How to gear up to ride comfortably and safely in really hot weather?

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: You park your bike at only 90 degrees? :dontknow:

 

[foxtail1]

The other thing that helped me in high temps was using one of those cooling clothes around my neck, the kind that is stiff till you wet it (sort of like a chamois). I don't have a cooling vest, so I'd wear bike shorts and a cami under my armored mesh. Having my neck cool really helped a lot.

Of course, the downside is that the towel stiffens as it dries, so you have to stop and wet it periodically.

 

[Bob Denman]

http://entrosys.com/

 

[AeroPilot]

I think you got it Pete

posted by UtahPete "wear cooling vests in the desert heat. We have them, might as well use them. We should also drink a lot more water than we have been doing - that was something I should have known but forgot. I'm still not sure what the solution is for riding in humid conditions as we are likely to do at some point when we begin touring together, but I've gotten some good pointers here. And, also a reminder that, yes, each person is different and what works for me apparently is not working for Jane, so we'll keep trying different solutions until we find the right one for her. Meanwhile, we should stop more often, drink more water, maybe use salt tablets to replace the 'lytics'."

Yep everyone is different, and the body must be "full" of water just like a cars cooling system to work efficiently. As we get older I find my tolerance and fitness for heat is less, hence more rest stops in the cool, and ALWAYS cold water at the ready to drink as we ride.. neck wraps soaking in the melted ice water in the cooler help us get refreshed and cool the body temperature immediately and as they evaporate. And "A pickle a day keeps the heat stroke away" hyea:

 

[Pirate looks at --]

Another Thought

Another thing we try to do is stay in peak physical condition. We try for 3 to 6 miles a day on a treadmill combined with resistance training, to keep the bodies cooling system working at peak levels. Hydration is key, lots of H2O, and once your body is used to freaquent excercise, and is not carrying a lot of body fat around you will find that the body gets much more efficient with that natural cooling system. :yes::yes:

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: I've decided to pursue Physical fatness; over Physical fitness...

 

[Easy Rider]

:shocked: You park your bike at only 90 degrees? :dontknow:

Whom are you addressing that comment TO ???

Quote Bob, QUOTE.

 

[AeroPilot]

Especially if you LOVE pickles

Haven't heard that one before. How does that work?

Whatever gives you a little electrolyte and encourages more water intake has got to help...who knows how much salt and bad stuff is in that pickle package but hey, the stop for a cool drink in the shade, along with the neck wrap was good for me too:sour:

 

[Bob Denman]

Shouldn't it have been: "To whom, are you addressing that comment?" :dontknow:

 

[Bob Denman]

I was just late getting back to the party; that's all! :thumbup:

 

[Yazz]

EXCELLENT post.
Note that too much salt in your water might make you throw up.......thus making matters worse. :shocked:

Table salt is sodium. Nothing else. I agree, too much salt/sodium is not good for you.

Sea Salt has a long list of minerals that are good for your body. It comes from nature, nothing added, nothing taken out.

Depending on the heat, I usually put a pinch or two in a water bottle and drink it every time I stop.

 

[Bob Denman]

We'll often pick up those "Sports Drinks"
(After kicking through the list of what they put in them... :shocked
The Missus has to be VERY careful about sodium (Kidney transplant)

 

[Zip]

Shouldn't it have been: "To whom, are you addressing that comment?" :dontknow:

At least you didn't have to press "1" for English

 

[Bob Denman]

At least you didn't have to press "1" for English

:shocked: ¿Qué?

 

[jcthorne]

Vents open or closed. Depends on how hot it is. At 96 degrees the outside temperature is still cooler than your body temperature so in that case vents open and or mesh jacket and a cooling vest is really great to have. This is what we use https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/revit-liquid-cooling-vest. I do find that it lasts longer if I don't wear the mesh jacket, but use my 4 season Jacket with vents open. Either way you can recharge them when you stop to get gas by soaking them again.

This summer we have done a lot of ryding in 105 to 106 degrees. Now science tell us that heat will always transfer from the hotter surface to the cooler surface. The laws of equilibrium tell us that if it is 106 outside and you are at 98.6, you want to keep that hot air out. This is where you would want to close vents (and yes even in your helmet) and keep the cooler 98.6 on the inside and the 106 on the outside. You will sweat, but that sweat will last longer and cool you longer if you can keep it from evaporating too quickly. You will still receive some benefit from the cooling vest in these conditions. A couple of reasons why the heat has a greater effect on your wife would be that she is probably smaller than you, so less surface area for the sweat to cool her, and her pores are smaller than yours and she just doesn't sweat as efficiently as you do. I have ryden in 106 for 4 hours completely closed up and kept pretty cool. Certainly I had no symptoms of heat sickness at all. Oh and drink at least a liter of water ( and only water ) for every hour on the road.

