Dealing with wind

[Patrick Moore]

I ask those of you who often ride in high winds: How do you deal with strong headwinds when you are sitting bolt upright, particularly if you are riding a Quickbeam or Uno?

Winds require more power, so a bolt upright position is tiring both because of wind resistance, and because an insufficient angle between torso and hips means it's hard to generate torque -- or so I've always found.

So if you are riding a bike set up like this one, how do you deal with strong headwinds?

Here in Albuquerque we are entering Spring Wind season -- ABQ is breezy year round, in fact -- which can start as early as late February and last through June in a bad year; but routine W and SW winds of 20 mph with gusts to 40 not uncommon are common from late March through May.

When I started riding fixed a great deal back about the turn of the 20th century I found headwinds hugely annoying, and it took me several years to overcome the biggest handicap, a mental one, by, basically, reducing my expectations. You learn to accept riding at half speed in order to maintain sustainable levels of exertion.

But I also fine tuned my bikes' setup and my riding position so that I can ride in the hooks of drop bars for several miles at a stretch, and I certainly find that riding low makes a huge difference to reducing the wind's force and to making it easier to generate pedal force.

Now, 67, I've finally conceded the need to compensate for failing strength with newfangled technology, and when a ride involves headwinds I have a choice of drivetrains with multiple gears you can shift from the saddle. The Matthews 1 has a 2X10 derailleur system, Matthews 2 has the 72"/65"/56" hub gear -- 65" is just right for long shallow inclines and modest headwinds on the flat, but I occasionaly find the 56" low a relief for strong winds even on flat surfaces; and the 1999 Joe Starck gofast will God willing [rims and hubs sent off to Earle Young last Friday] shortly have in addition to the main Phil fixed/fixed flip flop 76"/67" wheel a TF fixed rear wheel with 57" low in addition to the 76" cruising gear for hilly rides and for strong winds, plus a TC wheel giving 76" and 67" for rolling terrain and 20 mph headwinds. And of course I don't mind walking.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

[Patrick Moore]

Forgot to add that even "Only 9K miles last year; it was a bad year" long-since-ex-RBW-lister Gary Blakely found our spring winds difficult with a derailleur drivetrain; he told me of days when he had to stand, even on level ground, to make progress against headwinds, and I've ridden against headwinds requiring energetic pedaling in ~70" gears to to maintain 15-18 mph down steep hills.

[aeroperf]

As an aerodynamics/performance engineer who used to live in Wichita, KS (20 mph is a gentle breeze)—with that setup I would:

Make sure that I had a saddle that would allow me to bend over - some saddles force you to ride bolt upright.
Bend over when I could, sticking my elbows out.  Lowering the bars just a little helps with this.
Wear a tight, finely woven top.  Nylon, not flannel.
Likewise wear Lycra.  Less drag than cargo pants.
Wear a helmet.  They actually do reduce drag over hats or just hair.  If you’re bald, skip this.
And if all else fails, shave your legs.  😁  Just kidding; the gain isn’t worth it.

I try to ride out into the wind when I’m fresher, ride home with the wind.
But, truthfully, the drag will always be there.  It’s a Vee-squared function.  The stuff above will help, but slowing down is just about the only thing that significantly reduces it.

[lconley]

I rarely sit bolt-upright (no pull back bars, just Nitto Wavies), but most of my bikes have the bars are considerably higher than the seat so I am fairly upright. I am a couple weeks shy of 66, but I just feel too tippy bolt upright, I have been riding mostly drops for 50 years. When riding the levees recently on my single speed Mystery Bike, 1st I chose the direction of the ride carefully - start into the wind, there is a handy weather station at the getting on the levee start point and I look at which way the wind vane is pointing. Last weekend the winds were in the 10-20 mph range and the single gear is 60. I have a Da Brim on my helmet and the wind can definitely move my head around when it is gusty. I just ride into the wind with elbows bent, slide back on the seat, for as long as I can (a little more than an hour for now) at slightly over 6 mph then turn around and get an assist on the return.

