goRIDEwx · About

Safety disclaimer

The Go Ride Weather Calculator (goRIDEwx) is informational only. It is for personal use only, not commercial use. You are solely responsible for your decisions and your safety. Conditions can change quickly and may differ from forecasts or on-screen indicators. A Green+ icon is not a guarantee of safe or comfortable conditions.

Know your personal limits, health status, skills, and equipment.
Use multiple sources (official forecasts/alerts) and local observation.
If conditions look or feel unsafe, don’t go — regardless of what the page shows.

By using goRIDEwx, you agree that all actions you take are your own responsibility and that the authors and hosts of this site are not liable for any outcomes, injuries, or losses arising from its use.

About goRIDEwx

"goRIDE Weather Calculator"

Most weather apps show you forecasts and leave the decision to you. goRIDEwx starts with your limits for FEELS LIKE temperature, wind, precipitation and weather conditions then calculates if the conditions meet your definition of “go.” The result is your answer. Plan your riding day or week at a glance.

Sample 7-Day Dashboard

Green + : goRIDE!
Yellow - : goRIDE with caution - approaching your limits
Red x : no-go, exceeds one or more of your limits

Alternatively Consider:

Green + : Your Comfort Zone
Yellow - : Your Uncomfortable Zone
Red x : Your Discomfort\Challenge Zone (or ride Indoors)

Sample Dashboard. Note the time window (9a-3p) can be changed in settings

You've got your answer, now goRIDE!

If you want the weather details, they are there:

For Hourly Data, click the goDOT
For the daily goTIME report, click the day (Fri, Sat, Sun...)

Explore all the system features in the topics below.

Weather Details

Hourly goDOT

Clicking any of the goDOTs opens up the details for that hour
Use this panel at the start of a ride to get locked into your ride plan
Couple of features to note on this panel:

Line 2 explains the 'why' for Yellow or Red goDOT
"Check Radar" will open a new browser window zoomed into the Location

My Condition Codes Icon — Hourly Details

goTIME Daily Report

Lightbar mimics the goDOT color pattern for the hours
Clicking the 'Up Arrow' icon in the table header jumps back up to the Dashboard
Clicking the 'Info' button in the table header opens more details about that factor
Check Radar opens a new browser window to the location
"Show 24hrs" toggle button will show all the hours for the day
To permanently show additional hours go to "My Settings" -> "My Dashboard" -> "Show More Hours"

Example: clicking the Wind Info button shows the related Ranges, color-coding, icons and goDOT assignments.

The Yellow Dot

Explaining "Yellow -"

Yellow is still a goRIDE scenario but with caveats. It usually flags one or more of:

Temp a bit cool/cold or warm/hot (never ride beyond your capabilities)
Wind a little punchy (expect gusts)
Precip possible (damp/wet surfaces)
AQI = 3 (sensitive people could be affected)
Other Condition Codes (fog, light rain, light snow). Click the condition code Info icon for the full list.

Plan and prepare accordingly - then enjoy the ride.

An example with Wind Limit set to 20 mph, the Yellow goDOT kicks in at 16

goDot Yellow for Wind — goDot Yellow Limit For Wind with Max Wind set to 20 mph.

goDot Logic Flow Diagram

If you really want to know the details of how the calculator checks for Red, Yellow, Green goDOTs then this panel is for you :-)

Location Names

Entering a location

While the WeatherAPI is pretty flexible in accepting ZIP/postal code or City, ST.
Common city names can resolve incorrectly : "Springfield"

When in doubt, spell it out - Springfield IL
or use the ZIP Code 62701.

Worst Case Example, even spelled out, La Jolla CA will incorrectly return La Jolla MX

Use ZIP CODE 92037
Otherwise La Jolla California USA

Here's how it flows

Once the location is dialed in you are good to go
On your mobile device your ZIP CODE will pop up automatically
On mobile, speech to text works also

My Settings

My Settings -> My Limits

My Limits

My Limits Settings

Out of the box these are the default limit settings:

Hi Temp : 90F
Lo Temp : 45F
Wind : 15 mph
Precip : 0.05" hr

These settings directly affect the calculated results. You can change the settings to match your limits by clicking on "My Settings" > "My Limits".

Set your limits, click Apply and the page will refresh and recalculate with the new settings.
All your settings are saved in the new URL.
Save it as a bookmark and you are good to go from here on out.

My Settings -> My Goals

My Goals

If you have a special event you are training for and want to keep the date in front you go to "My Settings" > "My Goals"

My Settings -> My Conditions

WeatherAPI returns 48 different condition codes
goRIDEwx puts them in two categories

Non-Hazardous which you can modify
Hazardous which are locked from changes

Tip: Click the Info button to view all the Condition Codes

Condition Codes Info — View all the Condition Codes and their active goDOT color

Non-Hazardous

The WeatherAPI also returns a condition code (Sunny, Rain, Blizzard) for each hour.
Each Condition Code is assigned a default goDOT color (Green, Yellow, Red)
Non-Hazardous condition codes can be overridden in "My Settings" -> "My Conditions"

Hazardous

The following condition codes are flagged internally as hazardous and their goDOT default is Red x and cannot be changed, at this time
We are considering adding an Advanced Settings tab where you could override them but for now they are locked
If you have a case that something should be unlocked send an email and we'll look at it
Non-Hazardous condition codes can be overridden in "My Settings" -> "My Conditions"

1117 : Blizzard
1147 : Freezing fog
1168 : Freezing drizzle
1171 : Heavy freezing drizzle
1198 : Light freezing rain
1201 : Moderate or heavy freezing rain
1204 : Light sleet
1207 : Moderate or heavy sleet
1237 : Ice pellets
1249 : Light sleet showers
1252 : Moderate or heavy sleet showers
1261 : Light showers of ice pellets
1264 : Moderate or heavy showers of ice pellets
1273 : Patchy light rain with thunder
1276 : Moderate or heavy rain with thunder
1279 : Patchy light snow with thunder
1282 : Moderate or heavy snow with thunder

Conditions that cause a Yellow or Red goDOT will have a border around the icon.

