to 30kph is a pretty typical day here. Once you get to sustained winds greater than 30kph it’s not really fun anymore. 40 gusting to 60 I will avoid unless I have a somewhat sheltered route to go against the wind. That’s about the speed where gusts will push me around a bit on my 50mm deep winds.

:rofl:

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If you have deep section wheels change the front one for something shallower and you’ll be fine. That’s what I did on my last TT with 45mph gusts and I only weighed about 59kg then.

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It depends on the route. If you can find roads with a decent shoulder and low traffic, well I haven’t ridden in winds that have made me feel unsafe yet given adequate safety from traffic.

Since I do most of my work on the trainer, it’s actually the really windy days that I plan to go outside with my aero wheels and work on handling skills. I’ve got an industrial park near me that I love to do this in. After the working hours there’s very little traffic, and by riding loops I get hit in every direction. The buildings also create some intense gusts that come out of nowhere. The biggest danger I’ve encountered doing this has been blowing debris like large boxes that you have to be on the lookout for, but so far I’ve kept the rubber side down. (And of course you feel like a real bad ass!)

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Depends on the type of wind. I typically ride on rural, winding roads with no shoulders. If gusty conditions (let’s say 30mph+) are forecast, I’m staying inside. Having personally been hit by branches being blown from treetops and unexpectedly experiencing severe gusts after passing through a mountain pass, I stay away from gusty conditions. Steady wind is another matter, and I can deal with that, within reason.

When riding in crosswind I probably have more of an issue veering into the direction of the wind than getting directly pushed. I’m leaning very slightly against it and I usually have more of warning that a gust is starting than when it stops (obvious windbreaks aside, anyhow).

This. I consider 10mph “no wind”. Its never too windy to go out, but I 100% pick my routes based on direction. Always always always ride into the wind for the first half if its properly windy. Riding an hour with a 15 gust 25 at your back makes for a sad ride home. Doing a loop where you spend 75% of your time with it in your face or with gusty cross wind is no fun either.

Its an hour to anything like a hill and half a day drive to something like a mountain so intervals into the wind IS hill training around here. A 30mph wind can teach you to get aero real quick. You dont need a guy with a phd and a $10m wind tunnel, the part where you come to a dead stop when you sit up is a powerful teacher.

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