# Wind



## copsey (Jul 11, 2010)

How do you guys handle heavy winds when you are commuting? The wind has been ridiculous around here the past two days. I don't mind riding in it when it's under 20mph but above that I can't stand it...is it me or just my attitude? Any advice for making it more bearable?


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## woodway (Dec 27, 2005)

copsey said:


> or just my attitude?


:yesnod:

Wind...is: a pain, very frustrating and part of commuting.

Don't fight it, just take what it gives you.


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## in2theforest (Sep 11, 2011)

-cover your ears with a headband, earplugs, hat/helmet flaps, etc.
-cover your eyes with full coverage safety glasses or goggles
-wear gloves, even if they are very thin
-wear a soft shell jacket or a wind breaker of your preference
-wear rain pants or breathable wind breaking pants

These will make extreme wind more bearable


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I just push through it and tell myself I'm getting a good work out.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Wind sucks. Wind every day for a week or more REALLY sucks. 
You just leave earlier and go slower. Oh, and cuss a lot to keep your spirits up.


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## SimpleJon (Mar 28, 2011)

Move somewhere where there is no wind - never gets above 5 to 10 mph here and the temp never drops below 20'C (below 25 and everyone is complaining how cold it is)


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## muayteg (Apr 3, 2011)

The wind is a pain on my commuter too. Its rediculous. I leave with a headwind, and common sense tells you I will have a tailwind going home, but NO! For some reason in south florida it likes to change directions throughout the day. So, headwind leaving home, and headwind coming home. Its like a cruel joke.


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## copsey (Jul 11, 2010)

muayteg said:


> The wind is a pain on my commuter too. Its rediculous. I leave with a headwind, and common sense tells you I will have a tailwind going home, but NO! For some reason in south florida it likes to change directions throughout the day. So, headwind leaving home, and headwind coming home. Its like a cruel joke.


This seems to be exactly what I'm finding everyday I commute! Yesterday, morning - winds from NW; yesterday, evening - winds from SSW.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

I usually log on to "How Was Your Commute Today" and complain about it. That seems to help. But this thread works too. Headwind both directions yesterday. Calm this morning, yay!


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## Dalton (Jun 30, 2004)

I hate it and it has been bad for a couple of weeks. Single speeding into the 25 mph wind is just blah.

Can't wait for my bike to be finished. I think I can make it work with the 8 speed.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

I guess a helmet-mounted wind turbine to help power the bike in a headwind would be too unwieldy. What a shame.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

"Wind is a hill with no soul." Forgot who said that, but it's true. 

I turn the iPod up and try to be thankful if it's not one of those crazy 50mph cross/headwinds that I've had try to knock me down a few times. If it is one of those, I get on the internet afterwards and whine about it.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

The devil you know.... I just gear down and put it under resistance training.


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## Dann C (Nov 7, 2010)

I just tuck my head and get pissed all the way home.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Of course there are headwinds in both directions. When the wind gets to where it`s going, how else do you think it gets back to where it started?



bedwards1000 said:


> I usually log on to "How Was Your Commute Today" and complain about it. That seems to help.


Yeah, that works too. Maybe better than cussing at your stem, but I`m not sure. Do you know of any metrics that would work to measure the difference? Maybe a blood pressure cuff?


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## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> wind sucks.... Oh, and cuss a lot to keep your spirits up.


this!


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## muayteg (Apr 3, 2011)

Maybe we are all just going so fast that there will always be a headwind.


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## MotoX33 (Nov 8, 2011)

muayteg said:


> Maybe we are all just going so fast that there will always be a headwind.


Keep telling yourself that :thumbsup:


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## copsey (Jul 11, 2010)

MotoX33 said:


> Keep telling yourself that :thumbsup:


That's going to be my new Jedi mind trick on myself...going so fast there is always a head wind.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

Guess what? Headwind on the way home. It sucked. And I wasn't going fast.


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## cjohnson (Jul 14, 2004)

*Maybe you said it?*



CommuterBoy said:


> "Wind is a hill with no soul." Forgot who said that, but it's true.
> 
> "Wind is a hill with no soul." I googled this phrase and the only result was your post. That phrase is a beautiful, painful truth. In my short commuting time, wind is the big demoralizer.


