Summertime Riding.

[Rinkydink]

Ok, I’m old, out of shape, and not going to win any Mr. Olympia contests anytime soon (or ever!) but am I the only one that just can’t ride during July and August? A high of 92F here today with 76% humidity. I’ve got the mesh gear, cooling vest etc. but I just can’t do it. Rode to OKC last month for AFT mile races and kickstand up at 5am for the 5 hour ride home. When it’s cold or raining I am 100% in but this Africa heat drains me. I sweat like a pig and just can’t bring myself to go on a long ride this time of year. Not a new thing as I worked out in it for 23 years climbing poles etc and just don’t want to. Cmon September and October. 

[BamaJohn]

+1, but heading to Cherokee NC tomorrow for a few days.....

[Skywagon]

Nope Rinkydink...you are not the only one.  I"ve posted before what I consider to be the opposite season of our friends in the North East.  They park their bikes in the winter and I park mine in the summer.  Yesterday was 102 degrees here and the humidity was high. August will be 105+ many of the days.  We call it the July fry and Ugust.  There is usually...and there is today, Air Quality notices.  Like you I have mesh, wet vest, and I get drenched from head to toe (especially head). If you lower the windshield all the way down to get air, it's like sitting under a hairdryer (which is no longer required for the folically challenged). The last time I rode my bike was early June and I won't hop on it again until sometime in September....if we have a decent September.  That's the time it's beginning to end the season for our colleagues up North.  I look forward to 30 degree temps.

[taylor1]

I also do very little riding in July and August. There is the rare occasion when the wind shifts from South to the North and  the temp and humidity drop enough to make it bearable. Can't stand taking a helmet full of sweat off. Just takes the enjoyment out of it for me.

[dduelin]

The same topic as on another forum today and I post the same reply. Florida summer riding is out of the house in time to see the sunrise then ride your 200 or 300 miles and get back home for lunch. Two weekends ago I rode down to Istachatta which is 400 miles so I left a little earlier. There will be a time when it's too hot to ride but it hasn't arrived yet for me at 65 years.

[Dave_in_TX]

Although I prefer cooler weather I don't let the central Texas heat stop me from riding. As already mentioned, one thing that helps is to ride in the morning when it is cooler.

[Oldrider51]

Friend and I are headed to Brainerd, MN tomorrow for the Motoamerica races with heat index predicted to be around 105F. He is 66 and I am 70, yee ha is it going to be fun!

[Mike]

I used to ride for hours in 90-degree plus weather, swathed in my one-piece Aerostich, and at some point I figured out that it was miserable. I’ll do it from time to time if there’s a goal in mind, but when it’s intolerably hot I am not ashamed to travel via air-conditioned cage. 

[Hosstage]

For the most part I ride in it. Winter lasts far too long to not ride during the summer. I have a sheepskin seat cover, that helps with sweaty ashe. I've heard wooden bead covers work better. Riding in that heat is not ideal, longer rides require more stops to hydrate. But riding in below freezing weather isn't ideal either, more stops to warm up. I do both, just because I love riding that much.  If I wait for perfect riding weather, my yearly miles would be about 1/10th of what they are.

Maybe one day I won't want to ride in it, but not any time soon.

[BrianM]

A good indicator of being too hot is wet bulb temperature (WBGT). At 95F (35C) wet bulb, sweating (evaporative cooling) will no longer work. At this point, humans will gain heat from the environment, not lose it.

[Rob Nowell]

On 7/27/2021 at 4:54 PM, Oldrider51 said:

Friend and I are headed to Brainerd, MN tomorrow for the Motoamerica races with heat index predicted to be around 105F. He is 66 and I am 70, yee ha is it going to be fun!

watch out for wood chippers

[Rinkydink]

I am blessed with almost all year long riding season so two months or so of preferring not to ride is ok. Damn it’s stinking out there. 

[JamesW]

Anymore riding around these parts is more a pain in the posterior than it's worth these parts being the PNW central coast.  On good old US101 especially this summer what with all the mindless idiots from that state of mind (CA) in their freaking motor homes filling up the campgrounds, restaurants, and motels it just isn't worth it.  Then go even a few miles inland what with heat and smoke and more smoke what's the point in riding a MC?

 

Speaking of smoke...I wish the good old FS would use their incident command system less and think about turning the clock back about 40 years and think about fighting wildland fires like they used to that being when they get a fire start GET THE EF ON IT as in now and worry about making a big show with their national response teams later.  Used to be you got a fire start on a national forest and the forest involved would put all able bodied personnel on the fire including office persons right now.  Here in the PNW a large fire was considered to be maybe a couple thousand acres now it's measured in square miles.  I know I'm just an old guy out barking at the moon for all the good that does.

 

There, I feel better after this morning rant.

[West_Coaster]

When it gets hot out, I ride naked.

[Rougarou]

On 7/29/2021 at 4:44 PM, BrianM said:

A good indicator of being too hot is wet bulb temperature (WBGT). At 95F (35C) wet bulb, sweating (evaporative cooling) will no longer work. At this point, humans will gain heat from the environment, not lose it.

 

That be black flag weather on most bases!!

