Cycling through lightning?
- Thread starter Sara_H
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
You will be fine. Just stop somewhere safe to shelter as it passes.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
Boris Bajic
Guest
My wife says a little lightening would do me no harm.
She makes no comment about lightning, but I fear her views would be similar.
I hope I have helped but fear I may not have.
She makes no comment about lightning, but I fear her views would be similar.
I hope I have helped but fear I may not have.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Buy a carbon fibre bike, it won't conduct electricity, however it might melt in the rain 
Seriously Sara, you'll be fine
Seriously Sara, you'll be fine
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
You are just suffering a little pre-tour nerves Sara_H, many people do, it's quite normal.
Don't give up, you will be fine.
Don't give up, you will be fine.
Buy a carbon fibre bike, it won't conduct electricity, however it might melt in the rain
Seriously Sara, you'll be fine
Quite a number of fishermen killed when their carbon fibre rods touch overhead power lines might just disagree about the non conductivity of carbon fibre.
From the afterlife ... ?
MrJamie
Oaf on a Bike
I read a while back not to shelter under trees, supposedly where theres not metal structures around they act like a big lightning rod attracting lightning and the lightning will arc from the tree through the person for a more conductive route to earth, id always thought it was just incase the tree fell on you! Im probably the worst person to offer advice only a few years ago having waited for storms for good winds to go power kiting 
If youve got a smartphone www.raintoday.co.uk is very useful for watching what the rains doing though
If youve got a smartphone www.raintoday.co.uk is very useful for watching what the rains doing though
Lightning doesn't have to strike you directly to cause an injury or fatality. It can strike the ground (or a nearby tree/object) and still cause a fatal shock. It would depend on the strength and proximity of the strike and on where and how you are standing.
When lightning hits the ground it dissipates very rapidly in a generally hemispherical shape and during this process sets up equipotential lines across the ground in the form of an electric field. If you happen to be standing in the 'wrong' position across these electric fields then you could conceivably be electrocuted.
I believe there have been recorded incidents where this has happened, to farm animals and people on playing fields.
Fortunately, I would think that the probability of such an occurrence is very very low indeed. You probably have more chance of winning the lottery jackpot.
When lightning hits the ground it dissipates very rapidly in a generally hemispherical shape and during this process sets up equipotential lines across the ground in the form of an electric field. If you happen to be standing in the 'wrong' position across these electric fields then you could conceivably be electrocuted.
I believe there have been recorded incidents where this has happened, to farm animals and people on playing fields.
Fortunately, I would think that the probability of such an occurrence is very very low indeed. You probably have more chance of winning the lottery jackpot.
Dragonwight
Guest
I would have thought the tyres would act as insulators thus providing no way to earth. Having said that the voltages involved are huge.
Dragonwight said:
Tyres wouldn't help very much from a direct strike and wet they would be even less help. I'm not sure but I think 20KV can arc across about 1cm of dry air so half a million volts should have no problem with bike tyres. Then again if you are near to a better conductor may be the tyres will help, who knows.
Your second sentence is they key. Air is also an insulator under normal conditions, but when faced with a zillion volts of thundercloud, it conducts as well as Simon Rattle. So 28mm of tyre won't make a jot of difference.
