Staying cool in the summer

[scottarkon]

I realize I live in one of the hotter regions of the country but how do you guys cope with the summer heat? I typically stop riding between June through August because once it gets above 105 it's just oppressive. I just purchased my F6B 10 days ago and want to ride but yesterday was 102 and Sunday was 103. I fought through it but it just tires me out.

I have a Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket and pants. I wear a cooling vest I picked up from cycle gear - which is amazing for about 45 minutes. They need to make a full body suit version of that. Between stops I'll soak a shirt and sometimes even my pants at a gas station bathroom (which gets some great looks as walk out dripping). I know there are expensive air conditioned suits out there but I'd imagine thats more required in humid climates where evap cooling is useless. Plus I'm not going to pay for it - they're so expensive.

I've wanted to build a mister system that sprays from the bike or connects to a jacket and just keeps my jacket and pants damp while I'm moving. Maybe on a switch. I figure a 2 gallon reservoir should last between stops. I wish I was more mechanically inclined or I'd have already made a prototype.

[Ixol Phaane]

In a nutshell... I try to avoid riding during the heat of the day in the summer months - late June thru September. Mornings aren't too bad... and evenings too. If you want to keep riding through the summer here in the SW, you gotta consider the dress code. If you dress for the slide, not the ride... you'd best be wearing white leathers and get off the road before temps hit about 105. You can't spend much time wearing black in the sun here. If I'm gonna be out in the heat, it's jeans and a loose fitting, light colored long-sleeve shirt to keep the sun off. Also, consider wearing an open-face or half helmet instead of your favorite full face helmet. If you're one who's dedicated to ATGATT, then you really shouldn't be riding in the heat. Forty years of living and riding in Phoenix and I've never had to sit out the summer.

Oh, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate... all day every day if you know you're gonna get out in it.

One of the very best things you can do to keep cool is ride away from the heat, up into the cooler elevations. Of course, that's just another excuse to ride. And who doesn't need that? :icon_biggrin:

[53driver]

Used to live in Mesa, actually Apache Junction. I confess I do not miss that kind of heat.
It may be a dry heat, but an oven is still an oven.

One thing I've discovered, quite to my surprise and liking, is the Baker hand wings and a Beadrider seat combination.
The hand wings send forced air right at my...Beadrider...and the air can circulate under my bum.
Talk about evaporative cooling!!!

Cheers,
Steve

[scottarkon]

One thing I've discovered, quite to my surprise and liking, is the Baker hand wings and a Beadrider seat combination.
The hand wings send forced air right at my...Beadrider...and the air can circulate under my bum.
Talk about evaporative cooling!!!

Cheers,
Steve

I'll look into a beadrider. That's a good idea!

Last night I rigged up a 1 gallon pump sprayer to sit on the saddlebag guard. I'm going to do a 300 miler on Saturday, up to Roosevelt Lake and back through Superior, and will see how complicated it is to manually mist myself as needed.

[willtill]

Probably better to just soak your T-shirt with a water bottle at every stop you make... and let that evaporation cooling work for you.

[53driver]

I'll look into a beadrider. That's a good idea!

10,000 New York cabbies can't all be wrong, right? :icon_mrgreen:

[shortleg0521]

I realize I live in one of the hotter regions of the country but how do you guys cope with the summer heat? I typically stop riding between June through August because once it gets above 105 it's just oppressive. I just purchased my F6B 10 days ago and want to ride but yesterday was 102 and Sunday was 103. I fought through it but it just tires me out.

I have a Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket and pants. I wear a cooling vest I picked up from cycle gear - which is amazing for about 45 minutes. They need to make a full body suit version of that. Between stops I'll soak a shirt and sometimes even my pants at a gas station bathroom (which gets some great looks as walk out dripping). I know there are expensive air conditioned suits out there but I'd imagine thats more required in humid climates where evap cooling is useless. Plus I'm not going to pay for it - they're so expensive.

