I am finding it too hot to ride

[rajron]

We are starting our hot season and I am not wanting to ride; what type of heat will you all tolerate to ride in?
Now days early mornings are the only time I would consider a short ride but that time is reserved for the dog walk, poor dog doesn’t like the heat either, paws.
My new bike will have to wait to hit the road again sitting in the shed collecting dust.
In a few weeks the morning temperatures will rise to above 85ºF and it will get over 116ºF in the afternoons. Air conditioners will run 24/7, swimming pools will get uncomfortably warm, steering wheels if a car is parked outside will be unbearable to touch.
And, I will hear it over and over again “but it’s a dry heat”

And it’s just beginning

 

[rcdanner]

I hear you down in Tucson. My solution is to ride at 0430. It's mostly in high 60s or low 70s and starting to get light in June. Also beats most of the traffic. You probably need to start at 0300 and even then it's warm. But like you said...It's A Dry Heat!

 

[soyabean]

When I was in AZ, i kept a wet towel on top of my head? Ya you do have to keep re-wetting it every 5 mins

 

[tomjasz]

“Swamp coolers” evaporative cooling works wonders in the desert SW. I worked outdoors for 20 years in the desert. Learning to effectively use evaporative cooling makes functioning outdoors safe and comfortable. Now here in MN with high humidity makes evap cooling impossible. I get a giggle out of Minnesotans that move to the desert and discover the intense heat is every bit as limiting as bitter cold.

 

[Gordon71]

We set new records where I live. Temps were in the low 90's where they should have been in the high 60's. No problem though riding those days as riding a bike makes it's own breeze. Did a little over 20 miles both days and the only area that got sweaty was my ass. Guess my wide comfy saddle doesn't breathe all that well.

 

[Lar]

Phoenix heat doesn't bother me especially on an emtb but..

 

[Art Deco]

We are starting our hot season and I am not wanting to ride; what type of heat will you all tolerate to ride in?
Now days early mornings are the only time I would consider a short ride but that time is reserved for the dog walk, poor dog doesn’t like the heat either, paws.
My new bike will have to wait to hit the road again sitting in the shed collecting dust.
In a few weeks the morning temperatures will rise to above 85ºF and it will get over 116ºF in the afternoons. Air conditioners will run 24/7, swimming pools will get uncomfortably warm, steering wheels if a car is parked outside will be unbearable to touch.
And, I will hear it over and over again “but it’s a dry heat”

And it’s just beginning

It's a dry heat, and so is a microwave . Stay safe.

 

[Alvin1957]

Hello from the Dallas area. Gets warm and humid here. Into low and mid 90's right now. We use the white, reflective sleeves, shirt and a reflective cap underneath the helmet. It should have an apron or skirt that covers your neck and ears. Also, get long shorts that come to just barely above the knees. Dark sun glasses help a lot...and sunscreen. Even in the afternoon sun, you can do pretty well for 10 miles and take a break. Then another 10-12 miles. Even with an e-bike, holding speed to about 12 miles an hour gives a useful breeze without having to work too much. This is wimpy, I know, but it works pretty well.

 

[Merle Nelson]

“Swamp coolers” evaporative cooling works wonders in the desert SW. I worked outdoors for 20 years in the desert. Learning to effectively use evaporative cooling makes functioning outdoors safe and comfortable. Now here in MN with high humidity makes evap cooling impossible. I get a giggle out of Minnesotans that move to the desert and discover the intense heat is every bit as limiting as bitter cold.

People with dry climate could probably make good use of head gear, vests etc. that hold extra water to evaporate and give you x amount of time at a reduced sensation of heat - google search. Easily cheaper than what I use.

In CA to a smaller degree and in humid states the vests, https://glaciertek.com/collections/all, work wonders to cut down the heat a notch or two. I use them to extend my envelope of work time/days doing tree work. Wearing a 5 lb vest gives me cooling for about 2.5 hours, then I switch to another one waiting in an ice chest.

