So the other night I went out with some friends - rode my bike to her house and stayed the night (about 30 minutes from my house.) The next morning after a slight drizzle I'm on my merry way home.

Holy crap was it windy!!!! Once I got home and checked out the weather they said 30 MPH winds. What was crazy is it would come from the east for a bit, then whip back around from the west, then hit me head on.

I only have about 800 miles under my belt and this was the first time for me to ride in a really windy scenario. It seems to be a common occurance this time of year up here in Cleveland...being right off the lake doesn't help I guess. It seemed as I became more comfortable with the wind what worked best was to just relax and go with it. Also, I found that tucking way low made it worse...I'm guessing being one blob with the bike gave the wind more to grab on to at once? Who knows.

A question....

Wet leaves...or just leaves in general, anybody have any bad experience with these on the streets? I think every leaf in Cleveland fell the night before this ride and I was being very cautious as I was afraid of slipping on all the leaves everywhere.

 

i've never riden a bike, but i have read a few stories of people slipping on leaves and gravel. just be careful and keep the ride real smooth w/no sudden turns i'd say.

 

Tucking lower on your bike makes it harder for the wind to push you around - less area for the wind to blow against.

Lean (your body) into the wind to help reduce the effects. Relaxing will help your bike maintain its composure, but you'll need to be applying pressure to the bars to counteract the windblast.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So the other night I went out with some friends - rode my bike to her house and stayed the night (about 30 minutes from my house.) The next morning after a slight drizzle I'm on my merry way home.</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Haha, she's married with a kid. I slept on the couch downstairs.

Honestly though, when I tucked I found the wind to be pushing me around more than when I was more upright. Odd, I know....

When the wind was head on, yes, it definitely helped to tuck, but when the wind was coming in perpendicular to my bearing, it was pushing me around crazy styles.

 

When its really windy it gets interesting. You have to lean into it just to stay straight up. And with winds coming from every which direction it gets hard to stay in your lane. As for the leaves, Ive never really even noticed them on the ground.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Honestly though, when I tucked I found the wind to be pushing me around more than when I was more upright. Odd, I know....</TD></TR></TABLE>
Possibly when you're sitting more upright, you unconsciously exert more force on the handlegrips to counteract the effects of wind.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by marmaladeboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Possibly when you're sitting more upright, you unconsciously exert more force on the handlegrips to counteract the effects of wind.</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is what I was thinking explained it best.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Haha, she's married with a kid. I slept on the couch downstairs.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i know someone that slept on the couch downstairs too,the husband and wife ended up getting a divorce because he came home and found my friend and his wife in his bed,haha

sneaky sneaky sneaky

 

Nah, she was upstairs in bed with her husband.....no funny business.

She lives 30 minutes from me....so anytime we go out, its understood that I will be sleeping on the couch.

Plus, I only have my motorcycle permit so I can't ride at night...let alone after drinking...super bad combo.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Nah, she was upstairs in bed with her husband.....no funny business.

She lives 30 minutes from me....so anytime we go out, its understood that I will be sleeping on the couch.

Plus, I only have my motorcycle permit so I can't ride at night...let alone after drinking...super bad combo.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Of course, we're just giving you a hard time.

Good on you for having the clarity to not drink and ride.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Plus, I only have my motorcycle permit so I can't ride at night...let alone after drinking...super bad combo.</TD></TR></TABLE>

so you take the streets to her house?nor are you suppose to use highways with a permit

 

Yes sir, you got it. No highways, no night riding, always wear a helmet (ohio has no helmet law - ) and no passengers.

I'm fine with that until I get a bit better on the bike. I figure I'll get my license at the beggining of next year, no rush. There are plenty of regular roads that are 50 mph speed limits that I can enjoy a little speed on.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hybridcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes sir, you got it. No highways, no night riding, always wear a helmet (ohio has no helmet law - ) and no passengers.

I'm fine with that until I get a bit better on the bike. I figure I'll get my license at the beggining of next year, no rush. There are plenty of regular roads that are 50 mph speed limits that I can enjoy a little speed on. </TD></TR></TABLE>

oh ok,if it were the same as here,L.A.,it would be hell to take streets everywhere