15-20 years ago, I used to get sent down to Ascension Island (South Atlantic - about halfway between South  America and Africa) as a civilian contractor and I took my Bike Friday (1x7 gearing) with me. The wind there was 20 mph or more from the east, fortunately the base on on the west side of the island, so I could ride out into the wind. I had to pedal down the hills. It was about three hours out to the old NASA site and 1/2 hour getting back, barely had to pedal uphill. Bars were a little above the seat.

I am now working on my Mean Green Levee Riding Machine - putting gears on my formerly single speed Rosco Bubbe V1. It will remain upright, with the shifters on the downtube to discourage shifting unless needed (2x9 - 48/34 with 12-29) with Rene Herse 700 x 44 tires. Should be easier into the wind.

Just for grins - here is my Guv'nor with three speed shifter mounted on the seatpost - pretty much impossible to shift while on the bike - stop and dismount to shift

Laing

[Richard Rose]

I am a couple of months shy of 67. Been riding since I was 20. Had all kinds of bikes. Back surgery 2 years ago convinced me I should stop riding drops, or at least get them up really high. Now my non mountain bike looks a lot like the one in the pic. My Clem has the Tosco bars up very high. I am supremely comfortable. Into the wind I have at least two alternate hand positions that get me into either a traditional “hoods” position or an almost time trial position. The later is for very short periods of time. It helps, but mostly I just have lower expectations these days regarding making time into the wind. The best & my favorite way to combat the wind is to ride my mountain bike in the woods.:)

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 14, 2022, at 2:32 PM, lconley <lco...@brph.com> wrote:

I rarely sit bolt-upright (no pull back bars, just Nitto Wavies), but most of my bikes have the bars are considerably higher than the seat so I am fairly upright. I am a couple weeks shy of 66, but I just feel too tippy bolt upright, I have been riding mostly drops for 50 years. When riding the levees recently on my single speed Mystery Bike, 1st I chose the direction of the ride carefully - start into the wind, there is a handy weather station at the getting on the levee start point and I look at which way the wind vane is pointing. Last weekend the winds were in the 10-20 mph range and the single gear is 60. I have a Da Brim on my helmet and the wind can definitely move my head around when it is gusty. I just ride into the wind with elbows bent, slide back on the seat, for as long as I can (a little more than an hour for now) at slightly over 6 mph then turn around and get an assist on the return.

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[Jon Dukeman]

Ditto Richard

Only I am 70..There Is always a wind in Colorado

If wind is above 12MPH I choose a trail that is sheltered from the wind.

My bikes have bars that position me upright.

A day riding into a head wind is better than no ride at all.

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[MCT]

I just suffer here in Oklahoma.  Otherwise, I try to go to in the wind and fro with the wind at my back.

Matt in OKC

[MoVelo]

Central Nebraska here. Winds and goatheads! If I can plan a ride out into the wind and with the wind on the return after I'm warmed up, I do. Sometimes that's not possible so I just bear it. 

I'm 66 and ride drops level with the saddle. Aero tuck the best you can. Cross winds can be just as bad. 

I lived in hilly Missouri and will take those hills with less wind over a constant prairie wind anyway of the week.

I suppose an approach with the bike set up in your reference photo, I would get my hands as close to the stem as possible and tuck myself as much as possible. Doesn't seem very enjoyable if you have to be in the position for any length of time.

I have a grocery getter MB2 set up similar to your photo but would never consider taking more than the quarter mile I take it to the grocery store or post office. 

JP

[Patrick Moore]

Interesting responses. For the record, the bike pictured (Clem?) is from the Riv site, it's not mine (tho' I'd like to have it; just wouldn't ride it on windy days).

One reason (not the main one, which is comfort) I dislike wide bars is headwinds; I like to get narrow when hunkered down against a wind.