 

[Catalyzt]

I have issues with this in Los Angeles as well, I am generally fit but due to age and medical condition, temperature extremes really bug me. I keep trying to climb this one damn mountain, getting closer to the summit each time, but one reason I haven't quite made it is that it's always just a little too hot when I start and a little too cold when I get up on the ridge. It was near 80 when I started on Monday, which would be totally fine if I wasn't climbing so much, and about 50 degrees when I had to turn around, which would also have been fine if I wasn't so exhausted.

I need to find the lightest, warmest garment I can find that fits in an under-seat bag so I can start in a T-shirt and return when I'm comfortable.

And the dog issue is a problem here, too. Primo riding time and primo dog walking time are, unfortunately, just about the same. The guys are so sick of my going out on the bike at twilight, which is when they like to walk the most-- when other dogs and critters are out that they can chase and bark at.

So there's competition between the bike and the dogs. In fact, I saw a splatter of liquid on my front tire that... might not have been water. Both dogs are well trained, but Spike is a terrier, and not above taking... revenge in his own way against a perceived adversary or competitor.

 

[rich c]

I leave the house about 20 minutes before sunset and pull in the drive in the dark. I love night riding on our Greenway on hot nights. At that time around here, the start of the ride can be in the 90s at the worst. I just won't ride in the middle of the day.

 

[Mike TowpathTraveler]

I feel all of your pain. That dry heat can be dangerous cause your sweat evaporates so quickly, if you aren't taking in water, it can lead to problems.

But I live in NJ, within the middle Atlantic states where in the summer, our problem isn't dry heat, it's high humidity mixed with summer heat. That particular problem when the "Bermuda High" settles in, allowing gulf of mexico heat and water soaked air masses to settle in over the east coast.

If Phoenix type heat is that of opening your oven set on 450 degrees; East Coast Heat is stepping into your shower with all of your clothes on, bathroom door shut and ventilation fans off until you have a nice cloud of water vapor in the air. There is no escaping this stuff, not until a midwest cold front by way of Canada, swoops in and sweeps out this wet, murky, forever damp all-enveloping soul destroying hell. Bliss, heaven on earth dry air tends to last but a day or two, then it's back to Hazy, Hot and Humid. Some example pics taken this month:

A somewhat humid morning, around 7 am. Not bad, almost tolerable until the sun comes up and starts cooking the water vapor in the air. The three H's of east coast summer weather, Hazy...Hot....Humid is still in effect here. It can be seen downstream on the Delaware River, Roebling NJ, looking towards Florence NJ on the left and Tullytown PA on the right. It's the murkyness in the distance; that's the condensed water vapor in the air ready to make life uncomfortable for the people in this region.

Same location. It's gonna be a bad one today as the humidity in the air is so water filled that fog has formed. Everything is wet with the damp; grass, tree leaves, bike paths, your car. Around 10 am or so, the sun will boil this water vapor off and will really turn up the uncomfortable factor by 100. Relative humidity in weather forecaster speak has to be in the 80's. It's so thick with this murk, I had to take my glasses off as they completely fogged over, making them useless. For each year I get older, I dread the summer months because of this. You cannot do anything outside without breaking out in sweat all over. From late May into late September, we are subject to this kind of stuff. I would almost welcome the dry heat of the far west when this stuff settles in for a long stay. It sucks the morale of people!

 

[retiredNH]

y'all should come up to New Hampshire, away from the coast. Sure we get heat and humidity. I remember the day a few years ago where it even hit 90! Most of my neighbors don't have AC except in their bedrooms, like us.

Yes, we get a lot of snow. That's when folks get out their fat tire bikes. Or snowshoes. And it's a lot easier to deal with cold weather than Phoenix style heat. We can always add another layer.

 

[Lar]

I feel all of your pain. That dry heat can be dangerous cause your sweat evaporates so quickly, if you aren't taking in water, it can lead to problems.

But I live in NJ, within the middle Atlantic states where in the summer, our problem isn't dry heat, it's high humidity mixed with summer heat. That particular problem when the "Bermuda High" settles in, allowing gulf of mexico heat and water soaked air masses to settle in over the east coast.