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## OmaHaq (Jun 1, 2010)

Wind is part of life. Accept it, or drive a car.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

cjohnson said:


> "Wind is a hill with no soul." I googled this phrase and the only result was your post. That phrase is a beautiful, painful truth. In my short commuting time, wind is the big demoralizer.


I am totally claiming that then. I expect royalties, people.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

If you're on a road bike, put your hands on the flats, near the stem, and tuck. Suddenly, there's less wind! Or use the drops, but that's a bit less effective for me.

If you're on a mountain bike... sorry.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

I've been considering installing a set of aero bars on my mountain bike commuter. I have long bar ends that let me get out of the wind some and sometimes I'll even lean an elbow on the bars to get lower. I've got a set of tri-bars that are just sitting around. and it looks like they might just work. The biggest deterrent has been removing my handy coffee cup holder on that bike. Choices, choices.


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

copsey said:


> How do you guys handle heavy winds when you are commuting? The wind has been ridiculous around here the past two days. I don't mind riding in it when it's under 20mph but above that I can't stand it...is it me or just my attitude? Any advice for making it more bearable?


Wind is all about getting aero....

I see lots of guys kinda hunched over....pushing their normal gear home...

Better solution....get down into an easy to spin gear..you're gonna be there for a while might as well get comfortable...

Tuck in all the loose clothing etc....

Then get low with a flat back and extend your neck.....remember ELBOWS in...

Then relax and enjoy the scenery....

I have a pair of bar-ends mounted inboard of the brakes....I can put my hands out front and get lower, and extend way easier with them.


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## Flats (Feb 3, 2011)

You gotta pay for the tailwinds somehow.


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## mtbxplorer (Dec 25, 2009)

CommuterBoy said:


> I am totally claiming that then. I expect royalties, people.


Sorry, CB, hand it over:
11/2/11


mtbxplorer said:


> A headwind is a hill with no soul


http://forums.mtbr.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=8594466


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

mtbxplorer said:


> sorry, cb, hand it over:
> 11/2/11
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=8594466


busted


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

The winds here in the spring are reedonkulous! Today, 35mph with gusts up to 55mph. Last time I was commuting home in that kind of blow, I almost got hit by a trashcan that was picked up by a gust and thrown about 20 feet!

I just plod along, slow and not-so-steady, while I curse the powers that be. What are you gonna do? Though to be fare, I drove today. I have an evening work function and needed to bring a suit. After all the ironing I did, I was not willing to stuff all that in a bag…

But I have off tomorrow, so I’ll be out riding. Winds are only slated to be around 15mph. But I don’t care, I’ll still be out enjoying myself!


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

Crap. I knew I heard it somewhere.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

I feel for ya, Wahday. They aren`t so bad here lately, but I`ve been there before.


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## vwhammer (Mar 13, 2010)

Yep. 
The wind is the about the only thing that really angers me about commuting any more. 
It has been unusually windy here they past 2 or 3 weeks.
I am literally swearing at the wind after about 3 miles. 
I have a nearly 6 mile ride to work in the morning and it is one direction usually into whatever winds may be kicking up that day. 
Essentially it turns my dead flat 6 mile ride into a long gradual uphill ride. 

However there is a good side to all of this. 
If the winds are still howling on my ride home it is usually at my back which makes for a a$$-hauling blast home.


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

I thank god it's not raining. But in all seriousness, if you have bar ends, use them. They let you get your upper body lower. No point in doing anything but cursing at your stem, you won't be going anywhere fast anyway, though it is a kick in the teeth when you have to pedal downhill to make any progress. If you have a chance to cut through dense trails, they can alleviate some of the wind.


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## cdaddy (Nov 8, 2005)

wahday said:


> The winds here in the spring are reedonkulous! Today, 35mph with gusts up to 55mph. Last time I was commuting home in that kind of blow, I almost got hit by a trashcan that was picked up by a gust and thrown about 20 feet!


I read that first paragraph and was positive you lived in New Mexico. Was a nasty commute home today for sure. Pretty sure I saw a cinder block rolling down the road.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

cdaddy said:


> ...Pretty sure I saw a cinder block rolling down the road.


