Wind and weather in general tips?

setanta159

I love cycling and try get out everyday for an hour or two if I can. I'm not a lycra clad tecchie type (no offence to those who are) and ride a simple hybrid (GT Zum) which I use for commuting, shopping, going down the pub etc. I'm in my early 40s and have never felt as fit. Having lived overseas for many years I returned to Ireland in May 09. I cycled abroad so decided to continue with it here, enjoying almost every minute of it until this morning when the weather (and it's not particularly bad) just really got to me. To be honest since I've been home we have experienced one week of really good weather (1st week of June 09) but I've dealt with it and even enjoyed the exhilaration of being soaked, sweating and being out on the bike when most are indoors.
I don't know why but this morning the enjoyment just fizzled out, hopefully momentarily. I can take the rain and the temperatures but the almost ever constant wind just makes everything that little bit more difficult and depressing. Has anyone got tips on how they deal with this (probably mentally more than anything else)? I find myself watching the weather forecast all the time now and pay no attention to cloud cover, rain etc but always focus in on wind direction and speed:o. Anyone else got this particular habit?
Just needed a little rant. Feeling better now.....might go for a spin:P

tomasrojo

I usually pay more attention to the rain, but it's just because I really want to have one weekend sometime soon when I don't have to wash the bike.

The wind does detract from the enjoyment of cycling more than any other meteorological phenomenon does, you're right. (Except maybe heavy hail, which is painful. Though it can be quite exhilirating too.)

I suppose you have to make sure that you're appropriately dressed: e.g gloves and warm clothes if it's a cold wind. If you're in a strong headwind, put the bike into a low gear and treat it like a hill: just stoically keep up a reasonable cadence and forget about going fast.

Lumen

Buy a proper road bike, then you'll be less affected by headwinds and it'll be generally faster.

Also, the expense will make you feel guilty and you'll ride it more.

edit: then you can join a club, cycle in a group and share the misery fun

Beasty

Head-wind in the morning, on the way out (or into work) normally means a tail-wind on the way home - look forward to breaking records this evening:)

There was a thread in the autumn on the wind, when a few of us said how much we hated it, but also how it makes us stronger. The doom and gloom is hopefully temporary - there is usually something to be positive about just round the corner (hopefully that tail-wind referred to above)

PS - I always check the wind speed and direction, just to get my excuses lined up before I ride

Also get the lycra - it makes you feel faster

07Lapierre

setanta159 wrote: »

I love cycling and try get out everyday for an hour or two if I can. I'm not a lycra clad tecchie type (no offence to those who are) and ride a simple hybrid (GT Zum) which I use for commuting, shopping, going down the pub etc. I'm in my early 40s and have never felt as fit. Having lived overseas for many years I returned to Ireland in May 09. I cycled abroad so decided to continue with it here, enjoying almost every minute of it until this morning when the weather (and it's not particularly bad) just really got to me. To be honest since I've been home we have experienced one week of really good weather (1st week of June 09) but I've dealt with it and even enjoyed the exhilaration of being soaked, sweating and being out on the bike when most are indoors.
I don't know why but this morning the enjoyment just fizzled out, hopefully momentarily. I can take the rain and the temperatures but the almost ever constant wind just makes everything that little bit more difficult and depressing. Has anyone got tips on how they deal with this (probably mentally more than anything else)? I find myself watching the weather forecast all the time now and pay no attention to cloud cover, rain etc but always focus in on wind direction and speed:o. Anyone else got this particular habit?
Just needed a little rant. Feeling better now.....might go for a spin:P

Sounds like you need some "retail therapy"!. I think its time you became a "Lycra Tecchie" as you call us and get yourself a road bike. You should also think about joining a cycling club. The wind won't seem too bad when your in a group.

Jawgap

setanta159 wrote: »

I love cycling and try get out everyday for an hour or two if I can. I'm not YET a lycra clad tecchie type (no offence to those who are) and ride a simple hybrid (GT Zum) for the moment.......

