Hot weather riding

[dallas2r]

I came across this article last night and thought I'd pass it along. I've been riding in the Texas heat for awhile now, and never thought of it in these terms before. The article is heavy on the science-speak to begin with, but stick with it and it pays off in explaining what's going on with our body at certain temperatures.

Hot Weather Riding

[Charlie98]

Interesting.  I've always poo-poo'ed the whole concept of wicking undergarments, maybe I need to take another look.

[dallas2r]

Interesting.  I've always poo-poo'ed the whole concept of wicking undergarments, maybe I need to take another look.

Yeah, definitely give it a try. Cycling taught me a lot about the benefits of wicking materials. It's no fun soaking in your own sweat. 

One of the things about the article that was counter-intuitive to me was the concept of what happens at 93° and above. I've always tried to get as much airflow as possible (mesh jackets etc.) at higher temps and I never thought about the convection/evaporation factors that were at play. According to the article, once you get past 93°, you should be trying to block the wind as much as possible. It makes sense now when I think back about how I was always super-uncomfortable (and disappointed) with my mesh jacket in triple-digits temps.

[Cher]

Very interesting for sure.  But I'm extremely uncomfortable at anything above about 90 degrees and no mesh gear.  Because of the SBK, though, when I have to ride in "summer weather" I'll at least have on leather pants just to keep my lower body less baked.  But I always thought my core should have plenty of airflow, thus the mesh/textile jacket… but I guess full leathers in summertime then?

Gonna take up fishing 

[Charlie98]

It makes sense now when I think back about how I was always super-uncomfortable (and disappointed) with my mesh jacket in triple-digits temps.

I worked as a night truck driver in Grand Prairie back in the late '90's, driving to work at 4PM from Fort Worth on 820.  I can guaran-damned-tee you a heavy leather jacket was NOT the ticket for comfortable riding in 100+ degree heat.  (The caveat, of course, is a perforated jacket wouldn't have helped much setting in traffic, either...)

[Speeddog]

I wear a UA longsleeve top and Canari bicycling tights on the moto, year round.
Leather pants and textile jacket with zippered vents.
I use the center zip on the jacket to get airflow as well, works fine here as we have very few flying bugs.

Wasn't aware of the heat flows involved, that's good info.

[dallas2r]

Very interesting for sure.  But I'm extremely uncomfortable at anything above about 90 degrees and no mesh gear.  Because of the SBK, though, when I have to ride in "summer weather" I'll at least have on leather pants just to keep my lower body less baked.  But I always thought my core should have plenty of airflow, thus the mesh/textile jacket… but I guess full leathers in summertime then?

Gonna take up fishing 

LOL 

Yeah, maybe not full leathers. To be sure, nothing about 90 is comfortable no matter what you're wearing. I know this summer, I'll be trying different things out with this article in mind to see what works best.

[dallas2r]

I worked as a night truck driver in Grand Prairie back in the late '90's, driving to work at 4PM from Fort Worth on 820.  I can guaran-damned-tee you a heavy leather jacket was NOT the ticket for comfortable riding in 100+ degree heat.  (The caveat, of course, is a perforated jacket wouldn't have helped much setting in traffic, either...)

hehe... yeah perforated is better, but it only helps when you're moving.

[S21FOLGORE]

On ADV rider forum, this kind of thread comes up pretty frequently.

For those who don’t want to spend hours and hours for reading multiple (and sometimes lengthy ) thread ,
here’s the very basic fact of hot weather riding.

The magic # is 93°F.
Below 93°F, it is relatively easy. (Wear mesh, or open all the vent, to get more air flow, and keep moving)
The wind is your friend.
Above 93°F, the wind becomes your enemy.
It is a simple matter of thermodynamics. Ambient temp below body temp (with delta of 5°F) gives heat-loss into ambient air.
And, if the air is moving around your body, there’s also evaporative effect.
Anything close to, or above body temp nets heat gain, and the more air is moving across the body, the more heat gained.
Think blowdryer. When it gets triple digits and you are moving at above 50MPH, think blast furnace.

That’s why some say full mesh gear works best and some say opposite.

However, if you are doing very short (less than 15 minutes, for example) ride, you may be more comfortable with mesh gear (with moisture wicking underwear, such as light weight merino wool or coolmax.)

Another important things,...

 Please be careful and know the sign of heat stroke. It can kill you.

Hydrate yourself regularly.

There’s no magic. When it’s hot, it’s hot. Don’t fool yourself believing that lightweight mesh gear will protect you just like your regular riding gear.






Anyone who is serious about this topic, I recommend reading this article.

http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf
(same as the one posted by OP)

Also this one.

http://www.ldcomfort.com/pdf/LDComfortOnePage2013.pdf

[Cher]

Man, I was with you until, "… it's just simple thermodynamics…"

Holy crap, would you look at the time… Lights-out, time for a nap  

Seriously, though, I have become such a fair weather rider.  Anything above about 90 degrees and I'm inside, out of the heat.  Sad but true.

[muskrat]

you're taking the wrong route!

Go toward Paris, TX, back roads and from there head up hwy 195 until it turns into hwy 906. 
Then onto 259 (you will need to double back but it's beautiful) and onto 144 to pick up hwy 1, the beginning of the Talimena Trail where you end up in Mena, pick the shitty place and eat..great food.
I think I got it right but you can also run to Durrant and head East through the Oachita Mountains through lakes and beautiful valleys with NO traffic.  I have a map of ride AR you can borrow or get one at your local Moto Liberty, Joseph will hook you up.  Wish I could go but I'm on no less than half a dozen plans in two weeks...........