Contending with Wind and Climbs, What Works?

PedalUma

PedalUma

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Petaluma, CA
Let us now any tips you have for aerodynamics or how you contend with high winds. It is okay to commiserate and vent. Some days I almost get blown over or get stopped dead in my tracks. Clothing options can help. So can pedaling technique. And power usage.
Go here to get wind forecasts for planning your rides.
www.windy.com

Professional weather forecast

50+ weather layers, weather radar and satellite
www.windy.com www.windy.com
 
Last edited:
Honestly that's what the e- portion is for as far as my needs. lol

Living on the coast of BC where the wind blows pretty relentlessly, I love the ability to just bump up a PAS level and suddenly the extra resistance is gone.

But I agree that clothing can help, and I find a decent pair of semi-goggled sunglasses crucial for clear vision and reducing that "dog out the car window" feeling. I also use hearing protection most of the time too.
 
It must be blowing with 35 Mph gusts right now. I just came back from a brief ride.
I agree that eye protection is essential. I use two types of glasses, regular fishing polarized dark amber that are vented and yellow shooting glasses from eBay. A high speed bug in the eye is painful. The bright yellow is for fog and at night.
This jacket has helped a lot. It is vented at the armpits and with a flap across the back. It weighs nothing. It is not so big that it flaps but has room for layers underneath.
 

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I use this handlebar to get into an aero position, works so well, I now have it on 3 ebikes.
http://www.origin8.bike/product/strongbow-34620

Just yesterday, had to contend with a 25mph headwind due to a local thunderstorm on the last 5 miles of my ride.

We get alot of high winds out here(30mph+) in the Colorado front range in the winter and then localized winds from storms during the summer.

Im also familiar with the winds in the SF bay area as I moved there in the late 80s specifically to windsurf
 
PedalUma said:
Let us now any tips you have for aerodynamics or how you contend with high winds. It is okay to commiserate and vent. Some days I almost get blown over or get stopped dead in my tracks. Clothing options can help. So can pedaling technique. And power usage.
Go here to get wind forecasts for planning your rides.
www.windy.com

Professional weather forecast

50+ weather layers, weather radar and satellite
www.windy.com www.windy.com
Click to expand...
I usually ride trails but the same procedure works for road riding as well. Whenever I plan a ride or series of rides, I usually consult the National Weather Service forecast for the nearest city. They publish a strip chart predicting hourly weather variables including wind speed and direction. I find the forecast to be very reliable going forward 48 hours:

National Weather Service

forecast.weather.gov forecast.weather.gov

I use the data to decide which trail to ride and in what direction. I can usually avoid headwinds but since I ride the trail out and back, they are sometimes inevitable. When this occurs, as partial compensation, I ride downhill into the wind whenever possible. My bike has an adjustable riser and stem which I can lower to reduce wind resistance when necessary.

Riding broadside to the wind or even quartering it can actually offer some relief on a hot day. My hottest rides sometimes occur when riding with the wind.

The wind conditions can vary hourly so I take that into consideration. I can sometimes take advantage of a predicted wind shift and have it at my back both ways. When this isn't possible, I usually ride into the wind at the start so I have it at my back on the return trip when I'm tired and the battery is low.

I always use the predicted wind conditions to determine how many batteries to carry. Having enough juice is your best approach to riding in windy conditions.
 
I find my Bell helmet‘s adjustable visor useful to block wind in some situations. Other than that there’s not a lot you can do save getting a windscreen!😳

D7289306-A043-4CD2-8E01-193C64C8F0F6.jpeg
 
When I see one of those big windshields, I always think of a side wind blowing the bike into the oncoming lane. Yikes.
 
linklemming said:
I use this handlebar to get into an aero position, works so well, I now have it on 3 ebikes.
http://www.origin8.bike/product/strongbow-34620

Just yesterday, had to contend with a 25mph headwind due to a local thunderstorm on the last 5 miles of my ride.

We get alot of high winds out here(30mph+) in the Colorado front range in the winter and then localized winds from storms during the summer.