I took the liberty of fixing your opening paragraph

I too hate the wind but as someone said here (Raam?) and Beasty just mentioned - headwinds are the chance to get strong!

I still hate the wind, but now I just think of the workout I'm getting. If cycling in calm weather makes you feel fit - what will a few spins in the wind do for you?

seamus

I think the sheer force of the wind is what makes it so disarming rather than the actual speed that you're travelling at.

What you need to consider in wind riding is that the amount of effort required is not directly proportional to the speed of the wind, it's exponential. That is, if you're riding into a 20km/h headwind at 20km/h, the amount of effort required to maintain the same speed in a 40km/h headwind is increased 4.5 times. That is, you'll have to work 4.5 times harder just to maintain your speed.

By the same token, maintaining dropping your speed to 15km/h (from 20) in a 40km/h headwind, requires only 30% of the power you would need @ 20km/h.

So the key to not letting wind get you down is exactly as tomasrojo says - drop your speed a little and shift into a gear that gives you good cadence. You'll be moving slower, but because it feels like less of a slog, it shouldn't be quite so disheartening.

And a road bike makes a massive difference to the wind. You really don't feel the wind quite so much, even when it's really heavy.

72hundred

seamus wrote: »

By the same token, maintaining dropping your speed to 15km/h (from 20) in a 40km/h headwind, requires only 30% of the power you would need @ 20km/h.

That's a great tip and one I've experimented with myself when commuting against a headwind. The maths (hope you're right on it) really illustrated the point. Correct me if I'm wrong but is air resistance proportional to the 4th power in relation to speed?

@OP: Anyways take Seamus's advice, slow down a little, and accept a slightly later arrival time. Less frustrating that way!

seamus

The formula I got from google was:

C x (V + Va)^2 x V

Where C is the friction coefficient of air, V is your velocity, and Va is the strength of the headwind. The value you get is the effort required (in watts I think).

For C, the value depends on the type of bike - the site I found (which I've lost now) listed a value of about 0.45/0.5 for a road bike or commuter with skinny wheels and drop bars, 0.6/0.7 for an MTB, and 0.9ish for a fully laden tourer.

Very rough figures obviously. For the purposes of comparing effort required at different speeds, C isn't all that important so long as you always use the same value.

Edit:
I should also note that the above equation deals with wind resistance only and is only one-half of the "effort required" equation. For example, if you were to calculate the effort needed to maintain 20km/h in a 20km/h tailwind using the above formula, you'd find that you need zero effort. Which we know isn't correct. Rolling resistance/road friction is the other half of the equation, but that's something which is always present (and actually reduces as speed increases).

IM0

seamus wrote: »

Rolling resistance/road friction is the other half of the equation, but that's something which is always present (and actually reduces as speed increases).

and gradient is a big part of it too. its one thing to go 30km/hr on the flat and another entirely on a 1-2% rise (1/100 or 1/50) :cool:

DirkVoodoo

Wet and icy: watch your cornering, don't go as hard into them as you normally would. Lay off the front break, try and use the back one more. Watch out for puddles, they might all look the same but you can't tell which ones will result in a splash or a splat.

Wind: suck it up really. If you're on your own and not on a road bike then you can't do much for your aerodynamics. Watch out for crosswinds if there are any on your commute, they can catch you by surprise.

Bear in mind that if it's heavy rain then motorists will be struggling with the conditions also, even if it's bright you might want to put a rear light on flashing just to help them out.

irishmotorist

Wind is a fact of cycling life that has to be accepted, I feel. 2 things that I've found to make a difference are:

1. Wear that lycra! Not only will you look cooler (particularly in the pub), but seriously, you'll have a lot less drag the tighter fitting the clothes are.
2. Cycle in lower gears. It's more tiring to push a hard gear into the wind than to let your legs do a bit more spinning. Forget what gear you usually use on a road, just let your legs go with a light resistance.

lamai

I was out yesterday and I was into a headwind, so I thought on the way back

it would be better but it wasn't:mad: . don't know about you guys but up here

in donegal it can still be windy in the summer. last summer actually I got real

pissed off with it. I think if one thing is going to make me give up cycling it is the

wind and also the crappy roads, I was over in italy in may and they were all out

cycling in the sun and lovely roads, sickening:mad:

DirkVoodoo

It always changes direction for me too.

