How much wind is too much wind?

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Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Several of my loops involve riding up and down the North East coast.

As a general rule, if there is a headwind, it will be on the way back down.

The question is how much wind is too much wind to venture out?

I suspect like many of us, I usually check the BBC website.

Up to 10mph can be safely ignored, but after that things get more tricky.

About 12mph is OK, but if the Beeb is saying 15mph or more, I'm reluctant to ride.

How do you judge wind before going out?
 

Torvi

mr poopmechanic
Location
Wellingborough
up to 28mph is rideable i once ventured out with 35mph it was not only very tough to ride then but i also stumbled on a fallen tree that time so think about safety :smile:
 

classic33

Leg End Member
I'd bother as much about where I'd be riding as the actual windspeed.
Buildings can channel it at you as well as shielding you from it. Which could prove awkward at junctions.

"Tornado Alley" in Leeds has had wind speeds of over 100mph.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
I suspect it's just a matter of how much you are prepared to suffer. I tend to avoid that stuff. I've ridden up the LF1 from Hoek van Holland to Zandvoort a few times on the way to Amsterdam with a couple of panniers on the back. It's about 30 or 40 miles through the dunes with the grey North Sea over your left shoulder and a hateful, relentless headwind right in your face all the way. I wouldn't choose that at home because I'm not a masochist, but if you have a destination that you wish to get to, it could be worth it. At Zandvoort, you take a sharp right turn and the wind is on your left elbow all the way for the next 25 miles. Absolute luxury!
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I don't just look at the wind speed but also the predicted gust speed. For me I think it's unsafe when it's gusting over 45 mph, that's not to say that I won't do it, just makes me consider how idiotic I might be, especially as I hate cycling in the wind.

I wouldn't go out for fun if it was windy but I would commute.
 

DanZac

Senior Member
Location
Basingstoke
This year pretty much every day seems to be too windy, it deffinatly seems worse than normal. Like others its the gusts and direction that decides it for me. A strong headwind is just a sufferfest but gusts from the side and theres a risk of getting blown into the traffic.
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
Under 10 mph isn't a wind, 10-15 is a bit breezy, any thing above that is a wind.
Living to the west of Cambridge I get it going home most evenings. Tonight is forecast at 18mph....:sad:
 

annedonnelly

Girl from the North Country
Since I started commuting I've gone out in much stronger winds than I would've previously. Sometimes what the BBC are predicting as 30+ mph. Usually the wind is from the west which means a head wind as I go uphill in the mornings. Luckily I'm on cycle paths so I don't need to cope with traffic at the same time as slogging up the hill.

I spend the day looking forward to a tail wind home :smile:
 

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
I once had to cycle back from work in 27mph. Luckily it was a tail wind and I got home 10 min early!

Gusty weather is worse. Generality I can't be arsed if it's more than 15 mph, although I'll do 18 if necessary but over that I don't bother unless I'm already out. Anything over 23 I'm scrounging a lift unless its a tail wind which is rare
 

Mugshot

Cracking a solo.
Without wishing to sound as if I'm waving any of my appendages if I didn't go out in some of the wind speeds mentioned above I'd almost never go out. I can only think of once in the last 4 years or so when I haven't ridden due to the wind, that was gusting to around 80mph with torrential rain too, as I was in work and my wife was there with the van I took the option of chucking the bike in the back, however if it had been in the morning coming to work then I would have ridden. I may choose routes more carefully and seek out some with a bit of shelter if it's really blowing but that's about it.
You know when it's proper windy when you have to pedal hard just to keep going down hills which you'd normally freewheel down at 30mph+
As somebody mentioned above, there doesn't seem to have been any let up this year, this morning blowing westerly at 22.5mph and gusting to 27mph feels pretty much like the norm.
 
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ScotiaLass

Guru
Location
Middle Earth
Several of my loops involve riding up and down the North East coast.

As a general rule, if there is a headwind, it will be on the way back down.

The question is how much wind is too much wind to venture out?

I suspect like many of us, I usually check the BBC website.

Up to 10mph can be safely ignored, but after that things get more tricky.

About 12mph is OK, but if the Beeb is saying 15mph or more, I'm reluctant to ride.

How do you judge wind before going out?
Exactly the same as you.
10mph, I won't think twice
15 mph, it depends.
Anything over that and I generally won't go out
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
I don't have any other vehicles so I've always had to cycle. I did choose a heftier bike (Raleigh Outlander MTB) when it's windy though.(it doesn't really affect the trike, I just use the electric assist more)
 
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