How important is the weather for a ride?

[Globalti]

Okay much further east.

 

[Gravity Aided]

In the Midwestern U.S., the weather can get rather violent, so I have to watch for that.

 

[Bazzer]

For leisure rides, I'll not go out if it's hammering down, or more than a couple of inches of snow. With wind, it depends upon how my commutes have been. As someone who commutes predominately east to west in the morning, it is remarkable how many times the wind does a complete about turn for the ride home. And some weeks, even with a leisure route to minimise cycling in to the wind, I have had enough wind.

 

[dan_bo]

Okay much further south.

 

[Slick]

35 degrees here in den haag, oh how the other half lives.

 

[Ian H]

My last 600. It got worse over the subsequent 50k.

 

[HLaB]

The only thing that has really stopped me in the past is the threat of ice, although unless its been an organised ride rain has occasionally put me off too. In the future though my rides may be more weather dependent.

 

[Moodyman]

Went for a lunchtime run today. Made me realise why cycling is perfectly manageable in hot weather - Cooling effect of airflow.

 

[LarryDuff]

Good weather dies improve my enjoyment of a ride but it has to really bad or dangerous to stop me going out.

 

[nickyboy]

For hilly rides.....no ice, no gales, no hot weather. Everything else is ok
For flat rides I'm ok in hot weather

My mate just did the Etape de Tour. At the base of the big climb it was 39 degrees. I can't imagine worse conditions than that. Ideal temp for a hilly ride for me is about 14 degrees

 

[Slick]

Serves him/her right.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I go out for a ride and the weather runs away scared.

 

[Jenkins]

As I cycle commute in all weathers, I'm more choosey about leisure rides. Heavy rain is a no go unless I'm going stir crazy indoors, while heavy wind/heat/cold just make me plan the route & distance a little more carefully, especially as the last 8-10 miles homeward of any ride are in a rougly south or south east direction thanks to living near the coast and batween the Orwell & Deben rivers.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Cycling is supposed to be fun, right? So why go out in a howling wind, or in heavy rain, or when the midday sun is going to frazzle you? I don't commute, and I'm not a masochist. I don't set hard mileage targets, and I'm not interested in pre-planned club type riding. For me, cycling is a casual activity which I try to do when I am going to get the most enjoyment out of the ride. I always check the weather forecast religiously every day, and try to pick the days with the most benign riding conditions. If, say, a Saturday is forecast to be windy and/or wet, but the Sunday calmer, I'll often give the cycling a miss on Saturday and go out Sunday instead. If the wind is blowing West-East, I'll try to ride a North-South route as much as possible so I'm not battling headwinds. If the temperatures are high or the sun is strong, I'll go out earlier in the day before it gets too hot, or in the last hour of daylight in the evening before it gets dark and the sun is setting.
Didn't ride today, and won't be riding over the next couple of days heatwave either, except maybe down the pub after dark.

 

[PaulSB]

I don't set off if it's actually raining at start time but other than that I'll ride in any conditions except when there is a danger of ice.

As a retiree I do enjoy the luxury of picking the days when I ride.

I'm intrigued by those who plan a ride to enjoy a tailwind on the way home. Great idea but getting it to work is very rare in my experience.