Riding Time

[6zfshdb]

Here in the northeast, between the heat, humidity and now the wildfire smoke, I haven't put many miles on the bike this season.
I see a few out there wearing masks for the smoke, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Got to be cautious at my age.

How are others here doing?

 

[stompandgo]

I've ridden and raced in red air quality conditions many times. It doesn't seem to take away from my performance, but my lungs feel heavy, and my sinuses get stuffed up even though my nose is clear. I'll get headaches sometimes. It doesn't stop me from riding.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I've been getting out even with the heat and I rode yesterday but I took it real easy... It was low 90s° with Dew Points in the low 70s°...the smoke rolled in just as I was finishing my ride.
It's more prevalent this morning so I think I'll pass on today's ride.

 

[LandoftheGiants]

I'd rather breath in a bit of bush fire smoke than the lungfuls of invisible and very toxic exhaust emissions spewed out of tailpipes in urban environments. It like fluoride in water, it's actually a very dangerous chemical so they set the rate at which they add it based on average human consumption. But an outdoor laborer in the sun will often consume 3 times that amount. Tough titties for them hey. Now just think of the breathing rate of a cyclist in traffic?

Then there is riding in fog. That's like breathing fine rain. I don't ride in fog.

 

[stompandgo]

It's clear on the Cape, but it is supposed to return later. I'm off soon for a long ride. I'm bringing the range extender just in case.

 

[Gionnirocket]

I often ride in foggy smoke with a fluoride I_V

 

[DaveMatthews]

It's been fairly mild here in Vancouver until this week. Now it's fairly normal at about 24C.
We've been extremely lucky so far regarding smoke. Nothing to speak of. I probably just jinxed it...
Looks pretty bad in other areas...

Smoke Forecast - FireSmoke.ca

 

[PCeBiker]

I'm not going nowhere today.

The sun looks like a Harvest Moon,..

 

[Chargeride]

Ah, double negatives, I never dont use them.

 

[PCeBiker]

I ain't got no good use for positive negatives.
Are you guys in England still plugging your batteries in backwards?

My uncle had a Model A Ford back in the 40's
He noticed that his dashboard clock was spinning backwards??
He realized that he connected his battery backwards, so he connected it properly.

The car ran fine with the battery connected backwards.

I remember in grade 12 that current traveled from negative to positive in physics class, but in electronics and automotive class, current traveled from positive to negative.

I'm pretty sure that has something to do with England reversing polarity.

We found out that electrons were negatively charged so lots of negatives would in fact be a positive, so we need to plug batteries into things with + and - reversed.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

My last major wildfire smoke event was in Denver maybe 5-6 years ago. The air was orange for days. The trapped feeling got scary enough that I found myself thinking about finding a new planet. Really makes you appreciate clean air.

Visible smoke is particulate matter in the most dangerous PM2.5 size range — small enough to reach and adversely affect the delicate gas-exchange surfaces deep in the lungs. If you plan to keep up your oxygen habit, do what you can to minimize your PM2.5 exposures.

Above a certain ambient PM2.5 level, any activity that results in deep breathing at elevated respiratory rates is ill-advised. There are probably masks with some protection, but I wouldn't get myself winded on a bike and think a mask was making it safe.

To mitigate in the house, we installed smoke-rated (MERV 13?) central air filters and kept the circulation fan running to trap as much PM2.5 as possible. Seemed to help.

 

[PCeBiker]

To mitigate in the house, we installed smoke-rated (MERV 13?) central air filters and kept the fan running to trap as much PM2.5 as possible. Seemed to help.

Be careful with filters with a high MERV rating.
The paper Hepa filter kind.

They clog up much faster, and have been known to burn out fan motors because they restricted air flow too much.

Furnaces were overheating and shutting down because they couldn't "breathe"

 

[McApple]

With the heat, poor air quality, and a couple of past "cardiac events", I am pretty much staying indoors. I rode 65kms last Sunday, and had rides scheduled for tomorrow and Saturday, but unless conditions greatly improve, I will take a pass on outdoor exertion.

 

[Chargeride]

The ride I did up Halkyn, I washed my sweatshirt, put in a plastic bag still wet, and put it on at the start of the ride, it was bliss, by about 8 miles in it was dry, but then it was all downhill.

 

[6zfshdb]

I just finished mowing a 7 acre pasture and noticed the cabin air flow was almost non existent. I checked the cab air filter and It was totally clogged with brownish gray dust! I had replaced it less than a month ago.

The visibility here now is less than a quarter mile due to the yellow haze.
In Winter, it's the cold Canadian air and now this!
Can't you Canadians keep your air to yourselves.

 

[PCeBiker]

,..put in a plastic bag still wet, and put it on at the start of the ride, it was bliss,

I used to soak my shirt all the time when I rode my mountain bike. (I had to pedal that bike)
I would stop and resoak my T-shirt at every creek, river or even a puddle, if it wasn't too murky.

I was out riding with my BIL and he offered me some of his water.
I proceeded to dump half his water on my head and on my T-shirt.

He just stood there and waited till I was done, and said "that was blueberry juice".
And of course I was wearing a white T-shirt.

Fortunately, we were right near a highway rest stop so I went into the restroom and washed the sticky juice outta my hair and shirt.

In Winter, it's the cold Canadian air and now this!
Can't you Canadians keep your air to yourselves.

I just farted on my back porch.
I think it's headed your way?
Let me know if you can tell what I had for lunch.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Can't you Canadians keep your air to yourselves.

Nope...

 

[JimFMB]

Here in the northeast, between the heat, humidity and now the wildfire smoke, I haven't put many miles on the bike this season.
I see a few out there wearing masks for the smoke, but I'm not sure how effective they are. Got to be cautious at my age.

How are others here doing?

I rode on early Tuesday and the heat and air quality was getting worse and stopped after 10 miles. this was about 30 miles east south east of Chicago. Today we drove to Knox Indiana to see the Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive. Knox is about 100 miles southeast of Chicago and the smoke From the Canadian wild fire was very bad.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I'm not going nowhere today.

The sun looks like a Harvest Moon,..

View attachment 212736

wimp. I had to ride in smoke so thick it was worse than bad fog.

 

[dodgeman]

It’s been hot and humid here but while there is smoke, it’s not bad.