 

Anyway, I'm as good riding single digits as I am triple digits,.....in the triple digits, it's not the riding, it's the stopped in traffic that's a slight issue.

[Jake]

I used to ride out of Florida to get to decent topography during my trailer-shaming days.  No longer.  There is just no way to stay cool and safe in the summer months, nor avoid a lightning-filled thunderstorm that would frighten Thor. (not our Thor, he's fearless I hear, I'm talking the mythical God of Thunder).   So, a summertime ride either involves an early morning local ride of an hour or two, or dragging the bike up to Two Wheels as a drop-off point, and that takes a full day.  There is nothing more miserable than trying to ride home from the Smokies on a Sunday trying to get past Disney World in any season, much less summer.

 

Always remember that this is supposed to be fun.

 

 

[dba]

On 7/27/2021 at 7:51 AM, Rinkydink said:

Ok, I’m old, out of shape, and not going to win any Mr. Olympia contests anytime soon (or ever!) but am I the only one that just can’t ride during July and August? A high of 92F here today with 76% humidity. I’ve got the mesh gear, cooling vest etc. but I just can’t do it. Rode to OKC last month for AFT mile races and kickstand up at 5am for the 5 hour ride home. When it’s cold or raining I am 100% in but this Africa heat drains me. I sweat like a pig and just can’t bring myself to go on a long ride this time of year. Not a new thing as I worked out in it for 23 years climbing poles etc and just don’t want to. Cmon September and October. 

Round is a shape, so don't forget that!

 

I have found for me anyway, that the the cooling vests don't work so well for me when I'm in the humid part of the country.  Where I live in the west, they're great.  Coming across the mid section of the USA from the east coast, it seemed that the cooling vest was just another layer of wet that I didn't need.  

[Calugo]

Everyone is different and some people don't tolerate heat/humidity very well while others do, some folks don't tolerate cold very well while others do and as we age our bodies don't handle the heat or cold any better. If you can't ride in July or August because of the heat then don't ride, riding is no fun when you're not comfortable so best to stay home.

[realshelby]

Not that I have been riding any lately...

 

I did build a chilled water circulation thingy that absolutely makes 100 degrees just fine to ride in. Cool Shirt ( tubes sewn into it all over ), ice chest that holds 20+ lbs ice, bilge pump, baitwell timer. Quick disconnect hoses. Hooks into my Gerbings power cord. Runs a full fuel stop/3-4 hours. Belly gets so cold it can be numb. You know it is hot...but you don't care as your core temp is proper and you are alert and comfortable. 

 

Pain in the ass for a short trip like a commute. But take off for a longer ride and it is priceless. I was in stopped traffic in New Mexico. Fresh black asphalt. Waited close to 30 minutes for the pavers to allow our side through. 102 or so on the RT temp gauge. Shut off the bike, stayed in full gear. No problem at all....

[Rougarou]

 

[RTinNC]

My riding buddies and I have this discussion often, i.e., would you rather ride in HOT or COLD.  Honestly while I don't love riding in 90+ temps I would rather ride in 90 than in say 30 or 40.  I hate having electric stuff plugged in and thick gloves that provide less feel, etc.   And having just spent 32 days on the road crossing the US and back I found that riding in anything up to about 95 is very doable.   We did hit 113 degrees one day and were surprised that while it sure was hot it was not as bad as we anticipated.   We did stop more often to hydrate and wet down out inner shirts and neck gaiters. 

[Kenny S]

We were lucky enough to ride across the US from New Jersey to California a couple of years ago - epic trip.

We are used to riding in much cooler weather over here in the UK, always wearing protective gear. I found it just too hot to ride in a jacket so ended up with kevlar jeans, open face lid, gloves and a long sleeve t-shirt as my usual outfit.
I managed the heat most of the time but my wife really struggled with it. We bought her a Harley Davidson cooling vest, it made a huge difference for her and I can highly recommend one if you suffer from the heat.
The worst day was riding out of Vegas towards Cali, the girls were really struggling with the heat so we eventually gave in at Barstow, got a motel and cooled off in the pool for evening.

I find both heat and cold have their issues when it comes to riding, there's a reasonably wide band of temperatures that are pleasant to ride in but outwith that both can be a pain.
Trying to keep everything warm in winter here can be very difficult, although the new heated gear you get certainly makes a big difference. I have come off on ice though so not much you can do about that!

 

For me 25 degrees (C) with a clear sky is the perfect day for it, but any day on the bike is a better day than most 

[BrianM]

Having ridden from 9F to 110F, I prefer cooler weather. Fall is the best riding, late winter into spring next (roads tend to be dirty from winter and take a few good storms to clean the roads).

 

I tend to use hippo hands with heated grips to reduce the need for thick gloves. Use a heated jacket liner for under freezing temps. Several choices for pants.

 

At the extremes, I prefer cold to hot. Snow/ice stops my riding (commuting) in the late fall/winter, not the temperature. Most of my riding is commuting, about half is stop and go traffic.

[Rinkydink]

Headed to Springfield IL next week for the AFT mile/short track races. This is the one thing I will ride in the heat for. Supposed to cool a bit and hopefully no rain. Either way I’m going.