Riding in Warm/Hot Temperatures

[Tao2015]

Hello cyclists everywhere,

I am beginner cyclist and an engineering student at the University of Calgary, Canada. As the summer is almost here I decided to tackle the problem of riding in hot temperature. I am at the concept generation stage and I would like to design and build a solution that makes driving in the hot summer days a pleasant experience for everyone. I would appreciate your feedback about some of the questions I am trying to answer.

- Is driving in high temperatures a pressing problem that you would love to find a solution for?
- Are there any other solutions out there, and are they effective?

All your insights are highly appreciated.
Thanks ,
Tao

 

[snorri]

Hi Tao, welcome to the forum
In answer to your questions, cycling in high temperatures has never been a problem for me that could not be resolved by stopping for a cup of tea.
We are surrounded by sea here in the UK which keeps us cool in summer and relatively comfortable in winter.

 

[Tao2015]

Hi Snorri,
Thats interesting to know. Have cycled in any other part of the world where it was less comfortable?

 

[Drago]

I don't like hot weather riding, but being a big chap my surface area to volume ratio is lower, so I have relative difficulty shedding excess heat.

 

[jefmcg]

You are definitely in the wrong place for this question. UK doesn't really have hot days; in fact a big challenge is training for hot rides while you are in the UK.

That being said, I have suffered from heat exhaustion on rides in Australia. I must try wearing a buff soaked in water next time and see if that helps.

Any solution for me would have to be simple and suitable for rides over 3 hours.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

If you go fast enough, you sweat a lot and the passing wind cools you. The trick is to keep a reasonable speed.

 

[raleighnut]

Riding on a proper leather saddle (Brooks) helps stop you getting a sweaty butt crack, plastic/gel saddles just make you very uncomfortable 'down there'.

 

[jefmcg]

If you go fast enough, you sweat a lot and the passing wind cools you. The trick is to keep a reasonable speed.

This is nonsense. The amount you sweat is based on core temperature, not how fast you are cycling. Core temperature is dependent on ambient temperature, work your body is doing and genetic factors. The cooling potential of sweat is dependent of ambient temperature (again), relative humidity, and wind speed (this is the only place where moving faster could help). Once sweat is dripping off you, then you have more than maximised the cooling potential of sweat in the current weather conditions.

This is one of the reasons I hate the helmet law in Australia. I run a higher-than-average core temperature when exercising, and am more sensitive to heat than other people. When I wear a helmet in hot weather, my hair gets wet. If I wasn't wearing a helmet, that sweat would evaporate and cool my head. As it is, I have to seek shade and remove the helmet and wait for my core temperature to drop.

 

[Drago]

Heat exhaustion cycling in Oz? You want to try it in Belize, calibrate your brain as to what cycling in the heat is really like.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

This is nonsense. The amount you sweat is based on core temperature, not how fast you are cycling. Core temperature is dependent on ambient temperature, work your body is doing and genetic factors. The cooling potential of sweat is dependent of ambient temperature (again), relative humidity, and wind speed (this is the only place where moving faster could help). Once sweat is dripping off you, then you have more than maximised the cooling potential of sweat in the current weather conditions.

.

Well, core temperature is based on how hard you work which in turn is related to speed. There is a point in cycling where you feel hotter when going just below the point where airflow cools you, whether you sweat or not. Sweat is just a bonus overlay on top of airflow cooling. Move too slowly and you overheat, speed up just a little bit and you feel better.

 

[jefmcg]

Heat exhaustion cycling in Oz? You want to try it in Belize, calibrate your brain as to what cycling in the heat is really like.

No wonder I have you on ignore.

Google tells me that belize maxes out at 41 C, and is usually less than 35. My heat exhaustion occurred at temperatures higher than 35. And temperatures in parts of Australia have reached into the 50s on occasions.

And it's not about calibration, it's about genetics. My anglo-celtic origins means I am more comfortable around 0 than above 40, despite having no experience of really cold weather for the first half of my life.

 

[JMAG]

This is nonsense. The amount you sweat is based on core temperature, not how fast you are cycling.

It made sense to me. I understood him to mean that by pedalling hard you would raise you core temperature enough to sweat and by going fast the airflow will enable the cooling evaporation of sweat. After all you can sweat buckets up a steep hill on a hot day, but you won't be enjoying maximum evaporation.

 

[Markymark]

I usually fine that cycling balances the temperature. If cold the cycling warms me up. If hot, the breeze cools me down. When hot the only think I really need to worry about is enough fluid.

Having said that I only cycle in the uk so the temperature is never that extreme.