dressing for super hot weather...any tricks?

[shinomaster]

If you have to ride when it is 100 degree out of doors do you bust out a different wardrobe? I myself only have jerseys with regular sleeves. I think today I may have to rock a wife-beater, or wear just my castelli mesh "undershirt" and my short, shorts. Bibs make my back too hot on days like these.

[fstrthnu]

Put a leaf of lettuce under Your Cycling Cap.

Fstrthnu

[Roy E. Munson]

Will cabbage do?

[Tom]

Will cabbage do?

Yes, and it will keep people from following too closely.

[shinomaster]

Put a leaf of lettuce under Your Cycling Cap.

Fstrthnu

That's a great idea! I'll try butter lettuce.
You try sitting on a frozen flank steak, and we'll compare notes.

[Endless Goods]

Always synthetic base layer, no matter what the weather- no cotton wife beaters...CRAFT have worked well for me...though a little expensive.

Full zip jerseys are always nice...rockin' it TH style...

[Too Tall]

An old white dress shirt long sleeve. Beat the heat and looks neat.

[Ray]

Once its over 80, I dress the same regardless of how much hotter it gets. Normal riding bib and a LIGHT wool jersey does it for me every time, preferably one with a longish zip. Below 80 I'll mess with base layers - also wool - but above I don't find any benefit. The only time I wear synthetic stuff on my upper half is if I want to wear one of my club jerseys for an event or when it's really cold, at which point I wear a Craft base layer, a wool jersey, and a thermal jacket. The plastic stuff rocks for keeping you warm with relatively little thickness or weight.

-Ray

[shinomaster]

Always synthetic base layer, no matter what the weather- no cotton wife beaters...CRAFT have worked well for me...though a little expensive.

Full zip jerseys are always nice...rockin' it TH style...

I have tried my fancy mesh castelli base layer under my jersey, over my bibs and I think it's a bunch of B.S. That is four layers of fabric on your back, with the pockets. Thin cotton dries just fine when its 100 degree and you are riding 23mph.

I do however unzip the jersey like T.H. before he was busted as a crackhead.

[dgauthier]

I agree with you shino - you want fewer layers, not more. Atmo, nature's way is best: your body cools itself ideally when bare skin is open to the air. You want to wear clothes that come the closest to wearing nothing at all. That means sleeveless jerseys and wicking fabrics.

Also, try riding in the early morning to beat the heat and pollution.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . Naked. :banana: :banana: :banana:

BBD

[stevep]

Put a leaf of lettuce under Your Cycling Cap.

Fstrthnu

dont use poison ivy leaves...
anyone have any calomine lotion?

[BUTCH RIDES]

Hello ,I think it always best to dress nice.
Thank you

[Bill Bove]

Soak a bandana in ice cold water and tie it (loosely) around your neck. Dump a little water from your bottle on your head once in a while.

If ever at all you begin to feel dizzy or light headed, get goosebumps on your skin or stop sweating or feel chilly immediately get off the bike and cool your self by pouring cold water on your head, neck and hands and wrists. Do not ride through it. Heat Exhaustion and STROKE come on quick. Do not ignore the early signs. It can KILL you or leave you with brain damage.

[nicrump]

i am in texas, i say no base layer and no bibs. full zip sleeveless. and i ditch the helmet in favor of a cap. the bill draws the sweat to my stem and away from my eyes. my shoes have a lot of mesh and i drill several 3/16" holes through the sole near the toe.

[yeehawfactor]

can we formally deem sleeveless jersies mp?

[William]

Ice pack duct taped to you're back. Pricey but it works in a pinch.
Otherwise minimal layers, lot's of water. :beer:


William

[justinf]

I'm quite surprised at the scandalous photos not yet posted, given the topic. . .

[xlbs]

then you might consider wrapping an old sock (with the toe cut out of it) around your bottle. Then squirt some water onto the sock. The wind you create will evaporate the water, creating a modest but nice cooling effect. Try it, it does work...

[Lunar Probe]

can we formally deem sleeveless jersies mp?

That determination would be physique dependant.

[Lunar Probe]

and i drill several 3/16" holes through the sole near the toe.

Drainage?

[MartyE]

the real answer is to adjust to riding in the heat. However given where
you live I don't think that's really an option.
I found the mesh base layer to help but it varies with what material
it's made of. I have a coolmax one and it works surprizingly well.

