Wind does anyone else have any problems with it

[Twiggy]

Its only this last year, i've started to get a little uneasy when riding in the wind. I just think its me. But as the winds got stronger or what. Or am i just being a boy about it all.

[Sharribee]

I can ride in any weathers and do all year round, but the only thing that makes me a little twitchy is riding in the wind because it is so unpredictable especially when it is gusty.



the other half also has a problem with wind but only when he eats too much chilly

[meljordan]

Ok our bikes are a little prone to side wind and gusty weather. on a road bike you would just lean as if you were cornering and cut through it but if your in a sitting position its differant so try kneeing in. ie if your being blown from left to right whether its constant or gusty stick your left knee into the wind and the stronger the wind the more you point your knee out. your leg acts as a drouge/air brake on that side of the bike and equalizes the forces on the bike bringing you into balance. worth a try. regards mel

[alpslapper]

Originally Posted by Twiggy

Its only this last year, i've started to get a little uneasy when riding in the wind. I just think its me. But as the winds got stronger or what. Or am i just being a boy about it all.

You and me both - I really really really dont like riding in the wind - being blown uncontrollably into lane 2 and screaming into my helmet is NOT an experience I want to repeat

[spain]

The wind terrifies me.It doesnt stop me riding though.I can cope with the cold/heat,rain(though i do tend to stop and find shelter if it gets too heavy)spray from lorries,idiotic,inconsiderate car/van drivers...even rode through a sand-storm in Morocco last September(bloody painful that...the sand finds it way into every opening and feels like pin pricks on your skin)but the wind is different......not only does it drain you mentally by way of total concentration but also physically as you are wrestling the bike from side to side.You know,between you and me,i had the worst ride ever last January coming back from Morocco.I had left Tarifa in the south of Spain heading north towards Alicante and there was constant buffeting winds all the way....about 300 miles in total.I kept telling myself that it would die-down...like hell did it!By the time i got to Alicante i was shaking like a leaf....totally drained of energy.I couldn't stop my legs from shaking for 5 minutes.I had tears of relief in my eyes(read:cried like a baby) when i fell into my girlfriend's arms.Slept like a log for 24 hours after.Thats what the wind can do to you.
One more thing...if any of you are planning trips to Spain at the end of the summer via Toulose/Andorra/Barcelona watch-out for the Tramuntana wind blowing down from the north.Its the mother of unpredictabe winds.....If that one catches you,you will feel like you have been 3 rounds with Tyson.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by Twiggy

Its only this last year, i've started to get a little uneasy when riding in the wind. I just think its me. But as the winds got stronger or what. Or am i just being a boy about it all.

Hey Twiggy; don't think I've said hello before

I do believe the wind last year was particularly bad. There were days when I was lying flat on the tank trying to minimise it's effect (being my size makes me a bit like a sail sitting high up on Boris). There was a period of about two weeks or so a year or so ago when I was being pushed across 2 lanes of the M25 five or six times each journey into and back from Chiswick. I also sometimes chose a town route to avoid the exposed sections of road that would blow me around.

This weekend, I went up to Yorkshire and came back on Tuesday afternoon and had similar but not so marked a problem.

So I guess the answer to your question is yes, I agree with you.

Riding in gusty wind is the problem as when it's steady, apart from neck ache, it's fine. It's the sudden shove that can be alarming and requires a really high awareness of other road users and obstacles so that you can be prepared if you have nowhere to go.

Everyone's mileage may vary, but in my case - about 6'3" and a bit and about 15st riding an RD07 - I find that crouching over the tank and even lying flat on it makes a surprising and possibly the most difference. Also, riding close to sheltering trees/fences etc. can help but can also blow me away when I emerge at the other end
And taking off speed does also make a difference, so that if a shove arrives, it takes me longer to get where it's shoving me and I get to take avoiding action. So I'd drop to 50-ish in winds gusting at 60+, that kind of thing.

[matt]

Only with snow. As it did from Newcastle to Cambridge this weekend. Single-handed riding, wiping the snow off the visor, for 250 miles. Maybe I'm used to mountain biking where wind can blow you off a mountain

As long as I have plenty of room to be blown, I'm OK, but passing trucks and other wind-breaks can be a real hazard as the wind force is suddenly removed.

Be aware of gust potential, make appropriate space, anad adjust speed accordingly are probably the best suggestions.

[Africa Tipple]

Hi Twiggy

I found the solution to riding in wind...

After riding (wobbling) across Wales and staggering across the Severn Bridge on my AT, I was terrified. Couldn't figure out whether to ride really slowly, trying to look behind to see what I was going to blow into, or push on. The worst was when the wind flicked through 180 degrees!!!

I'm so glad to read others have diffs with the wind ..... don't feel so bad for the tears in my helmet.

My solution was to change to a Triumph Tiger - she's as solid as a rock in the wind.....

Either that or my riding has improved?

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by Africa Tipple

...snip

My solution was to change to a Triumph Tiger - she's as solid as a rock in the wind.....

Either that or my riding has improved?

Maybe your centre of gravity has moved

[Zenarchy]

I've had some pretty hairy rides on my old 125 in heavy wind, where I'd gone out, strayed far from home, lost track of time, then found myself riding back in the dark, wind, rain and fog when the weather's changed on the way back, in the back of my mind thinking "I wonder if I'm going to make it back in one piece" but knowing that you need to remain detatched from the situation a bit so you can put that to the back of your mind to deal with the situation safely and stay calm. That's quite a surreal experience after a couple of hours, leading me to feel slightly detatched (almost like playing a computer game or something - like it's a self defense mechanism to deal with what needs to be done without worrying too much about the potential consequences as to do so would make something bad more likely to happen).

Does anyone else get that or is it just me? Only seems to happen when I've been riding for hours in heavy wind and pitch darkness on remote roads with only my headlight for company for prolonged periods. It's almost like there's a split and there's the physical me riding along calmly trying to get home safely and deal with it, taking it all in my stride, and a mini-me looking down on myself screaming "f***king hell!!!" in the back of my mind.

I don't really mind the rain, or riding in the dark, but heavy wind and heavy fog (particularly heavy fog in the dark on remote roads I don't know) I don't like at all and do my best to avoid them unless absolutely necessary now.

The thing that I've found helps a lot is to try to relax as much as possible, grip the tank with my knees, try to keep a softer grip on the handlebars and let the bike do the work as much as possible. Kind of going with the bike but controling it, correcting the bike with my wrists rather than trying to take more charge of the bike and take it with you and your body if that makes sense. This seems to stop it being blown around so much. It only takes the tiniest of movements of the bars when you're going at speed to throw the bike off course (particularly when combined with gusts of wind), and I think sometimes if you're tensed up it's not so much the bike being blown around, as the wind hitting you and the little body movements and reactions that produces being transmitted to the handlebars and throwing the bike off course (even though it feels like it's the wind that's doing it as the body movements are so small and unconscious).

I've found even in heavy winds once I relax and loosen my grip a bit, it always seems to improve.