:thumbsup:


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## R+P+K (Oct 28, 2009)

AndrwSwitch said:


> If you're on a road bike, put your hands on the flats, near the stem, and tuck. Suddenly, there's less wind! Or use the drops, but that's a bit less effective for me.
> 
> If you're on a mountain bike... sorry.


No reason why you can't do something similar on a mountain bike. I move my hands inwards and grip onto the brake reservoirs/shifter pods.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

:lol: A cinder block rolling down the road, is pretty bad...
if it keeps rolling up the other side, look out!


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## SteveF (Mar 5, 2004)

Wind is tough--it's like a hill you can't see with the added buffeting aspect. It's like climbing while some joker dances around you and slaps you upside the head. You just have to find a gear, a rhythm you can maintain, get low and embrace the chaos. Sometimes it helps to get pissed off but you can wear yourself out riding angry if you have a long headwind grind.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

CommuterBoy said:


> "Wind is a hill with no soul." Forgot who said that, but it's true.


I hope you don't mind. I took this quote for my signiture. :thumbsup:


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

^Oh, I don`t think he`ll sue you for taking it from him :lol:


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ MTBX might 

When I'm on the mountian bike, I get in that tuck position by grabbing the bar waaaay inboard, with my thumbs literally touching the stem on each side. Then bend the elbows and waist, and make friends with your stem. It's very effective. 

...and I have been attacked by a trash can and shingles off of someone's roof, but never a cinder block :lol:


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

CommuterBoy said:


> ... I have been attacked by a trash can and shingles off of someone's roof, but never a cinder block :lol:


Why would anyone put their trash can on their roof? 

I find I am a bit stiff in the torso to get as low as I once did. Also it hides all that bright yellow from driver's view. No free lunch in the hunch. 

BrianMc


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## Simonns (Mar 25, 2004)

If any of you live in the Denver area you will remember the winds we had earlier this year. Like sustained 60 mph winds with gusts up to 85+ mph. I decided that it would be a good training opportunity and took the bike path from Denver to Golden, down 470 to the bear creek trail to home, 52 miles total. It was insane trying to bike into a 70 mph wind, my head phones where blowing out of my ears and I couldn't go faster than 4 mph no matter how hard I peddled. And the noise that a 70 mph wind makes is incredible, like standing right underneath a jet plane. A 70 mph tailwind is pretty exciting too. I got going 48 mph on the way home. 

Anyway, thats my wind story.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

^^ Headphones blowing out of the ears is pretty intense. I have had the rear fender go a little crazy in a 50+ crosswind, when I had narrowish knobbies on the bike...the wind got in there and started the rear fender flapping, and it would catch a knob on the tire which woud bounce it back into the wind...the harder the wind blew, the faster it was...
cakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcakcak...

that combined with my crispy rain jacket sounding like machine gun fire, and a stinging rain blowing in from a few states to the east, it was pretty intense.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

rodar y rodar said:


> ^Oh, I don`t think he`ll sue you for taking it from him :lol:


Oops! I didn't read the entire thread till now. I'll fix this when I get back to my computer.


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## cjohnson (Jul 14, 2004)

*Mantras*

I often find during intense exercise repeating a mantra helps me ignore physical and mental distractions.

With that in mind I did quick search for wind and bicycle quotes. I'll read through these on a windy day, and maybe one will stick in my mind and help me reach my destination.

There are a lot of them. 

*Wind Quotes:*
"You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day."
W. Somerset Maugham

Dance With Wind*
Wind is the fate we are facing
Wind is the life we are touching every second
Wind is the love we don't understand but feel
Wind is the bridge we cannot see but feel
Wind is wind is wind is wind is wind
*Wind is the rope we to ourselves not to be free
Wind is&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;
Wind is&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.. Wind is&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.
Driving into human imagination unknowingly
-Nyein Way

A headwind is like climbing while some joker dances around you and slaps you upside the head. From Mtbr.com

A headwind is a hill with no soul. From mtbr.com

"Wind is just a hill in gaseous form."-- Barry McCarty

"I would rather ride my bike with a headwind, then to drive my car in heavy traffic on downtown street."
-- Tobias

"The world is my church, the wind in my ears is the choir and my handlebars are the alter I pray at."
-- zcubed

"Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, Toothless bites, Mouthless mutters." ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

"For example, the wind has its reasons. We just don't notice as we go about our lives. But then, at some point, we are made to notice. The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you.