Jersey's can and do make a huge difference. the Serotta PMC MS150 jersey
(hincapie brand) is much cooler than the other synthetic jerseys (garneau
and Pearl mostly).

as Bill said don't mess with heat exhaustion it comes on quietly and
can literally kill you.

Marty

[Kevan]

Soak a bandana in ice cold water and tie it (loosely) around your neck.

We're cyclists and this is the Serotta forum so instead: Soak a banana in ice cold water and tie it (loosely) around your neck.


In the olden days the solution was to use alcohol laced sponges placed between the shoulder blades. Actually, I read it was alcohol based cologne, I think.

[shinomaster]

Actually several times I have gotten the chills and goosebumps and felt sick while riding in such heat. I don't fare well in these conditions. I usually stop and soak my head. I also try to ride in the evening like last night, and avoid riding up the local three mile 1000 foot climb which makes me want to puke in the intense heat.

[bluesea]

Actually several times I have gotten the chills and goosebumps and felt sick while riding in such heat. I don't fare well in these conditions. I usually stop and soak my head. I also try to ride in the evening like last night, and avoid riding up the local three mile 1000 foot climb which makes me want to puke in the intense heat.

You were right on the edge Shino-pal. Did you stop sweating at any point?

[manet]

If you have to ride when it is 100 degree out of doors do you bust out a different wardrobe? I myself only have jerseys with regular sleeves. I think today I may have to rock a wife-beater, or wear just my castelli mesh "undershirt" and my short, shorts. Bibs make my back too hot on days like these.

shino _ riding in 100' heat is for morons _ going gay and 1/2 naked ain't the
answer. cover up man. wear a cycling cap, it shades your eyes/face and simultaneously
acts as a sweat band. choose sunscreen wisely, as that too is often more problematic
than useful _ it can block pores, thereby encasing you like a sausage.

[shinomaster]

You were right on the edge Shino-pal. Did you stop sweating at any point?

I don't remember. I have been riding since 1990 and this has happened a few times over the years. I never would choose to ride in such heat, but sometime my day off is HOT or a planned ride like the STP is during a heat wave. Sometimes it just happens.
Manet, what if I wore some really short 70's running shorts so my junk hangs out?

[yeehawfactor]

I don't remember. I have been riding since 1990 and this has happened a few times over the years. I never would choose to ride in such heat, but sometime my day off is HOT or a planned ride like the STP is during a heat wave. Sometimes it just happens.
Manet, what if I wore some really short 70's running shorts so my junk hangs out?
if you've got a chain guard there's no problem.

[SoCalSteve]

Spin class in a nice air conditioned gym?

When it gets that hot, it just aint no fun riding out of doors. I did my normal 45 mile beach ride today and it was in the mid to high 80's on my way back into the city. That's hot enough for me!

Good luck,

Steve

Plenty of water and lots of it, if you must ride out of doors. Electrolyte solution as well.

[dvancleve]

I don't ride as fast, frequently or far as most of you but I do ride in the heat a fair amount. And I mean 104F, that's not bad at all, heat. I am just SE of Phoenix, AZ and it is supposed to be 106F today and that is relatively cool for this time of year. Monsoon season will start soon and bring fairly high humidity with average daytime temps well over 100F.

Anyway, the only things I do differently now than any non-cold time is wear plenty of sunscreen (not above the eyes) and wear a sweatband under my helmet to keep the torrents of sweat (mostly) out of my eyes. I take two big water bottles for about 20-25 miles and try to get them pretty much empty. Camelbacks aren't cool for roadies, but I bust out the 100oz'er for any hot ride where I don't know for sure I can get water. That's it...

Doug Van Cleve
Chandler, AZ

P.S. Okay, I do wear the sleeveless jersey but only after getting some sun as the burnt shoulders far outweigh any miniscule difference in coolness.

If you have to ride when it is 100 degree out of doors do you bust out a different wardrobe? I myself only have jerseys with regular sleeves. I think today I may have to rock a wife-beater, or wear just my castelli mesh "undershirt" and my short, shorts. Bibs make my back too hot on days like these.

[72gmc]

choose sunscreen wisely, as that too is often more problematic
than useful _ it can block pores, thereby encasing you like a sausage.

i know the feeling you speak of--i've often felt like sunblock is just making me hotter, as if the breeze can't get to my skin. currently my bag has some fruit of the earth 30spf in it that seems to work, although the waterproof/sweatproof claim is questionable. what sunscreens can you recommend?

