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Hot, Muggy, Sweaty kind of ridng-Sedalia

ultracyclist

New member
OK, I want to hear it all. I was visiting with two friends of mine from MO, and this will definitely be a riding gear challenge.

So all of you hot, muggy, gritty, sweaty riders---what works for you?
Any secret moisture wicking tricks that you would like to share with us?

Right now I am planning armoured mesh over yoga gear, and some moisture wicking undies.

I am also carrying lots of water with me.
TIA
 
Yup! We wear wicking t-shirts and LD Comfort leggings under our mesh gear, along with cooling vests and neck wraps as needed. And on top of all that, I carry a travel size bottle of Febreze to help reduce jacket funk at the end of a long hot day. It isn't always possible to wash it on the road. While I don't generally care for Febreze, it sure beats putting on a stinky jacket in the morning.

And a BIG yes to a hydration pack of some type!
 
Baby Powder! You can find little travel size ones in the travel section at the drug store and they fit great in a tank bag or jacket pocket.

I also have two of those little neck bands that you soak in water to form a gel. I keep one in a zip lock or cooker along with a frozen bottle of water and wear the other. Then I switch them off when I stop for a drink. I don't know what they are called tho.
 
If it's humid, like here in Floriduh, mesh works well. Be sure to hydrate to replace the fluids you lose.
 
Some bikes are better than others for hot, humid summers in Missouri. For example, an airhead RT with lowers will roast your feet. Less wind protection is Mo better.
 
Just don't go bare!

All my trips East and I grew up in Virginia riding a lot, I've never seen "so many" wearing almost nothing! I wear all my armor all the time, hot too. I comes off quickly at stops and shade is absolutely required when stopping for me:). Drink lots of water, tea or the like. Beer and soda's are junk, no relief. Randy:thumb
 
Agree;

Darn little under gear some days:). Most times dressing up is the way to stay hydrated longer, wearing the right gear undies too. Those Arabs and their robes in deserts are not totally wrong, all covered up from the sun. You go away(die) quicker, skin exposed! Randy
 
I wear my Aerostich Darian suit year round. In winter, I throw on some long johns and if it going to be really cold, the Gerbings. In the summer, I just throw on some underwear and a t-shirt, then slip on the Darian pants and jacket. I seem to be one of those people who are not greatly affected by the heat. I can ride all day in temps over 100. And while I'm not a fan of humidity, I live in Central Illinois. So we have plenty of it. So Sedalia will have nothing weather-wise it can throw at me that I can't handle.
 
some help

freeze your "camelbak"-like thingy the nite before. If you ride with the hose from you CamBak-like thingy exposed to the sun, the first 8 or 10 inches of water will be hot. Spit it out on your arms or legs ( yes, i just advised you to spit water on yourself), and be refreshed for a few moments. I like my Rev It mesh gear, but of course with mesh the wet underneath evap's much more quickly. I think my old leather was just as good w the zippers popped, but soak your tee shirt and soak your head at every oppo' anyway.
 
LD Comfort

Just purchased LD Comfort long sleeve shirt and riding shorts. Plan to test them out on a ride to Phoenix in May. Looking forward to testing the air conditioning by making the shirt wet and letting the Roadcrafter vent.

JL
 
Riding in the Heat

A good article came out a few years ago when the National was in Gillette, Wy. A doctor wrote it , I believe, and he basically said :
1. Stay hydrated
2. Keep skin covered.
3. Wear sweat wisking undies
4. STAY HYDRATED
I go one step further - I take a large hanky and twist it around in a long tube. Soak it in water and tie it around my neck under my jacket. it really does make a difference.

There are also companies who make cool vests. Soak the vest in water and wear it under your jacket. I have a friend who has one and it does work. how 'bout soaking your tee shirt and wearing it under the jacket. Hope this helps.
 
Drink lots of water, tea or the like. Beer and soda's are junk, no relief. Randy:thumb

Tea may taste good but it is a natural diuretic ( makes you pee and removes stored water from the body) like coffee and does not help with hydrating...even less when loaded with sugar like Southern Sweet Tea. Cranberry juice is also one
Many years of working in the TX heat had me trying it all.

Diluted Gatorade causes less distress than most energy drinks...a lot of those also have caffeine and corn syrup.