The wind knows everything that's inside you. And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. They all know us very well. From top to bottom. It only occurs to us at certain times. And all we can do is go with those things. As we take them in, we survive, and deepen." ― Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing

"and the leaves were telling secrets to the wind." ― Peter Mulvey

Sometimes I go about pitying myself, while I am carried by the wind across the sky. " ― Frances Densmore, American Indians and Their Music

"And all the winds go sighing, For sweet things dying" ― Christina Rossetti

The wind howls, but the mountain remains still." ― Japanese Proverb

"The plants and flowers I raised about my hut I now surrender To the will Of the wind" ― Ryokan

"A boy's will is the wind's will, and the thought's of youth are long, long thoughhts" ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

*Who Has Seen The Wind?*
Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
-Christina Georgina Rossetti

When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.
~Arthur Conan Doyle

Next to a leisurely walk I enjoy a spin on my tandem bicycle. It is splendid to feel the wind blowing in my face and the springy motion of my iron steed. The rapid rush through the air gives me a delicious sense of strength and buoyancy, and the exercise makes my pulse dance and my heart sing.
~Helen Keller, author and blind-rights advocate

Truth hurts. Maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a seat missing, but it hurts.
~Leslie Nielsen, Naked Gun 2 1/2.

I thought of that while riding my bicycle.
~Albert Einstein

Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring. -Desmond Tutu (really? Tutu?).

Riding gets me fit. But that's just luck. I don't ride to get fit. -R. Todd Barker

My grandfather told me: Always wear underpants beneath your kanzu before you mount your bicycle. Foolishly I mocked him, and now my heart is a dry ear pod. I was cycling home from the market when a terrible whirlwind blew up my kanzu, ballooning it over my face and lifting me far above the ground. I kept control but when the bike landed I sat down hard upon my testicles, squashing them against the saddle to the flatness of patties. A sharp pain ran through my entire body. Then I felt an inner peace and went into a deep sleep.
-Mzee Oposen

"It never gets easier, you just go faster." -- Greg LeMond


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

^Nice compilation.


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## cjohnson (Jul 14, 2004)

*some people sure can turn a phrase*

A few of these genuinely caused to me stop and ponder.

Wind is the fate we are facing...

Wind is wind is wind is wind....

the wind has its reasons.

The wind knows everything that's inside you.


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## gregnash (Jul 17, 2010)

rodar y rodar said:


> Wind sucks. Wind every day for a week or more REALLY sucks.
> You just leave earlier and go slower. Oh, and cuss a lot to keep your spirits up.


This... and Rodar can vouch... we have been having RIDICULOUS wind the last few weeks. Thursday last week (think it was thursday) came around a corner (head wind of about 20mph) and got a gust that literally drug me out of the bike lane and into the street. Never cussed so much on the way home. Normally, even with wind, I can top 18mph in the longer straights, this day I struggled to hit 15mph and when I say struggled I mean I was pedalling my ass of.

Looks like it will be another fun day today too, supposed to be 20+mph winds on the way home tonight.... GRRREEEAAAAAATTTT


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

Well I set three records today thanks to the wind. Record slowest outbound leg of 12.5 miles at 10.6 mph. Record fastest return in the last three years, at 19 mph. I never seem to recoup as much as I lose. I felt I could ride faster but my heat rate was in the 90% range. The two legs set my slowest average speed in a long while. Pedaling downhill in a gear normally used to climb hills into a wind howling up grade at you takes the soul out of the hill. Did not have to use granny but was down to 36/29 twice. Got to use top gear for long stretches and to check my max HR, twice and it looks like 168 not bad, as rule of thumb said 160, hit 180 at the top of the last climb home to the stop sign with a pickup closing in, so a little out of the saddle to round it off. 

So I am on my way back.


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## CycleAddict (Aug 8, 2009)

I think I ride into a hefty headwind on almost every road ride and/or commute. Today for instance - 21 miles and at least half of it was into a headwind. It's funny though, because it's sort of a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship. It encourages me to spin a lower gear and tuck myself into the bike. While drivers go zooming by while listening to their radios, I'm spinning along, trying to slice my way through the wind that they probably hardly notice. I generally do some cursing and pleading to mother nature to make it stop. Sometimes it does, other times not so much! But, It keeps me healthy and humble. Plus, it makes you appreciate the crap out of tail winds.