IM0

HTFU! - seriously concentrating on stuff that annoys you, guess what? makes you more annoyed! and sucks the fun out of everything. Also this is IRELAND not the continent..get over it.

Getting annoyed about stuff you cant do anything about (mother nature for example) is pointless.

DirkVoodoo

me@ucd wrote: »

HTFU! - seriously concentrating on stuff that annoys you, guess what? makes you more annoyed! and sucks the fun out of everything. Also this is IRELAND not the continent..get over it.

Getting annoyed about stuff you cant do anything about (mother nature for example) is pointless.

Literally as I read your post this came on the TV (must add it to bookmarks for future HTFU motivation on Sunday mornings!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvMPaeUvvs

IM0

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Literally as I read your post this came on the TV (must add it to bookmarks for future HTFU motivation on Sunday mornings!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvMPaeUvvs

I always had a feeling I missed my calling

seamus

On topic, this is what I love to see

Sorry for those of you who travel east or northeast in the evenings, but you get the good wind all the time, I'm going to enjoy this

cdaly_

Jawgap wrote: »

I too hate the wind but as someone said here (Raam?)

Ha! He can't talk about wind!

One day a week or so ago, as I was fighting a headwind on the way home, Raam whizzed by. I chased after him but just couldn't catch him. I reckon than guy's made of aerodynamic or something...

petethedrummer

If you're going out on the bike head into the wind for the first half and have it on your back on the way home.

Beasty

seamus wrote: »

Sorry for those of you who travel east or northeast in the evenings, but you get the good wind all the time, I'm going to enjoy this

Ahem....

...you guys normally get the tailwind in the morning....

...and it typically slows down during the course of the day....

...and it turns in your favour during the day more often than it turns in our favour....

...and I have the spreadsheet (somewhere) to prove it:)

seamus

Beasty wrote: »

Ahem....

...you guys normally get the tailwind in the morning....

...and it typically slows down during the course of the day....

...and it turns in your favour during the day more often than it turns in our favour....

...and I have the spreadsheet (somewhere) to prove it:)

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Usually we get a light tailwind in the morning which slowly creeps up in speed during the day until it's a gale force headwind at clocking out time.

Or it's a headwind in the morning and then it changes direction and becomes a headwind in the evening :mad:

Jawgap

seamus wrote: »

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Usually we get a light tailwind in the morning which slowly creeps up in speed during the day until it's a gale force headwind at clocking out time.

Or it's a headwind in the morning and then it changes direction and becomes a headwind in the evening :mad:

I'd have to respectfully disagree with you disagreeing with Beasty.

Coming in from the north of the city is nearly always headwind in the morning and headwind in the evening:) Or maybe it just feels that way!

Anyway, today is the worst - wind from the NE - I prefer the tailwind in the afternoon / evening

Beasty

Jawgap wrote: »

I'd have to respectfully disagree with you disagreeing with Beasty.

Agreed:)

seamus

Well then it's settled;

The wind is never going in the direction that we want it to, no matter which direction you're travelling.

poochiem

me@ucd wrote: »

HTFU! - seriously concentrating on stuff that annoys you, guess what? makes you more annoyed! and sucks the fun out of everything. Also this is IRELAND not the continent..get over it.

Getting annoyed about stuff you cant do anything about (mother nature for example) is pointless.

HTFU indeed, it could be worse... http://www.football-italia.net/feb06d.html