I've wanted to build a mister system that sprays from the bike or connects to a jacket and just keeps my jacket and pants damp while I'm moving. Maybe on a switch. I figure a 2 gallon reservoir should last between stops. I wish I was more mechanically inclined or I'd have already made a prototype.

I have found that 1 Bead ridder
2 A cooling rag that is made to wet and apply to your neck
3 The same kind of cooling material that is made for a dew rag.
4 A cooling vest , made to wet and ware under a vented jacket.
I rode across Ioha and Nabraska in 110 deg heat, not going to say it was not hot but I am here to tell the story.
We also had camel packs with plenty of water, that is what you need in the heat.

[Apache1]

I'll look into a beadrider. That's a good idea!

Last night I rigged up a 1 gallon pump sprayer to sit on the saddlebag guard. I'm going to do a 300 miler on Saturday, up to Roosevelt Lake and back through Superior, and will see how complicated it is to manually mist myself as needed.

Someone had it right, Hydrate, Hydrate, and HYDRATE! Had a rider fall out yesterday due to heat, luckily he made it under an overpass to cool down before heat exhaustion set in. Here in Tucson, we roll out by 0500 and are back home NLT 1100. We also don't plan really long rides away from home, keep it local unless we're heading to the mountains for a few days. Stay safe out there, this Az heat and Sun is no joke.

[Kdarmy]

One thing I've discovered, quite to my surprise and liking, is the Baker hand wings and a Beadrider seat combination.
The hand wings send forced air right at my...Beadrider...and the air can circulate under my bum.
Talk about evaporative cooling!!!


:icon_ditto:
Couldn't agree more...perfect combination!...The Beadrider made a huge difference...No more swamp a@%

[scottarkon]

I have found that 1 Bead ridder
2 A cooling rag that is made to wet and apply to your neck
3 The same kind of cooling material that is made for a dew rag.
4 A cooling vest , made to wet and ware under a vented jacket.
I rode across Ioha and Nabraska in 110 deg heat, not going to say it was not hot but I am here to tell the story.
We also had camel packs with plenty of water, that is what you need in the heat.

I have the vest, but i'll look into the neck and head rags. Good to know so many people like the beadrider. I have an airhawk pad that I love for my Bandit, but I bought one for the F6B and it's terrible on the stock seat. After 30 minutes I hate it.

[1951vbs]

For cold weather there is heated gear. For hot weaher there is Veskimo: http://www.veskimo.com/personal-cooling-system-9quart.html
Fill cooler with ice and 12 volt pump circulates cold water through tubing in vest. It works. Just need to add ice every 100 miles. I just wish they made it with a helmet liner!!!

[Az Wingrider]

One point on the cool vests. they don't work well under mesh riding gear, too much air gets to them and drys them out very quickly. I wear my cool vest under a Gore Tex jacket with the front vents closed. The less air that gets to the vest the longer it cools. Ixol Phaane is a friend but I disagree with him about helmets in the heat. A full Face or modular helmet will be cooler in the heat because it keeps the sun and hot air off of your head. i do agree with Ixol about hydration you absolutely need drink a lot of liquids. One final little trick is to carry a bottle of water with a hole punched in the cap. When your vest starts drying out, turn the bottle up, poke it under the collar of your jacket and give it a couple of good squeezes. You will be surprised how well this recharges your cool vest.

Good luck adapting to the heat. Some people deal with it better than others but nobody enjoys 100 plus temperatures. David Hough made a point in one of his books that any time the temp goes above the low nineties you want to expose as little skin as possible when you are riding. Just as a cool wind will lower your body temperature a hot wind will raise your body temperature.

[Old Ryder]

Anybody else ever use a "Chilly Frog"? They help a bit. Also use some Duluth Trading Armachillo and Buck Naked underwear as well as the Cycle Gear Heat Out that I really like.

[BIGLRY]

Here is my secret to comfortable riding in hot weather that I have found when them tems hit triple digits, it is the only way I can get really cool while riding.:shhh:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/09/article-2047009-0E4BE8FF00000578-280_634x372.jpg