Commuting - Is it too hot to commute?

I rode my bike the 10 miles to work today as I do at least 2 days a week. It's really hot in Minneapolis today - heat index of 105 about the time I'll be going home.

I'm young (32), in good health, and fair shape and I'm not really worried about the heat. I figure I'll just take it easy.

But some people in my office think I am absolutely insane and stand a very good chance of dying. Of course, these people think bikes are toys and they wouldn't even think of riding one more than a mile.

What do y'all think?

It's either too hot or too cold for most people to commute.

you'll be fine - drink lots! ideally you should have a camelbak filled with iced water

I bike in DC where its been in the upper 90s with lousy air quality and have not had any probs and I'm an asthmatic

It is very hot in Montreal too, about the same temperature I think. If I were commuting today (I'm not because it is a national holiday), I would take it very easy!

I'm in Madison, WI, and it's hot here too. I dragged my 11 year old daughter in on my 8 mile commute. I'm thinking we will take lots of water and go home real easy. I couldn't drive, not even one day!

Prehydrate. Then continue to drink during the ride. Don't hammer to where you feel out of breath if the ozone levels are high. And you'll be fine.

I was in Vegas a couple of weeks ago where it was 105, 15% humidity. Felt wonderful. Whereas here when it's 93 and 70% humidity, they call it a "heat index" of 105 but it feels far, far more miserable than it did in the desert.

I don't get this heat index thing.

RichC

People scared me on Sunday with dire warnings about my ride home and offers of a lift. (97 and very humid in Wisconsin) But I found that the breeze I got while biking was far more comfortable than the drive home in an un-air-conditioned car would have been (especially after being parked in the sun all morning.)

Well I refused the offers of a ride home. I prehydrated and took it easy and it was a fine ride. Though by the time I got home I felt like my eyeballs were sweating! :eek:

Think I'll commute again tomorrow. Thanks for the replies.

I found this link for the humidex (humidity temperature calculator). Looks pretty cool. Humidex Calculator (http://www.physlink.com/Reference/Weather.cfm).

I'm in Northern Ohio and I rode to work today. It was very humid and in the upper 70's going to work. I didn't get too sweated up. I washed up and looked good for work. Fortunately I stayed in all day (air-conditioned) since I packed a lunch. The ride home was 91 degrees F and high humidity (heat index of 96). I told myself to take it easy and I did for awhile. Then traffic picked up and I had to pick up the pace. I was pretty wet by the time I got home. My wife sent me to the shower before dinner. I always wear cycling clothes (shorts and jersey) when I commute and even then I was in definate need of a rinse. I'll ride again this week even if it is hot.

I never let the heat stop me from commuting. Temps here in south central Nebraska have been in the upper 90's to low 100's, but I have had no trouble. I drink coffee at work...up 'till noon, then I drink water, water, water! Then fill up the hydrapak with 70 ounces of ice water, and head for home. Spin pretty easy, and before you know it, you're home! Not unusual for me to go thru all the water by the time I have finished my 7 to 15 mile commute, but I arrive alive and well, and that is what matters!

My hottest commute last summer was 43 degrees C (around 110F) and I survived that OK. OF course, I have ridden in hotter conditions than that before (and much of it totally voluntary). It's never too hot to ride, but one can be too unprepared for the heat. You need to drink lots of water and keep that sunscreen on.

I just bought a soccer shirt with the coolmax/dry weave synthethic technology (btw, they are a lot cheaper than cycling jerseys) and I am surprised on how much cooler they keep you when moving.

But don't stop. When I get home, it's like I gush. As long as I am moving, the sweat evaporates.

I ride year round. In the winter, I dream of 90-100 degree days to ride. In the winter, when I'm dodging rain cells, I dream of nice, dry conditions.

Now that it's summer, I rarely pass up a chance to ride like hell during outrageously hot afternoons. In fact, I'm disappointed when the metereologists predict 95+ temps, and the temps only reach the low 90s.

It's at these times, however, that I long for the 40 degree temps of the winter.

BRING ON THE HEAT !!!! BRING ON THE COLD !!!! What the hell, being it all on !!!

At the mention of heat, Chewa looks at his still pale legs and starts sobbing uncontrollably. Another dreich July day in the capital city!

:(

Well, you should be glad for summer heat. Here in Sweden we have autumn-like weather right now, and have had for some weeks now, 15 degrees Celcius=59 degrees Fahrenheit, I think. And rain, rain, rain, wind, wind, wind... Makes no summer.:mad:
I would apreciate some of your heat right now.:)

Anders K
Sweden

I'm with you Chewa. Blowing at 18 mph, and barely scraping 15 degrees Centigrade. So much for summer. :cry:

Ellie

I almost dug my arm warmers out again this morning :(

Originally posted by Andy Dreisch
I ride year round. In the winter, I dream of 90-100 degree days to ride. In the winter, when I'm dodging rain cells, I dream of nice, dry conditions.

