Now they say it's TOO HOT to ride

[Roody]

Just a short time ago, my car-addled friends were telling me that they couldn't ride because it was too cold. Now they say it's too hot. They always have an excuse handy for driving their climate controlled cars. There might be two or three days a year when the weather is actually suitable for being outdoors, they claim.

For you, is it just a matter of acclimation, or do you have some tips that would help people beat the heat on their bikes?

[DavidLee]

There is a nice thread going on over in the General Forum discussing this, 99F + is here, so do you have any riding tips? (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=203350)

[Artkansas]

Just a short time ago, my car-addled friends were telling me that they couldn't ride because it was too cold. Now they say it's too hot. They always have an excuse handy for driving their climate controlled cars. There might be two or three days a year when the weather is actually suitable for being outdoors, they claim.

For you, is it just a matter of acclimation, or do you have some tips that would help people beat the heat on their bikes?

I'm not sure it's so much acclimation as perception. People who will spend hundreds of dollars to go skiing far away, will tell you that it's too cold to bicycle in their home town. I've pedaled in 120 degree heat, where the tires start to soften if you stop at a stop light. My bike was hot, but the wind I created kept me comfortable. At the same time I observed that I was actually cooler than those in cars without air conditioning.

So I know that its not the conditions, rather than the perception of the conditions. Other than imitating Glenda the Good Witch and encouraging the motor munchkins to "Come out, Come Out, Where ever you are..." I'm not sure what to suggest.

[DataJunkie]

Silly people. If the temps were perfect all year round it would be a different excuse.

[MichaelW]

If people think that riding a bike is so tough and demanding why the expression "It's as easy as riding a bike" ?

[nick95673]

Some people are uncomfortable with making blanket statements so they qualify everything.. You know these guys. "I don't like chocolate because it hurts my teeth" "I hate computers because I type so slowly" "I hate cats because they scratch and make me sneeze" I hate punctuation because I dont understand it" Does it matter why they don't like it? So people get in to the rut of having to qualify negative statements. They would feel uncomfortable saying "I hate the idea of riding a bike to work even if it was downhill both ways" So they lie to you and make up lame excuses.

I hate soccer.

[jamesdenver]

I'm only hot at the stop lights. Got home the other day and didn't even realize it was 99.

On a related "complaining" note -- I'm taking Spanish lessons and recently learned the concept of reflexive verbs, which means the person that INITIATES the action RECEIVES it. i.e. I awoke myself, so even if the alarm clock wakes you, YOU are doing the waking up.

My teacher made an interesting cultural point, the phrases, "You bore me", or "You make me angry", are used differently. i.e. "Yo me aburrido" means "I bore myself". So regardless of WHERE the emotion comes from, YOU are having the emotion, not so much someone causing it. Hence it causes you to be responsible for the feelings you're having, at least in the gramatical sense.

Made me think about things people say (like the above posts), which BLAME people and THINGS (objects are sort of silly), for feelings THEY have.

[timmhaan]

they're just wussies. plain and simple.

[manual_overide]

to be honest, if it's above 98.6 degrees outside and the humidity is above 85% or so, I really don't like even going outside, much less riding and putting myself in a position to get heat stroke. Days like that are the "Make some iced tea and post to BF all afternoon" days

[jimmuter]

I always reply positively when someone complains about the weather. If they say that it's getting really hot outside, I'll say "Great! I love hot weather". That happened yesterday and the person I was talking to said, "I thought you liked cold weather." I said I do. I like all weather. It may be psychological, but I feel that riding my bike in all sorts of weather helps me moderate my temperature better. I feel comfortable in a wide range of temperatures.

[chennai]

I just say, as I say during the winter, "it's a lot [cooler|warmer] when you're riding." And, it's true.

I would hate to get into a car in January - for the first 15 minutes, it would be like being immersed in liquid nitrogen. You can't move around in a car; you just sit there passively and suffer. Same deal with a car that sits outside on a hot day - it's a bloody oven for 15 minutes. (And the roaring air conditioner isn't so nice after that.)

[Artkansas]

I'm only hot at the stop lights. Got home the other day and didn't even realize it was 99.

Yeah, on one summer day I got home from work and took a shower. My ex-wife arrived soon after and she couldn't believe that I hadn't realized that the air conditioner was broken. Seemed cool to me. :rolleyes:

[Lamplight]

I work in a warehouse with no air conditioning. It would take some serious heat for it to be too hot for me to ride. :D

[!!Comatoa$ted]

Just a short time ago, my car-addled friends were telling me that they couldn't ride because it was too cold. Now they say it's too hot. They always have an excuse handy for driving their climate controlled cars. There might be two or three days a year when the weather is actually suitable for being outdoors, they claim.

If they say that there are only 2 or 3 days a year that are suitable that may mean that they may ride to work. Find out when those days are and then tell them that you will meet them in the morning and ride with them. If they give in just a bit you may convince them to give in a bit more. But then again there may be another excuse, like I have to do the groceries or something like that.

When I worked in air conditioning all-day and then rode in an air-conditioned vehicle it always hot or to cold out. I suffered miserably. Whenever the temperature would go above about 77F-25C I would suffer dearly, and the cold that I never noticed before the car was always there in the winter.

