Windy Riding :(

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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marko
Posts: 1323
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 5:12 pm

by marko

I live on the plains and after a while you can see the gusts coming, or hear it. The weeds on the side of the road help. You'll get good and figure it all out soon enough. Rear profile matters little, but a low front will help. I've done lot's of gusty wind Tri's with a full disk and didn't even notice it was on. Most days we have around 20mph winds, sometimes alot more, sometimes less. Even the year or months matter. Now that the jet stream is close, it's windy every day, once it goes up to Canada and we can actually get a warm day, it can be quiet. We didn't get alot of wind this winter, but last year we did. I can usually tell by which way I ride if it's windy or not as we go out into the head, and return with a tail.

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swinter
Posts: 1224
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:27 am
Location: Grosse Pointe, MI

by swinter

those silly Mavic Ksyriums are looking a bit more attractive now, eh?

seriously, I'd shed the deep dish wheels for the windy season. (it should settle down in the summer.) in fact, with a good stfif cross wind even the Ksyrium s' flat-bladed spokes can be a b*tch to handle. you naturally lean into the wind, and get as deep in the drops and flat as you can.

as for gaining weight, that seems counterintuitive to me. since most of your work on the bike is displacing the air, I don't see how being heavier should help.

but you're welcome to some of my extra weight if you can figure out how to effect the transfer.
"I can't understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones." -- John Cage

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by Weenie


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Mr.Gib
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:12 pm
Location: eh?

by Mr.Gib

swinter wrote:
as for gaining weight, that seems counterintuitive to me. since most of your work on the bike is displacing the air, I don't see how being heavier should help.


Larger riders have a higher ratio of mass to surface area for the body. When you add in the surface area of the bike this ratio increases even further. As a result we are less affected by cross winds. But gaining weight is NOT the way to go. Just sit in behind someone big and wait for the next climb. :lol:

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swinter
Posts: 1224
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:27 am
Location: Grosse Pointe, MI

by swinter

Mr.Gib wrote: Larger riders have a higher ratio of mass to surface area for the body. . .


well, at least that makes sense. but I'm still skeptical. for a guy like drjones who is so thin, I'm pretty sure his surface area is a lot less than mine. gaining weight wouldn't make any positive contribution.

downhill, on the other hand, we heavier dudes do pick up speed.
"I can't understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones." -- John Cage

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/phpBB ... 928#126928

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drjones96
Posts: 3717
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 10:56 pm
Location: Wichita, KS

by drjones96

Steve, when the wind blows i'm like a leaf! :lol:

I am 'borrowing' some wheels at the moment with normal round spokes and a not-as-deep section. Seems to be helping some.

I went riding last night with a group of Kansans. I definitly had the highest height to mass ratio out of everybody. On the return leg the wind was blowing/gusting hard out of about 11 o'clock. All I could do was lock on to a wheel of one of the big guys. It just seemed like they could roll faster when the wind got up (althought it was a different story on the hills*).

*There are no actual hills in Kansas but there seem to be a lot of overpasses.

BluSkyy
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:22 pm
Location: Owasso, OK, USA
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by BluSkyy

they say they're the only school in oklahoma.

i ride 30mm section wheels and hang on to bars at all times, its not too bad, although when its gusty in can make you white knuckled.
I have a blue bike.

Gregorio
Posts: 1564
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 10:24 pm
Location: Center of the Universe

by Gregorio

I could not imagine living anywhere near Dorothy and Toto. Last weekend I did a Race/Challenge 116 miles and on the windiest day of the year. 20+mph winds with 45mph gusts. I did not enjoy the winds at all.
I think I would only mtb if I lived in Kansas or maybe take up speed walking or something.

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swinter
Posts: 1224
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2006 2:27 am
Location: Grosse Pointe, MI

by swinter

drjones96 wrote:Steve, when the wind blows i'm like a leaf! :lol:

. . . It just seemed like they could roll faster when the wind got up (althought it was a different story on the hills*).

*There are no actual hills in Kansas but there seem to be a lot of overpasses.

in the mid-west, the wind is the hills.
"I can't understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I'm frightened of old ones." -- John Cage

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/phpBB ... 928#126928

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