[bcm119]

Shino- I think this heat wave is about over. low 80's the rest of the week. Today I did climbing repeats and felt pretty awful by the third and last one, not quite to goose bumps and chills, but I've been there many times. Thats when you scrap the training plan and ride home easy.

[shinomaster]

maybe I'll wear this suit.

[manet]

i know the feeling you speak of--i've often felt like sunblock is just making me hotter, as if the breeze can't get to my skin. currently my bag has some fruit of the earth 30spf in it that seems to work, although the waterproof/sweatproof claim is questionable. what sunscreens can you recommend?

sucks:

[manet]

i know the feeling you speak of--i've often felt like sunblock is just making me hotter, as if the breeze can't get to my skin. currently my bag has some fruit of the earth 30spf in it that seems to work, although the waterproof/sweatproof claim is questionable. what sunscreens can you recommend?

works:

[nicrump]

Drainage?

for rain, yes. but also ventalation.

[Fat Robert]

drink a lot of water

wear whatever


(bibs and no base layer here)

[Ray]

Except when its also crazy humid, I ride in the upper '90s and low 100s from time to time. What works for me is not going hard (that ALWAYS works for me though) - just maintain enough speed to keep a breeze going and it'll keep you cool enough, but not hard enough to overheat from the inside out. I've been out on days (last Friday was close - mid '90s, quite humid) where I feel ok while I'm riding anything except really steep climbs but when I stop, I think I'm gonna DIE. When its that hot and so humid that I can't breathe, I bag it - rode through one day like that last year and had the worst 30 miles of my life.

I had a bad heat exhaustion once several years ago, bad enough I couldn't go to work the next day. All the symptoms described above - didn't know what I was into and kept riding another 25 miles, slower and slower and slower. I was lucky that nothing worse came of it but it was a terrible feeling. It's nothing to trifle with, so if you feel it coming on, bail. Bail immediately.

-Ray

[Fixed]

bro ride and be back before 11a.m. then go out after 5p.m. don't ride during mid-day unless tou have to .i.m.h.o.
cheers

[jckid]

I live in a HOT part of California, so I ride in the heat often. My husband always says, "Why don't you wait until it's cooler?" The problem with that is that I'd be waiting until October! When it's really hot, I do shorter rides and ride at a slower pace. I drink a lot more water than normal and wear sleeveless jerseys with a lot of sunblock. On the weekends, I get up early to ride and try to finsh before 10AM. I'm also a runner. I've found that I can tolerate much higher temperatures on my bike than I can when I run.

[MadRocketSci]

do the evaporation cooling waterbottle trick on yourself...i.e., wear (tepid) water .

survived a hot climb up sierra road, the cat one climb at the end of the tour de california stage 2 (1800 vertical feet in 3.6 miles), by regularly squirting small amounts of water on my back and maybe head. Ok, so at 4 miles per hour I wasn't maximizing convective cooling, but at least it took some of the load off my sweat glands. Make sure water's tepid otherwise I think you'll constrict the blood vessels under your skin and reduce the heat flow...

[Needs Help]

One large bottle of water for squirting on your head(the colder the better as far as I'm concerned), and one large bottle for drinking. You have to reload your bottles sooner, so plan accordingly.

[chrisroph]

Shino:

I went out a coupe times and, one evening on wisteria, felt like stopping and taking a nap in the shade. Instead, I took off my glasses and poured one bottle on my head.

I decided over the next couple of days the best thing to do was to stay home, drink lots of water and beer, eat plenty of sausages, and watch world cup.

Thankfully, yesterday evening was perfect, it even felt cool in the shade.

What I do in track races or crits where it is over 90 (like last year's crit championships--rode the tandem, and the 50 plus masters) is wear a cotton t shirt under the skin suit and soak it completely with cool water before the start. It provides mucho evaporative cooling and is nearly dry after a 30 minute session. This won't work for a routine road ride but works great for short events.

For road rides, I usually use my bibs, light jersey, and carry 3 large bottles, 2 filled with water and one with some kind of energy drink. One bottle of water is for pouring on your head and the other two are for pouring down your throat. I try to stop sometime during the ride and refill the bottles. I also try to soak my gloves and shoes with cool water at the stop.

Hopefully, we can hook up next thursday with terry and start our evening cruise again. I think T is done stage racing and is ready to have some fun.

See you soon, want to borrow the alliante?

[Mud]

Shorter rides. :banana: