My thoughts:

1. Are you a little person?
2. You should learn how to handle your bike.
3. Don't move here (Corpus Christi); 15 gusting to 20 is pretty standard wind here and most of the guys always ride their deep rims.
4. 30 sustained gusting to 40+?

I would say you need to work on your bike handling skills. We get those winds and far more every single day where I am from and still manage 80mm wheels front and rear. A few months ago I raced in 45mph+ winds, still ran 80mm front and rear. The difference between those with the skills to handle their bikes was clearly apparent.

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I learned a long time ago that the only pertinent information you offer is found within the last sentence.

How much do you weigh? How are your bike handling skills?

A 170lbs former cyclist, and a 130lbs athlete coming into the sport from a running or swimming background, will get two vastly different answers to that question.

quit death gripping the bars. the bike is not trying to kill you so you don't have to kill it first.

What wheels?

I road a set of ENVE 8.9's in 15-20mph sustained winds over the weekend and had no issue at all.

This varies widely. For some people it is never. Only way to know is ride and see.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

15-20 should be fine for most people. The key is learning to compensate for crosswinds by leaning on your bike rather than steering.

The answer is relative....it all depends on how much you can be comfortable with. As expected, you got responses that basically say "man up", but that really isn't constructive.

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"I would definitely smell her seat after a century ride"

AND, these is not much relationship between weather station wind speed and wind speeds on the ground at bike level.

Someplace exposed the two may be close, other places, not close at all.

So most of these 'mph' comparisons have no meaning at all.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

28mph average one way, turnaround and barely 15mph average on the return…too windy nahhhh, just another day riding in Chicago! (with 404's and no issue)

I have had the tri-bike for 3 years, but only ride it 20 times a year... I usually ride my road bike for most training rides. I have only rode twice with new carbon wheels (60 in front and 80 in back) The first ride was fine on a calm day. However with gusts up to 20 on the last ride, it was hard to keep the bike "safe" in my mind when riding in aero. When I felt the gusts were too bad I got off the aero bars. I know there is a level of comfort I will need to find during windy conditions, but was just looking for some constructive advice. Around here in flat Ohio...gusts can just come out of nowhere...and blow you three feet into the traffic lane on the edge of the road.

Maybe ride those wheels a bit more often to see if you can get used to it.

The other tip is if you think a race will be windy, keep the deep rear wheel on. Only replace the front. A rear wheel is almost never a problem.

You might have a deep rear wheel on one day, and have problems with wind blowing you around, but on those days, so is everyone, regardless of their wheels. Rear wheel doesn't steer, so it is not hard to control.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Do some training with the deep wheels on your road bike; just takes a bit of getting used to (just like using aerobars).

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I was already thinking the same thing about changing the front out on raceday if necessary...I think I just need to ride them a heck of a lot more.

thx for the advice...I will definitely do that.

You'll get used to it... keep riding. As mentioned don't death grip the bars and try and instantly compensate for each gust. It's like riding a MTB in sand... the bike will go straight, if you stop trying to make it go straight.

The first ride after I bought my FLO 60/90 combo was a very gusty day (30-40mph gusts) and I thought "what the fuck did I do" the whole ride. After a couple weeks of riding it wasn't a problem anymore.

Like most things in life the key is to stop over managing it ;)

Something nobody has mentioned is bike fit ... if you are far forward on the bike, it's going to move around more on you with deep wheels in wind than if you are a bit farther back. The difference between my first TT bike and second is pretty huge in wind and corners for stability.

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Too windy is 35+mph gust of wind hitting you on a descent with a disc/50mm setup. I've never been so helpless.... bike just shudders and speed wobbles like crazy, and all my efforts to counteract the gusts were just not happening, and actually threw me off my line by 3 or 4 feet. The first 15 miles of the 40 mile run was 10-15mph sustained winds with gusts around 20-25mph but then you hit the open road in the canyons and booom! Never again....

I am ok with gusts on horns...but the problem is when I am in aero....

I had a similar experience in a time trial. Nasty weather moving in, but thought we'd get the races in prior to it hitting. Winds started picking up just before the start of the 5K TT. By the time I got to the Iine the gusts were really picking up. I was using a disc with a 90mm front. Just before the turn point there was a open, power line cut. Passing it, I got hit by a gust of wind that blew me from the white line all the way to the middle of the road - and the bike was wobbling nearly uncontrollably. I really thought I was going down for a few seconds. Making matters worse, the road was not closed to traffic and this wasn't in a particularly bike friendly area. Thankfully, I regained control and finished the race (slowing significantly coming back by the power line area on the way back). By the time I finished the 5K, the wind was so bad the tents at the start area had blown down. Still had a 10K to go, so I yanked off the 90mm front and replaced it with my training wheel - no major handling issues at all in the 10K and the conditions, if anything, got even worse.

I consider myself a decent bike handler and I'm not a real lightweight at 175 lbs. Bottom line for me is I won't ride the 90mm front again in gusty conditions like that, especially on a road that isn't closed to traffic. I hate to think what might have happened if a car had been overtaking me when I went wobbling across the traffic lane.

Here's all you need to know about riding in the wind. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8qgjyqibwY

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- I do all my own stunts

That's a normal, average wind day around here and most of the central midwest. For the spring, it's actually a little on the light side. 404/808 are manageable. Sure you get tossed around a little, but not too bad.

I've never ridden in too windy conditions. The worst was maybe a steady 30mph with 35mph gusts. Strong enough that you got a strong sensation that the wind was sucking the air out of your nose as it blew across your nostrils and created a venturi effect.

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TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I have ridden in 30 mph gusts but not with carbon wheels yet. That being said, I live in NJ where the traffic is quite steady and some drivers are very aggressive. If a motor vehicle is only giving me 24 inches of space on a pass I'm not taking chances and trying to "man up." If you cannot find a low or no traffic place to ride in practice then I would err on the side of caution and ride when you feel comfortable. Keep in mind, the more you ride the more comfortable you will become on your set up.

Patti in NJ

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Patti in NJ