for those of you not living under a rock in the good ole US of A, it's been damn hot recently. come to think of it, even if you have been living under a rock, it's probably still been damn hot. now i know i live in seattle, where we get cranky about temperatures outside our comfort zone (50-70 degrees, thank you very much), but that's another issue. for the sake of this post, we can accept that it is hot.
so what does one do to beat the heat on a bike? there are several options, of course, not all of them practical and not all of them smart. i'm not going to go riding around in shorts and a tank top, first off. it may be hot, but i'm not stupid.
this also depends on the situation. if, for example, you are on a long distance trip with full gear at your disposal and are riding across the mojave in 100+ degree heat, you could soak up your cooling vest and bandana and keep things wet and cool for the majority of your ride. as long as you keep moving, you'll be fine. trust me on this one.
if, however, you are going somewhere in town that requires slightly more of a fancy dress, there are fewer options for you. i can't exactly roll up to a dinner out on the town in a dirty t-shirt and soaked cooling vest (ok, maybe i could in certain neighborhoods), and often we're just talking about 80-90 degree heat, not in the 100+ range (where cooling becomes necessity). also, when you're on a highway running through the mojave (or eastern AZ) it's fairly easy to keep your speed up and get that air flowing. also much more difficult if you're trying to navigate your way across the city during rush hour.
so what do you do? well, you put on your jeans, the lightest jacket you can find and your half-helmet...and you resign yourself to sweating like crazy. there really isn't anything to be done about it. unless you want to have an unsafe ride (as i have said, i DO NOT ride without long sleeves at a minimum), you have to accept the fact that it is going to be a bit uncomfortable. especially at stop lights. in direct sunlight. for three cycles.
there are some bright sides to these rides. once you get moving in between these lights, that nice breeze you're creating will cool you down using those lovely sweat patches very efficiently. until you reach the next light, that is. and you don't have to worry about whether or not the place you're going is air conditioned (for the record, it was not); you'll already be hot and sticky by the time you get there.
these are times when public transportation might seem like a viable alternative. especially seeing everyone else there wandering around in shorts and flip flops. they looked very comfortable. however, on the ride home, around 11pm, when everything had cooled off and i could zip up my jacket without worrying about heat stroke, that cool breeze coming up over the windscreen was very welcomed. it was a lovely ride. and, i didn't have to get into a car that had been baking in the sun all afternoon. so there's another advantage. they're out there, you just have to know where (or when) to look for them.
rftc,
scott