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## nepbug (Sep 3, 2004)

Wind is my nemesis, or at least it used to be.

I do my best to change my attitude with it. I force myself to embrace the wind, only thinking of positive things and laugh off/be amazed at the huge gusts.

That said, I still let out a lot of expletives last year when a cross-wind blew me off the MUT, over a fence, into the the highway shoulder. I got stopped in time, but the wind then ripped my sunglasses off my face and I helplessly watched as they made it across 3 lanes of highway traffic before they met their end on the front bumper of a Subaru. The rest of the ride without eye protection moved me to tears . That's my most expensive commute to date, $100 glasses gone.


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## cjohnson (Jul 14, 2004)

*Poetry mash-up*

I re-combined my favorite lines into a new poem. I found myself repeating this lines yesterday so I thought I'd write 'em down.

*The wind has its reasons.*
Wind is the fate we are facing,
Wind is wind is wind is wind.
For who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.
Wind is the fate we are facing.


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## woodway (Dec 27, 2005)

"The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind."

Now just TRY to get that song out of your head for the rest of the day


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

The wind blew a semi onto its side with the same storm line I waited out on Tuesday. Seems I invested my time wisely in holing up for a bit, or I'd have been gone with the Schwinn. 

BrianMc


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

*How does that old saying go?*

climbing makes you stronger, but wind makes you angrier. Try to get your upper body as aero as you can and find a sustainable candence and plug away. key for me is to not tense up, just relax, get comfy and just pedal. :thumbsup:


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## newfangled (Sep 13, 2010)

Lost my sunglasses last night. I'd been volunteering at the co-op, so was heading home at around 10pm in some pretty heavy rain. Got onto the big bridge that I cross everyday, and with the combination of gusting wind and me landing a little jump the glasses were suddenly gone. I stopped to try to find them, but they weren't anywhere on the pathway, so they're either into traffic or into the river.

(they were pretty basic, but I'd bought replacement lenses for them in high-contrast yellow. The lenses they came with which are now sitting in my parts bin and which I didn't like are crap-brown. So now I'm on the hunt for a replacement pair, that allows replaceable lenses, but that comes in yellow instead of brown. Bah.)


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

*"The Bull Moose"*

I had a pair of tri-bars lying around not doing anything so I put them on the commuter so I could get low. Along with the bar ends I already had for alternate hand positions it looks like I'm riding a 4 point buck. They work pretty well for getting out of the wind. Not nearly the control as normal hand positions, my peddling efficiency is lower, at least until I build up the right muscles and the rider-seat interface is a little stressed in that position. Oh, and I had to take off my convenient coffee cup holder.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Like pedaling a four-point buck, eh? Hehe.
Do you have experience in riding aero like that? I have a few questions about it that you might be able to answer. I usually ride pretty low, and have no gut to speak of, but I`ve tried riding from time to time sucked way down with my elbows on top of the bars, and it makes me feel like a circus midget stuffed into a little box. It`s tough to breathe like that, too. Is there some technique that needs to be learned? Different setup for the rest of the bike? Just need to spend more time in that position to get used to it? I`m kind of guessing that riders who spend hours in a super-aero tuck probably have thier saddles tilted down a lot and much further forward than "otherwise". Also, are the terms "aero bars", "TT bars", and "tri bars" all interchangeable, or are there differences between them?


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## copsey (Jul 11, 2010)

First time I've had a tail wind morning and evening today. Super pumped for that to happen again, although so far that's probably 20 days with a head wind both directions and one with a tail. Ohh well, had a great time riding!


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

rodar y rodar said:


> Like pedaling a four-point buck, eh? Hehe.
> Do you have experience in riding aero like that? I have a few questions about it that you might be able to answer. I usually ride pretty low, and have no gut to speak of, but I`ve tried riding from time to time sucked way down with my elbows on top of the bars, and it makes me feel like a circus midget stuffed into a little box. It`s tough to breathe like that, too. Is there some technique that needs to be learned? Different setup for the rest of the bike? Just need to spend more time in that position to get used to it? I`m kind of guessing that riders who spend hours in a super-aero tuck probably have thier saddles tilted down a lot and much further forward than "otherwise". Also, are the terms "aero bars", "TT bars", and "tri bars" all interchangeable, or are there differences between them?