For years I commuted against the wind, or at least in directions that rarely gave me tailwinds. Going east in the morning I'd generally ride in calm conditions, the ride including 9 miles of gradual climbing over the 16 total. I the afternoon the Westerlies would kick up, and I'd ride downhill against strong winds, so that my return times downhill were generally as long as my outbound times uphill; all on 67" to 75" fixed gears. Even now, on the much shorter (6.5 to 8 miles without huge detour, depending on route) rides to church, I often have N or NE winds outbound at ~8:30 or 9 to the NE, and S, W or SW winds on the return at 12 or 1 pm. But that builds patience and humility.

On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 11:35 AM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Christine Rose]

Maybe this is heresy here, but I ride my ebike on windy days. Hauling groceries uphill into the wind is doable for me, but I'm absolutely miserable on my Clem when I do it. I can't haul as much on my ebike, but putting it into turbo on those days puts me into the best of moods!

Christine in Denver

[Patrick Moore]

I certainly won't blame you! I'm fortunate that my grocery runs are (almost always) flat runs, the stores being North and South of me so that I ride parallel to the river with literally just a few feet of elevation change either way. It's when I ride East or West, I get the hills.

But after riding fixed into winds for years, having lower gears for winds (and hills) feels decadent, as if I'm shirking duty. But I get over it.

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[Patrick Moore]

Speaking of headwinds: Back when I was a youthful 48-50 and my daughter was 2 or 3, we had a Saturday morning routine where I'd pull her in the 2-person trailer on grocery shopping (second space was for groceries) trips and then do a South-th-back-North out and back on the Rio Grande paved path, at least downtown to the Explora! children's museum, often into a strong Southerly. 67" gear and wide trailer, but I must have enjoyed it hugely because I still remember those rides vividly and with great pleasure.

[Ryan]

Hah! That reminds me of my own experience in the early 90's when my son was a toddler and I was in my much fitter early forties. I had my hot-rod Cannondale M2000 mountain bike and the excellent Burley D'Lite trailer to haul my son, picnic , and paraphernalia required for a small child. One of our favorite trips was out to Fort Whyte Nature preserve in the southwest part of Winnipeg. Fort Whyte is still there , but the surrounding area is now developed. They have since  paved over Paradise; but back when we rode out there in the 90's , the 5 or 6 miles south of Assiniboine Park were rural with horse farms and a mixture of gravel and hard-packed road leading to Fort Whyte. In the spring and summer I would be riding into a stiff headwind. If I was lucky, after several hours at the little museum, a picnic , and time for Marston in the playground, I would get a nice push home. It was a workout. Like you, I remember our wanderings to Fort Whyte and other destinations on that Cannondale hauling the trailer with great fondness, since I didn't  and don't own a car and I lived downtown. Which did have child-friendly spaces such as the Forks and museums and small parks not too far from where I lived. 

[Nick Payne]

I grew up in Perth, Western Australia, which is certainly the windiest city in Australia and probably somewhere up there on a world basis (I think Wellington in New Zealand is generally regarded as taking the prize for that). During late summer and autumn in Perth, we often get strong easterly winds in the morning, gradually dying away, and then strong south-westerly winds in the afternoon. I can vividly recall one particular job I had for a couple of years where the relative location of home and work meant that I was plugging into the easterlies when riding to work in the morning, and into the south-westerlies when riding home in the afternoon.

Even the pedestrians have problems with the wind in Perth. The high rise buildings in the city centre create a wind tunnel, and it's not that uncommon for pedestrians to be blown off their feet.

Nick

[brendonoid]

Nick,

As a lifetime resident of Perth, I can attest to the wind issue. For me I have always been lucky geographically to commute with the prevailing winds at my back a good part of the year. I know friends not so lucky who were quick to adopt e-bikes for this reason.

One of the reasons I became such a fan of riding out bush here is that the trees provide a wonderful barrier from the ever-present wind.