So key temperature is 99 degrees, below that temp open up ( but keep fully covered no tank tops, flip flops, cutoffs etc. Above 99 close up and lock in that cool 98.6. BTW if you are just taking a quick jaunt to the grocery store.........wear whatever you want!

This is completely wrong and dangerous mis-information.

You want your sweat to evaporate as quickly as possible. Its the evaporation that cools your body. 105 deg air at 30% relative humidity blowing over a wet surface that is 98.6 will drop the surface temp well below 80 deg. If you are hot, you want your skin covered from sun exposure but as much ventilation as is possible to evaporate your sweat (unless you get too cold).

 

[spyderyderjim]

CoolVest

Originally Posted by Pirate looks at --
Great post Ann. People don't understand the laws of Thermodynamics. Heat will always try to find a balance and transfer from the warmer surface to the cooler surface. If it is over 99 degrees outside, you want to keep your 98.6 inside and away from the 102 outside. You will remain cooler by zipping up all vents and even closing the vents on your helmet. Keep the 98.6 inside and you will be cooler. I tested this coming home from Valcourt. Drove 200 miles across South Dakota in 102 degrees. I closed up everything and remained cool throughout. Once you jump out there in your shorts you will dehydrate and go into heat sickness very fast. So if you are going to the grocery store you can wear what you want, but for me, I am going to remain covered like those cool, calm collected BMW ryders.....and the long, tall cool one....Ann Myers!



I'd sure like to pursue this topic a little more. My wife and I took a ride yesterday in 96 degree weather. She was wearing her First Gear Hypertex jacket and I was wearing my mid-weight Olympia jacket with the pocket vents open. We both have HJC IS MAX-II modular helmets with the vents open. I was pretty warm but not dangerously uncomfortable but Jane was miserably hot.

So, I'm looking into this again, because living in Utah, hot weather riding is a reality and for safety sake if nothing else it's important that we not get overheated when riding.

So, vents open or closed?
Dedicated hot-weather mesh jackets or not?
High tech evaporative vests with built-in water supply worth the money and bulk?

Thanks.

I use Tour Master Transition jacket but I have vents open to direct air flow to CoolVest.
I use CoolVest which keeps a cool core body temp for 2 1/2 hours, then put in back up CoolVest packets, (instead of using water soaked vest).
I have used CoolVest (like Military use overseas) with Tour Master Transition Jacket with vents open for many Hot summers in Arizona!!
https://www.glaciertek.com/sports/
(I use mesh jacket for short rydes around Tucson, Az).
LDComfort wickable long johns.
Everyone is different, this is what seems to work ok for me ryding F3S Spyder.
Jim

 

[Easy Rider]

Shouldn't it have been: "To whom, are you addressing that comment?" :dontknow:

Yes probably.......without the comma.

Quote Bob, QUOTE.

 

[Easy Rider]

Table salt is sodium. Nothing else. I agree, too much salt/sodium is not good for you.

Actually salt is sodium chloride but you missed the point.

A sufficient concentration of salt in water WILL make you vomit.
Not that long ago, it was used as a treatment for some cases of poison ingestion.

And it still might be......if nothing else is readily available.

 

[Easy Rider]

You want your sweat to evaporate as quickly as possible.

Well it is possible for it to disappear TOO fast.
If the wind is SO strong that your skin dries out (sweat evaporates almost before it appears), that isn't good either.

 

[Arion]

My wife and I use full mesh jackets with armor in the key areas, and combine that with cooling vests, which are a quilted vest that is made to soak up a lot of water. We have ridden in 100+ degree weather for hours at a time and kept cool enough to keep riding. or last big ride of 2,600 miles in nine days found us in Hell's Canyon at 104 degrees and we managed alright. I don't enjoy riding in that kind of temperatures but with the cooling vest we can. They last about two hours until we need to re-soak them down.

:thumbup: What easysuper said - except for the Hell's Canyon bit (doesn't sound very pleasant at all).