No, not too much experience. My build sounds similar to you and it feels the same way. The front of the seat grinds into all the wrong places. On the other hand the seat feels too low. I only use that position about 10% of the time since there are no brakes out there and there is less control so I'm not going to change the bike setup to accommodate it. I'm pretty sure all the terms are interchangeable. I'd be interested in more feedback too.

I haven't had a chance to use them in stronger wind yet (I can wait) but in a low-moderate headwind I gain 1-2 mph by dropping down. I can feel that I am using my muscles differently so I'm sure with more time in that position that will improve.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I'd always understood the aero bar position to be different enough to require different setup. I believe a lot of road racers who own TT bikes set up their TT bikes with the saddle further forward relative to the bottom bracket, the handlebars lower, and the stem clamp further back, relative to the bottom bracket - so a shorter overall reach, and an effectively steeper seat angle.

The "poor man's stage race setup" using clip-on aero bars is supposed to involve a certain amount of tweaking to the bike if the poor man in question also wants to be competitive in his category. Stuff like flipping the seat post around to steepen up the position. And the clip-on bars that go with this setup are designed to sit a little further back on the base bar.

I was keeping my mouth shut to now because for me, this is all hearsay. I've never done an on-road TT.

Check out slowtwitch.com for more discussion of aero bike setups than you ever wanted to read.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Okay, I googled around a little bit. Does this help?:








Actually, I did find some interresting stuff that hadn`t occured to me. As far as triathaletes go, the bike position is supposedly as much about saving their legs for the run as it is about going faster on the bike. You guys might have already known that, but it was a new one for me. I saw no mention about saddle tilt in my brief google exploration, but it sure seems like a desirable thing to me when riding slumped forward like that. I wonder if there are quick release tilts like those dropper seatposts that the AM guys use?

I`ll take a peek around on that slowtwitch site, Andrew. Some links showed up for it today that I didn`t hit on, but I remember it from shorts research last year. I wonder how much different the positions and equipment are between tri and TT?

Totally off topic: it suddenly seems kind of odd that so few triathaletes hang out on bike forums. There is a generous mix of roadies, MTBers and cross racers on all the cycling sites I hound, but I don`t think I`ve ever heard mention of anything tri related except an occasional suggestion to borrow from a bit of their equipment. They must hang out more with runners.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I don't think there's much of a difference between TT and Tri except for the occasional Tri bike that's not UCI-legal. Road racers' TT bikes have a few more rules to comply with.

Triathletes aren't really cyclists.  Seriously, though, it seems to be a very different group. I've met a fair number of people who do triathlons, and a lot of them don't even see it as racing, which is odd to me - they have a massed start and a podium at the end, are they not trying to beat each other?? Anyway, I've met a fair number of people who've done some triathlons, gotten interested in cycling, started competing on bikes, and ditched tris. I don't know if any of my teammates are currently doing tris, even those that used to - it seems that a lot focus on cycling, even if within cycling you might run into them racing mountain bikes in the spring and summer, 'cross bikes in the Fall and winter, and on road-going group rides year-round. My joke is that triathletes don't actually enjoy cycling. Hard-core roadies sometimes have a very odd way that they enjoy cycling, but it takes all kinds.  Some triathletes seem to think it's okay to do most of their cycling training on spin bikes or a trainer, and rent a bike for the race. Weird! The transitions are supposed to be exciting because they need to be able to start, stop and turn on bikes there, while it may not come up anywhere on the actual course.

Supposedly, cycling is really quad-heavy even for those of us not trying to save our legs for the run. So I don't know if there's actually a setup difference there, or if in the context of triathlon, something that's neutral or a slight negative for us just becomes more positive.

I'll be curious to hear if you turn up some setup differences.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

Keeping OT: I'm signing up for a local unofficial tri. I've heard that triathletes set their bikes up to save their legs for running too. I was wondering if the opposite is possible. Can a bike be set up to use similar muscles as running? Since I don't run I'd like to get some of that conditioning on the bike.

Most of the triathletes I know around here like the biking part best. A few of the do a local group ride and they are at the front of the pack.


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## AlmostGreenGuy (Feb 12, 2012)

Wind blows. But sometimes it's a tailwind, and that just makes up for everything that's wrong in life. I did my 15 mile commute home last Friday with a strong tailwind. I felt like a freakin' god.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

bedwards1000 said:


> Keeping OT: I'm signing up for a local unofficial tri. I've heard that triathletes set their bikes up to save their legs for running too. I was wondering if the opposite is possible. Can a bike be set up to use similar muscles as running? Since I don't run I'd like to get some of that conditioning on the bike.


I was thinking about this...

I think that mountain bikers have a little less imbalanced leg development than strict roadies. But I don't have a good way to explain it.

I think a more rapid cadence emphasizes the quadriceps less. At slower cadences, more emphasis is on the down stroke - it takes more force to generate the same power, while the trailing leg only needs the same force to unweight the trailing pedal. At higher cadences, I think it's more even - it takes the same force to unweight the trailing pedal, but the front leg doesn't need to exert as much force to get the same power, since the strokes happen more often.

The bottom of a pedal stroke seems to me to be the most similar part to running. Runners are in a state of dynamic balance and don't bob up and down too much, at least smooth runners. So they don't ask a lot of their quads. I think the verticality of the stroke in pedaling a bicycle is probably a big part of why we use our quads more. Watch a smooth runner, and their feet are either on the ground, for the propulsion part of the step, or just skimming it. When a runner propels himself forward, the only muscle in place to provide power is the hamstring. Well, and calf. The point being, you might get something out of pedaling drills emphasizing the top and bottom parts of the spin.

I've been trying to pick up running again and doing pretty badly at it. I actually have a relatively okay 5k time, but I really hammer my joints. I've been doing very conservative workouts and some physical therapy to try to improve the strength, stability and alignment of my legs. I think that just like the best training for cycling is cycling, if you want to run, you need to run. Otherwise, even if you can do your running leg fast, you may find yourself really regretting participating afterwards. There's a huge stability element in running that cyclists just don't have to do because of the constraint imposed by using pedals on a crank.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

I started a Biking -> Running -> Triathlon Thread so we don't completely hijack the wind one.


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## Lenny7 (Sep 1, 2008)

I did a 90 mile ride in 40-50 mph gusts once. It was murder. For some reason yelling at myself while going into the wind helped. Not much though, Not a fun day.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

p08757 said:


> Oops! I didn't read the entire thread till now. I'll fix this when I get back to my computer.


It only took me 2 weeks, but its changed.


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## gumby_kevbo (Dec 24, 2011)

The only thing good about the wind is that I can pass most of the skinny guys. They have a higher power/weight but I must have a higher power/air resistance ratio.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

Update: I'm actually really liking the aero bars on my MTB commuter. I'm riding in that position more and more and it does help quite a bit with the wind. I find if I choke up on the bars so I am holding them just before they bend up it improves my position on the bike and I have a lot more control than I do when I am stretched all the way out.


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## CommuterBoy (Oct 4, 2007)

AlmostGreenGuy said:


> Wind blows.


Well done.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

bedwards1000 said:


> Update: I'm actually really liking the aero bars on my MTB commuter. I'm riding in that position more and more and it does help quite a bit with the wind. I find if I choke up on the bars so I am holding them just before they bend up it improves my position on the bike and I have a lot more control than I do when I am stretched all the way out.


I`m glad you`re digging the bars, Bedwards. Does the position feel more comfortable now that you`ve had some time to get used to it? You didn`t change your saddle position?


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

I didn't touch the saddle position. Choking up on the bars improves the position on the bike enough.


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## mhwong529 (Jun 4, 2012)

Headwinds...especially those are above 20mph, simply wasting my energy. 

However, I think the most dangerous part is Crosswind. I am living around SF and it's windy all the time.
Those crosswind are very strong and it makes your bike quite unstable for a split second. In my opinion, that's even worst than headwind. 

If a jet can be affected by crosswind, how hard can it be to affect a bike?


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