Wind speeds and your ride.

[Mulezen]

Try these:

Cat-Ears.com | Cat-Ears, LLC | United States

Cat-Ears is the leading manufacturer of aero-acoustically designed passive wind noise reduction products for serious cyclists. Tested and recommended by respected publications and professionals, Cat-Ears / AirStreamz are 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed and Made in the USA.

www.cat-ears.com

I've been using them for a couple of years now and they really work to suppress wind noise.

I took my first ride today with the “Classic” version and though the wind levels were low there was a reduction in hiss that affects my hearing aids. I’ll know in a hundred miles and a few fast hills…

 

[Robspace1]

Wind can be unpleasant in so many ways.

The same high-steel workers built all the famous US suspension bridges back in the 1920s and 1930s — George Washington, Brooklyn, Verazzano Narrows, Golden Gate, etc. They worked on these bridges year-round, including through many a cold, snowy northern winter.

Yet, when the surviving workers were interviewed for the book Spanning the Gate, all of them said that the coldest bridge they'd worked on by far was the Golden Gate. Why? The constant 20-knot wind blowing moist 50°F air off the Pacific.

I can relate: Had plenty of days like that on the ground in my time in SF, and we get winter days like that here in San Diego County. Just can't imagine that kind of wind all day, every day for months on end.

Growing up in SF, I was in wind and blinding fog most of my younger years. Used to be a hair raising experience taking my old VW van or bug over the GG bridge when it was blowing hard. The bridge deck rocks back and forth. Scary. Riding bikes through cold ocean wind and fog sucked. Yet, peop!e pay a fortune to now live there. lol amazing.

 

[PedalUma]

I purchased a cargo bike south of the Golden Gate park in San Francisco. There was a festival goin on so I had to head to the coast at sea cliff. The hills to the VA hospital and GG were staggering. Then I had 40+ mile headwinds across the Golden Gate. Sausalito climbs. Mill Valley climbs. And I made it to Larkspur with less than three minutes to catch the train. That bike now electric is super cool.

 

[PedalUma]

That cargo bike is now a rental. We are renting from Smith & Bergen in downtown Petaluma, CA. There are two medium/large bikes and two small/medium step-throughs, plus that mid-step cargo bike. Here are the step-throughs. Elegant electric bikes. People can rent small boats for an hour and then a bike for two hours to get lunch and see the sights. In the Summer the cool wind picks up in the late afternoon.

 

[linklemming]

Ugghh, 40mph winds today with gusts to 60 just outside of Boulder, CO. My house does this twisting motion with the higher wind gusts

High winds encountered during the winter are the main reason I use higher power ebikes

I do miss the winds in the SF bay area. I actually moved there in 88 to windsurf (around SFO).

The winds out here are way more gusty with huge direction changes due to the mountains

 

[PCeBiker]

I do miss the winds in the SF bay area. I actually moved there in 88 to windsurf (around SFO).

I got tired of driving to the beach so I put wheels on a storm door and sailed the local railroad tracks,..

 

[linklemming]

I got tired of driving to the beach so I put wheels on a storm door and sailed the local railroad tracks,..


View attachment 150657

When I lived in Dallas, Tx (86-88) we made skateboard longboards(with our windsurfing sails) and rode in parking lots at night when the wind would pick up. Apparent wind was awesome until a gust stopped and the sail would backwind (while your doing 20+mph). Surpised I never hurt myself. High speed jibes were SCARY.

We do have iceboating out here, I observed it a few times but the combination of wind and cold didnt interest me.
https://gazette.com/life/the-colora...cle_81f2beb8-5cf2-11eb-ad64-f3de9d900a69.html

 

[6zfshdb]

I got tired of driving to the beach so I put wheels on a storm door and sailed the local railroad tracks,..


View attachment 150657

Why not put a sail on your bike?

 

[m@Robertson]

over 20 mph: I leave the bike in the garage, it makes for a miserable ride

Yikes. that would count me out in Central California on commutes home for the whole summer. In the afternoons, we get steady winds in the same direction that are about 20 mph and can gust to 25+. Its related to the inversion layer in the Central Valley so its strong, steady and regular like clockwork. I found that what it means to my ride is I just have to expect to use a lot more power to maintain my normal cadence.

I made this video illustrating the difference between my 2wd dual hub commuter in wind, versus two bedraggled cycling club groups on the same road. The smartass in me added the soundtrack. There is no visible sign that the wind is blasting steady, but it is. You might think I am showing off but this is just me going home after a day at work and maintaining my normal speed and cadence. I geared that bike so I worked pretty hard to pedal despite the strong assist.

The only thing I change in wind besides upping the power level is I wear a beanie under my helmet to allay the wind blasting thru my ears. For gusty winds on the coast, that are at a whole other level (60 mph+), I have blowing sand in the eyes to deal with and rely on goggles over my eyeglasses. there, the beanie has to be on or I get earaches.

 

[linklemming]

I made this video illustrating the difference between my 2wd dual hub commuter in wind, versus two bedraggled cycling club groups on the same road. The smartass in me added the soundtrack. There is no visible sign that the wind is blasting steady, but it is. You might think I am showing off but this is just me going home after a day at work and maintaining my normal speed and cadence. I geared that bike so I worked pretty hard to pedal despite the strong assist.

The last leg of my rides usually end up with a 6 mile section (roughly) of rolling 4-6% hills (long 6% grade at the end) bucking a headwind. I have handlebars that allow me to get into an aero tuck (origin 8 strongbow) and on windy days, I am passing bikes like that. With the wind at 30mph, guys start walking up the last hill.

 

[indianajo]

Why not put a sail n your bike?

Almost got blown over today with gusts of 38 mph. I was trying to wear a poncho against an inch per hour rain. There is your sail! I can't go the same direction for long distances on a bike, as sailboats can do. I had to skip a concert I had paid for. Going to gust to 55 mph tonight & tomorrow. At least no tornadoes this week in Kentuckiana. Sent a donation this week to Mississippi.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Almost got blown over today with gusts of 38 mph. I was trying to wear a poncho against an inch per hour rain. There is your sail! I can't go the same direction for long distances on a bike, as sailboats can do. I had to skip a concert I had paid for. Going to gust to 55 mph tonight & tomorrow. At least no tornadoes this week in Kentuckiana.

a poncho? man thats like a sail.
we were on our tandem and we had 20 to 30mph winds with 60mph gusts. e were stopped for a light when one of those big gusts came by saw it coming and that almost knocked us over. twigs and sticks and leaves and dust filled the air.

 

[PCeBiker]

When I lived in Dallas, Tx (86-88) we made skateboard longboards(with our windsurfing sails) and rode in parking lots at night when the wind would pick up. Apparent wind was awesome until a gust stopped and the sail would backwind (while your doing 20+mph).

My friends and I attached ½" threaded rods and utility cart wheels to our skateboard trucks and attached them to a 4' X 1' sheet of plywood and sailed across farm fields.

It worked OK but steering was an issue and the trucks weren't big enough for the boards.
We never got around to designing and building oversized heavy duty trucks.

Surpised I never hurt myself. High speed jibes were SCARY.

I got going over 60 kph on the railroad tracks before someone called the cops and I got kicked off the rails.

I guess that was a good thing because if I ever wiped out, especially if I got thrown in front my contraption, I would have been in a world of hurt.

I'd be on a motorized wheelchair now instead an ebike.

We do have iceboating out here, I observed it a few times but the combination of wind and cold didnt interest me.

We've got Snowfering around here.



I tried to make one using an old windsurf board but there was too much friction and the snow was too deep. The plastic clamps and monofilament sail got brittle and broke in the cold.


Some old guy around 65 years old, attached ice skates to a 4'X8' sheet of plywood and went out onto one of the Great Lakes (might have been lake Simcoe?) when there was smooth ice with no snow on it.

He got going 104 kph. The crazy bastard. Lol

 

[PCeBiker]

Why not put a sail on your bike?

View attachment 150660

That would work, but to really harness the wind, you'd need to attach the sail to the bottom bracket for stability.

Something like this would work.

You'd attach the sail in front of the seat, then ditch the the handlebars and replace the pedals with an extended through axle so you can steer with your feet and use your arms for controlling the sail.


I actually sat down on my Rail Sailer to get a feel for it and it worked great, I just set the boom lower.
Way safer too, because I was seated with a lower center of gravity.

 

[PCeBiker]

And of course, it's all been done before,..

I'm not liking this design,..
The power is attached too far forward and all on the steering wheel.

The power needs to attach closer to the middle so that the front and rear wheels can share the control of power to the ground and steering, like this,..

But he needs to grab the boom and attach the sail to the trike with a universal joint.

He would have way more control, power and speed.
A mast mounted rigidly to the trike severely limits power and control, especially the ability to reduce power.

 

[rob feature]

Wind used to be a factor 'till I got an ebike. Now I don't care.

 

[JGcycle]

I purchased a cargo bike south of the Golden Gate park in San Francisco. There was a festival goin on so I had to head to the coast at sea cliff. The hills to the VA hospital and GG were staggering. Then I had 40+ mile headwinds across the Golden Gate. Sausalito climbs. Mill Valley climbs. And I made it to Larkspur with less than three minutes to catch the train. That bike now electric is super cool.

ET in the basket--I love it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Wind used to be a factor 'till I got an ebike. Now I don't care.

Only it reduces the battery range if your long ride is upwind.

 

[Kayakguy]

Its gusting to 62 mph today and I'm staying indoors. Even with a helmet, a tree limb could break off and break my neck or back. A power line could fall and electrocute me. I'm missing a concert I paid for right now. WInds are supposed to peak at 1300, right as the concert lets out. I now watch TV news daily since weather.gov won't identify wind events closer than 12 hours and won't separate predictions for locations 60 miles apart like Elizabethtown KY or Scottsburg, IN. I won't go out on bike above 45 mph gusts.
I bought the electric kit to cope with wind. Before 2018 wind was up March and October November. Now December, January,. February, April, May, September are added. Tornados in winter snow storms! It took me 6 hours to make 27 miles September 2018 at 90 deg F. Too much exercise. Now wind below 40 mph, I can motor home 9 mph just like no power. I don't really want to average 25 mph on calm days, my last fall at that speed broke my chin.
Everybody sell your car and bike walk or ride bus everywhere. I do. Transportation & climate control are ruining the planet. It will only get worse at 2.5 C average rise. Electric cars are not going to reduce CO2 emissions, just move them to the power plant. I heat to 65 F, cool to 80 F to prevent moldy furniture.

Not all power plants burn fossil fuels.

 

[PCeBiker]

Not all power plants burn fossil fuels.

No they don't.
Some use wind power.

But I bet that their buggy was meant to carry Coal?