Condition Icon — Condition Codes Flagged

My Settings -> My Dashboard

My Dashboard is a collection of settings that affect how the screens are presented

My Time Windows
My Layouts
My Radar

See the on-line help (?) for additional info
Be sure to scroll to the bottom to "Apply" any changes
Then Update\Save your bookmark with the new setup

Initial goTIME window setup. Scroll down to "Apply" any changes.

*** More Details On These Two Settings ***

My Dashboard - Show More Hours

A picture is worth a thousand words
With Show More Hours = 2

My Dashboard - Show Numbers or Ranges

A picture is worth a thousand words
The default is to Show # which everyone can relate to
The Show #'s toggle button on the Daily Report is a temporary switch to Show Ranges so you can see the Ranges in action

Ranges are another way to hide the weather details

Do you care if it's 61 or 64 degrees? They are both in the same range
Range 0 is your ideal comfort zone
Ranges 1, 2, 3 move further away from ideal
For Temp -1, -2, -3, -4 are getting colder while the + side is getting warmer
Range 4 turns the goDOT yellow as you approach your limit
Range 5 turns the goDOT red as you hit your limit
With that concept then you really only need to care about what range you are working in
The color-coding scheme remains the same for both Show Numbers and Show Ranges
Also Ranges may work better for Metric users until we get those numbers in the system

Copy-Share Link

Copy-Share your Custom URL Link

Need to copy or share your goRIDEwx URL then this panel is for you.
The following screenshots will walk you through the setup options.

Select Options — Check any options (or none) that you want included in the link

Copy The Link — Copy the link to put it in your clipboard to paste elsewhere

Email Option — You can also create a messsage suitable to paste in email

Email Preview — Click "View Details" to preview the email body

Presets

Pre-configured Dashboards

Pre-configured regional dashboards are available on the Presets page
Experiment with how well a SoCal preset plays in New England (and vice-versa)
Find a preset that you like and use it or tweak further

Southwest Preset — Palomar Mountain CA Preset

What's Next

Some thoughts for future enhancements

A split screen dashboard for commuters to show both their AM and PM hours in the goTIME window
Metric Values!
Maybe read a well organized calendar .ics file to auto load the 'Next Goal' ride and countdown timer.

goRIDEwx Background Story

Retired IT guy and bike rider wanting to experiment with AI and build something useful
Thought a bike riding weather dashboard would be a nice little project
Through some creativity on my part and AI's technical work goRIDEwx was born
Now goRIDE!

The goal wasn't to create the perfect weather dashboard
The goal was to learn the pros and cons of using AI to augment technical programming work
Mission Accomplished and a side benefit is we have a tool to help decide when to goRIDE!

Email: goridewx@tutamail.com

Blog: nope - goRIDE
Tweet: none - goRIDE
Social: nada - goRIDE
Podcast: null - goRIDE
Micro.Blog: yes actually - here - goRIDE

Privacy Policy

goRIDEwx Privacy Policy

goRIDEwx does not use cookies, tracking pixels, or analytics.
goRIDEwx does use temporary, browser-local storage (such as session-based memory) to preserve on-page state and navigation continuity during a visit. This information is not transmitted to goRIDEwx servers, is not used for tracking, and is cleared automatically when the browser session ends.
We do not collect, store, or sell personal information.
Weather data is retrieved anonymously a third-party API (weatherapi.com) and processed in real time to generate on-screen results.
goRIDEwx includes optional outbound links to third-party services such as Windy.com and Zoom.Earth. These external sites operate independently and have their own privacy policies and data-handling practices.
goRIDEwx is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of third-party websites.
Standard web server logs (e.g., IP address, request time) may be temporarily recorded by the hosting provider for security and operational purposes.

Last updated: Jan 15, 2026

goRIDEwx Terms of Use

goRIDEwx is provided for personal, non-commercial use only as an informational and decision-support tool. It does not provide guarantees, warranties, or professional advice of any kind.
Commercial use of goRIDEwx, including use in paid services, products, applications, or redistributions, is not permitted without prior written permission.
Weather conditions are inherently variable and forecasts may be inaccurate or incomplete. Users are responsible for their own decisions and actions, including whether and how to ride, travel, or participate in outdoor activities.
goRIDEwx uses third-party weather data sources and presents calculated results based on user-defined or default limits. These results are estimates and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for safety-critical decisions.
goRIDEwx includes optional links to third-party websites such as Windy.com and Zoom.Earth. These sites operate independently, and goRIDEwx is not responsible for their content, availability, or practices.
Use of this site is at your own risk. goRIDEwx and its operators shall not be held liable for any loss, injury, damage, or inconvenience resulting from the use of this site or reliance on its information.

By using goRIDEwx, you agree to these terms.

Last updated: Jan 15, 2026