Im also familiar with the winds in the SF bay area as I moved there in the late 80s specifically to windsurf
Click to expand...
I too am on the Front Range. Howdy neighbor. The wind is actually the worst weather aspect of Colorado. I have bailed on my bike rides due to wind than any other seasonal challenge.

This might be obvious so forgive me, but one option is to try swapping headset spacers to drop the height of the handlebars. Typically there are a number of spacers, small rings, between the top of the headset and the bottom of the stem - or they may already be above the stem. You can play with that orientation, small changes then ride, and see if you can tolerate the lowered bars. Listen to your body, but you may also find this helps get you out of the wind more.

A big thing here is knowing how much the wind affects temperature. I have seen a chart posted that estimates wind chill at various speeds and temperatures. That is a pretty useful idea for knowing how to dress for a ride. Courtesy of NOAA

1623244917709.png
 
theemartymac said:
I also use hearing protection most of the time too.
Click to expand...

Don't underestimate the comfort afforded be cutting wind from blowing into your ears. Foam ear plugs don't block all sound by the way, they just cut it down by a percentage. I can still easily hear conversation etc. Insert less into ear canal to get less percentage reduction.

Beige color can be had from drug store chains. And they take a little getting use to for some people.
 
jonny boy said:
I too am on the Front Range. Howdy neighbor. The wind is actually the worst weather aspect of Colorado. I have bailed on my bike rides due to wind than any other seasonal challenge.

This might be obvious so forgive me, but one option is to try swapping headset spacers to drop the height of the handlebars. Typically there are a number of spacers, small rings, between the top of the headset and the bottom of the stem - or they may already be above the stem. You can play with that orientation, small changes then ride, and see if you can tolerate the lowered bars. Listen to your body, but you may also find this helps get you out of the wind more.

A big thing here is knowing how much the wind affects temperature. I have seen a chart posted that estimates wind chill at various speeds and temperatures. That is a pretty useful idea for knowing how to dress for a ride. Courtesy of NOAA

View attachment 89949
Click to expand...
That windchill chart is nice for most but out here in the front range, we have the chinook winds in the winter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinook_wind

Since most of the high winds in the front range are from the west/mountains, the windier it gets the warmer it is.

I have decided to not ride on days when its calm and cold (<20f) only to have the wind pick up late at night causing the temp to rise to over 60F causing me to get out and enjoy a ride.
 
retiredNH said:
Can you imagine the drag from this windscreen? OTOH, you'd probably not even need to pedal if you're going with the wind....
Click to expand...
Back in the 1980's I had a Zzipper fairing on the front of my road bike for steep descents on my morning ride at the time, which on the way back was a rifle shot down a 4-lane in the Lower Sierras to the Central Valley floor. The fairing was fantastic in a tuck... until you got a crosswind.

I keep a Kestrel on my bike in the summer for giggles. We get almost-daily afternoon wind thanks to the inversion layer in the Valley that causes a strong steady wind blowing past us. Usually about 15 mph steady.

Nowadays I do what others are doing: Alter my PAS setting and its a miracle. That and I will kick up a gear when I must to keep my cadence high.

*Somewhere* I edited a segment from my dashcam where I, on a 2wd pedelec, rode past a club ride of about 30 analog bikers. I had to take the lane and essentially keep up with the auto traffic. That was probably a 20 mph wind day. they looked positively *miserable*. I bet if I had stopped they'd have buried me and the bike in a shallow grave.
 
This situation is 99 percent psychological. So the key is to not let it get to you. Probably the most important thing is to remember that it isn't a race and to be patient with yourself.

If you just can't stand it there is nothing wrong with stopping and taking a break. It helps if you have snacks.
 
Mr. Coffee said:
This situation is 99 percent psychological. So the key is to not let it get to you. Probably the most important thing is to remember that it isn't a race and to be patient with yourself.

If you just can't stand it there is nothing wrong with stopping and taking a break. It helps if you have snacks.
Click to expand...
And a 110 volt outlet or an extra battery, or both...
 
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