On the clothing aspect:
In some places a wet t-shirt just stays clammy wet and doesn't evaporate like the performance fabrics do. It's the evaporative cooling that cools the core. I wear mesh on short days, but have found covering more and not letting the air evaporate my skin faster actually makes the heat more bearable. YRMV We have evaporative vests, sometimes they dry up within a few miles and have just poured water on them rolling down the road...other places they stay damp all day and add another steamy layer.

Bottom line is acclimate to the heat by being outside more if you are an inside person on a daily basis and drink a lot of fluids. And if in doubt, drink more fluids.
 
It is definitely going to be STEAMY in Sedalia. I live about 80 miles away in Lawrence, KS and commute to work in Kansas City, MO as many days as possible throughout the year. During July and August, temps are frequently in the mid to high 90s if not at or above 100. Humidity is always high, but occasionally during the summer the jet stream will dip down and we will have a week in July or August of daytime highs in the high 70s or low 80s, evenings in the 60s and low humidity. I am hoping for, but not counting on one of those "once a summer" breaks from the unbearable heat! During the summer I commute in armored mesh jacket and pants with UnderArmor warm-weather unders... they are comfortable, wick the moisture and keep my nether regions from chaffing under the mesh gear.

My only concern about Sedalia is the fact that I plan to tent camp... THAT may be a mistake. I don't think I have sufficient luggage space for a portable AC and generator!!

:laugh
 
In addition to henzilla's sound advice, there is the Veskimo. I'm enough of a gadgeteer that I bought one to try last year and was initially put off a bit by the effort to use it- BUT its like A/C on your bike and once you've done a 100 degree humid day with it, you really don't want to ride without it. It WILL keep your core cool and can be filled from any gas station selling ice or from a motel ice machine though if you are starting from home or have a freezer handy, ice blocks work best.

My biggest complaint about it now is that its ice container will not hold a full 10 lb bag of ice so I'm looking at transplanting its internals (motor and pump) to a larger cooler or maybe just taking a pre-made car racing ice cooler as used with cool suits and adapting it to the rear seat of my RT. I get about 4 hours out of the Veskmo stock setup so is two fills a day at the moment (ice is $1-2/bag around here) though I don't usually turn it on until about 9-10AM depending on weather.

They also make a timer circuit that will cycle the pump to extend the ice life. I've been switching manually and will put the timer in this year.
 
To really help prevent the dreaded "monkey butt", (the irritated chafed skin type, not just sore muscles) there is a simple thing to do that I learned from a long distance bicycle rider, but I haven't figured out a way to say it delicately on the forum. Lets just say it involves a razor and shaving cream. DAMHIK!

I am completely serious about this by the way!
 
oldnslow

As a former ultra endurance participant of bicycle events, I agree with you that your technique involving shaving cream and a razor is better left for other sites.

Our beloved mods may not quite have the sense of humor we thought.:laugh
 
Mike is on target- it works and has other benefits I'll leave to your imagination.

A couple years ago I learned from some of the younger women in my dept who had gone Brazilian that they thought it more comfortable, also.
 
In addition to henzilla's sound advice, there is the Veskimo. I'm enough of a gadgeteer that I bought one to try last year and was initially put off a bit by the effort to use it- BUT its like A/C on your bike and once you've done a 100 degree humid day with it, you really don't want to ride without it. It WILL keep your core cool and can be filled from any gas station selling ice or from a motel ice machine though if you are starting from home or have a freezer handy, ice blocks work best.

My biggest complaint about it now is that its ice container will not hold a full 10 lb bag of ice so I'm looking at transplanting its internals (motor and pump) to a larger cooler or maybe just taking a pre-made car racing ice cooler as used with cool suits and adapting it to the rear seat of my RT. I get about 4 hours out of the Veskmo stock setup so is two fills a day at the moment (ice is $1-2/bag around here) though I don't usually turn it on until about 9-10AM depending on weather.

They also make a timer circuit that will cycle the pump to extend the ice life. I've been switching manually and will put the timer in this year.

I've generally been able to stay at least marginally comfortable with evaporative gear, but last summer in Wisconsin it hit the upper 90s with uber-humidity and my poor dog was really suffering in the sidecar with just one small vent. After reading your thread about Veskimo I went to their website and asked the million dollar question: Do you make anything for dogs?

I got a very warm and personal response from the owner himself, also a dog person, offering several good options. The most promising one was mating their cooler to a higher capacity pump that could handle a veterinary cooling pad that would fit atop Barley's memory foam mattress.

Cooling pads for dogs in sidecars is not exactly a mainstream product, so I was really impressed by Kurt's efforts to help us out! Awesome customer support! :thumb
 
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