No need to dream for me. We get those sort of temps for 9 months of the year around here, even in the rain! Mind you, it's suddenly got unusually cool around here lately. I got to ride in a temperature of 5 degrees C this morning (almost unheard of around here!), and I even saw frost at Canungra on the weekend! :eek:

It was 27C when I left home and 30C by the time I got to work and very humid. It is forecast 32C this afternoon. My wife thinks I'm nuts riding to work in these conditions - she's probably right. I had a following wind which made the pedaling practically effortless, and it will help with the cooling on the way home. I went 2 or 3 km/hr slower than usual and it seemed like I was only expending about half the energy.

well this summer is not bad here in Munich. we had a few weeks of low 90s but now we're back down in the 80s and 70s - a few days ago i had to wear a jacket!

BUT i commuted 6 and then 3 miles to downtown HOUSTON for 2 summers! my coworkers thought i was insane and almost daily i got offered rides "so i wouldn't have to endure the heat"

for me, it's not the temperature, but the humidity that really bothers me - Houston in the summer is usually in the upper 90's with near 100% humidity.

as to the safety, i think unless you're out in the sun all day and get dehydrated there's really not much health risk -- you will experience a lot of discomfort before it's dangerous.

The heat never bothers me while riding as long as I have water. However, I drove today instead of bike commuting. These reason? It was 74F with a dewpoint of 74F this morning and I DO NOT have shower facilities at work. So, I didn't ride to work today because it was "too hot."

Davy

It's never too hot, bike smart, stay hydrated and be aware of what your body tells you.

Humidity is a killer. I remember doing a 70km ride in 37C temperatures at Inverell a few years back and not even breaking sweat because the humidity their was lower than what I was used to. Of course, it only needs to hit 25C here for me to be sweating like a madman.

I'm definitely spoiled here in the Bay Area. It gets "cold" here -- maybe the high 30s or so. It never gets humid in summer. Yes, it gets hot down here in San Jose (100s are common) though this year, like last year, has been mild overall. Only a day or two so far in the 90s.

It simply does not rain from maybe April to late October or so. The winds are very predictable.

My only "complaint" is how cool it has been. I wear a jacket every morning. Even at around 6pm I often have to wear the jacket home.

Gradually acclimating to hot temps over time is the way to go. If you're not used to the heat, it will affect you adversely in some way. If you're acclimated to it, your body will adjust. Of course hydration is a must. Water bottles don't stay cool. A camelbak type hydration system is an absolute necessity.

Funny, I thought it was quite pleasant on my 13 mile commute home in Houston this afternoon since it was "only" about 90 deg and 80% humidity.:D :D

All my co-workers think I'm crazy, not because of the heat and humidity, but because of the Houston drivers!:lol:

I take it all back - it can be too hot to commute (at least for me!). Yesterday was wicked hot in DC - I think the heat index was up to 103/104 - by the time I finished my 10 mile commute I felt like crap.

Todays forecast was for a heat index of 105-107.....I took the metro.

Originally posted by brennser
I take it all back - it can be too hot to commute (at least for me!). Yesterday was wicked hot in DC
Yes, it's better to let people think you're a wimp and take it slow when you feel the heat building up.

I find a good strategy is to actually stop somewhere shady and take a cold drink (if possible.) When you stop, you get drenched with sweat. Ahh, nature's air conditioner!

I never met a summer temperature I didn't like. :D
Too hot? Not a chance! Just make sure you have lots of water and a bandana under your helmet.


Too cold in the winter is another story. Anything below 40-45°F is too cold for me.

Just get out there earlier. I was out at 7:15AM this morning and it was quite pleasant. Of course I won't be able to leave until 7PM, but that is another story.

It was 33C for the ride home yesterday afternoon. At about 1/3 of the way, I passed a gardening shop where the owner was watering his flowers, so I stopped and he sprayed me down and refilled my water bottles. At about 2/3 of the way my feet were getting v hot, so I stopped for 10 mins, took off my shoes and soaked them with water - that made my feet more comfortable for the rest of the ride. I rode along the Lachine canal an extra 7 km instead of taking city streets because the bike path had the lots of shade trees.

I was passed by quite a lot of road cyclists (about 20 in 9 km)going a lot faster than me, with no appearance of stress from the heat. There was a significant headwind, which added quite a bit of time to the ride, but it helped with cooling. I took 2hrs 20min including stops and an extra 3 km, instead of my usual 1hr 15min.

Originally posted by LittleBigMan

Yes, it's better to let people think you're a wimp and take it slow when you feel the heat building up.

Agreed. When temperatures exceed 40 degrees C, one's heartrate can fluctuate a lot more than usual. One does not want to die of a heartattack out there.