If Phoenix type heat is that of opening your oven set on 450 degrees; East Coast Heat is stepping into your shower with all of your clothes on, bathroom door shut and ventilation fans off until you have a nice cloud of water vapor in the air. There is no escaping this stuff, not until a midwest cold front by way of Canada, swoops in and sweeps out this wet, murky, forever damp all-enveloping soul destroying hell. Bliss, heaven on earth dry air tends to last but a day or two, then it's back to Hazy, Hot and Humid. Some example pics taken this month:

View attachment 90082
A somewhat humid morning, around 7 am. Not bad, almost tolerable until the sun comes up and starts cooking the water vapor in the air. The three H's of east coast summer weather, Hazy...Hot....Humid is still in effect here. It can be seen downstream on the Delaware River, Roebling NJ, looking towards Florence NJ on the left and Tullytown PA on the right. It's the murkyness in the distance; that's the condensed water vapor in the air ready to make life uncomfortable for the people in this region.

View attachment 90083
Same location. It's gonna be a bad one today as the humidity in the air is so water filled that fog has formed. Everything is wet with the damp; grass, tree leaves, bike paths, your car. Around 10 am or so, the sun will boil this water vapor off and will really turn up the uncomfortable factor by 100. Relative humidity in weather forecaster speak has to be in the 80's. It's so thick with this murk, I had to take my glasses off as they completely fogged over, making them useless. For each year I get older, I dread the summer months because of this. You cannot do anything outside without breaking out in sweat all over. From late May into late September, we are subject to this kind of stuff. I would almost welcome the dry heat of the far west when this stuff settles in for a long stay. It sucks the morale of people!

Yep way worse than Phoenix. We get a few weeks of high humidity some summers and of those a few days just too miserably humid so I can imagine.

I would add a lot of people don't ride other than real early here in the summer so it's nice, you have the trails all to yourself sometimes...

 

[Art Deco]

My relatives in the Phoenix area claim to keep their a/c set at 85, and say it often feels a bit too cool when they first step into the house..

 

[chunk]

I've been in SoCal always, and I'm well acclimated to the weather here, in fact I'm chilly if it's much under 65 F, so I think nothing of being out in the noon day sun. I don't do cold weather very well at all. The highs here are forecast to be in the low 100's F by tomorrow. That sounds good to me.

 

[Art Deco]

We don't have triple digits here more than a couple of times a year, and it's always either raining, muggy and about to rain, or just stopped and steaming off, so noone really goes out in those temperatures if it can be avoided. Unlike the 'ride in the snow' thread, clothes or the lack thereoff won't help. Early mornings or evenings are the ride times. But at least we do get enough water, unlike the western states. This chart shows the last 20 years of western drought. Yikes.

How Severe Is the Western Drought? See For Yourself. (Published 2021)

Maps show that drought conditions are the most widespread and severe in at least 20 years, with reservoirs running dry.

www.nytimes.com

 

[rajron]

As much as I want to think I have the most compelling reason for not riding it’s just not true, we all have our own unique reasons not to ride, and because of that I got on the bike this morning, after walking the dog, and went for a nice little ride. It was a comfortable ride, at 07:15 it was 75ºF twenty miles latter at 08:10 when I got home it was only 85ºF easily could have stayed out another hour before it got too warm but I told her I will be home soon.
They say monsoon starts July15? (we don’t get much moisture here) They say; “can’t wait till the monsoon gets here to cool everything off”. Ha; we get 35% humidity and everyone starts dragging – if it’s not one thing it’s another.

 

[Taylor57]

Palm Springs is set to hit 120 next week and the only option is to start your ride at 5:30- 6am. Then jump in the pool after (that is 92 degrees!) Then back into the house. We keep the house at 76 during the summer days and crank it to 75 when we go to bed. If you have to leave your house to run errands then the competition begins to find a parking spot with shade!

 

[tomjasz]

I worked outdoors in Las Vegas heat. I’d drink several gallons of water and never/seldom need to pee. I put a swamp cooler in the garage. I couldn’t touch the body of a black car. Irrigation tubing melted where exposed on the south side of our house.