Now that I do not have a car winters are very enjoyable again, and the heat does not seem that oppressive anymore. I actually like going outside and enjoying the day, instead of having my environment artificially controlled.

For you, is it just a matter of acclimation, or do you have some tips that would help people beat the heat on their bikes?

I think you would have to get rid of the car or at least reduce dependence on it so one can experience travelling outside the bubble. Your friends may also think that biking is for children and grownups drive cars not ride bikes to get around. They could also be lazy or too addicted to their cars to see biking as any good at all. It may be that excuses for not riding a bike are just rationalising their choice to drive. To get to work you just get in the car and go. If you have a bike you have to adjust clothing for the weather, you could get a flat, the roads are too busy, you will be sweaty at work, it's to hot out, I have to carry lunch on my back, I cant have a coffee while going into work.

Now I think some of us, especially me, see biking to work as just hopping on the bike and going to work. Whereas if I take the car I have to get gas, pay for a coffee that I can drink on the way to work, put up with traffic jams, be delayed by accidents, worry about the next car payment, find a parking spot that is free. Then I still feel tired when I get to work. I will also have to warm up my car for 15 minutes if it is cold, do a million errands on the way home during the gridlock because I have a car and can carry lots of stuff. By the time I get home I will be pissed off and wasted all my free time doing stuff that I did not want to do.

Do your friends work outside in the weather, or do they work in a climate-controlled environment?

Personally for me as soon as I got away from the air conditioned work place and started spending most of my days outside, and now working in a place without air-conditioning I do not get as bothered by the heat.

[gregtheripper]

spending a lot of time in a/c can make a big difference. i don't think i am going to bother installing the window a/c's in my apt even though it gets very hot since its an 80-90 year old building. my windows are bay style and i have three of them so i can get some good airflow i guess. i really dislike people who pump the a/c, like in my office, because sometimes i need a sweatshirt to keep warm. however, even when i used to drive i preferred keeping the windows open as long as practically possible (ie, when not on the highway going fast) because the compressor had an effect on gas mileage/performance. as long as i have some water and comfortable clothing i am good to go.

i guess it boils down to: a lot of people are wimps? ah, life.

[CommuterRun]

People that don't want to ride will always find an excuse rather than admit they just don't want to.

Ever notice how it always seems to be the people that just have to have air conditioning that are the ones complaining about the heat? We don't run the AC at all in the house. Didn't use it for the three years I was stationed on Okinawa, either. Whether working or recreating outside in the middle of the day, not using the AC at home makes a big difference in how much more comfortable you'll feel.:)

Not to mention the wasted eletricity and the electric bill.

[manual_overide]

my apt is in the basement of a building, so it stays pretty nice down here all the time. the only time i ever feel the need to run the ac is when the humidity gets pretty high. even then i only need it for a few minutes.

The temp isn't really a big deal unless there is high humidity. Your body relies on evaporation to cool itself. If the temp outside is higher than body temp, and the humidity is high enough that sweat will not evaporate as quickly as the body needs it to, it is dangerous to do strenuous activity outside because of the risk of overheating and heat stroke.

[dracula rides]

My commute in July and august will be 115 on average. Lots of water and sun tan lotion!

[I-Like-To-Bike]

Just a short time ago, my car-addled friends were telling me that they couldn't ride because it was too cold. Now they say it's too hot. They always have an excuse handy for driving their climate controlled cars. There might be two or three days a year when the weather is actually suitable for being outdoors, they claim.
Just curious - Do "they" come to you and gratuitously offer up reasons for not riding bicycles or are you nagging everybody in order to record their "excuses" and to give you something else to feel superior about? Why do "they" feel compelled to explain their reasons to you for their actions for you to mock?

Is it really necessary to go into another rant about the "car-addled" in order to ask other cyclists for tips on how to beat the heat?

[lyeinyoureye]

I wouldn't want to ride in hot or cold conditions if the humidity is above 20%, then again I wouldn't want to live there either...

[chennai]

Just curious - Do "they" come to you and gratuitously offer up reasons for not riding bicycles or are you nagging everybody in order to record their "excuses" and to give you something else to feel superior about?

Actually, my colleagues discuss the weather/bike issue a fair amount - spontaneously. But, maybe that's because we're less apt to find fault with what others are saying, doing, and posting than folks from Burlington, Iowa. :)

[I-Like-To-Bike]

Actually, my colleagues discuss the weather/bike issue a fair amount - spontaneously. But, maybe that's because we're less apt to find fault with what others are saying, doing, and posting than folks from Burlington, Iowa. :)
In many areas of the country people can discuss the weather without a preceding whinny political rant about the foibles of "them."

[Roody]

One thing I noticed is that the Rivertrail where I live is empty all winter (except for me and like one other guy). Then for a couple weeks in spring it's so crowded that you can't make any headway through it. But now, with the temp over 85 degrees, the trail is back to being empty again. So this fickleness isn't confined to my friends.

I think the reason is partly that people today don't have the opportunity to get acclimated to heat or cold. As soon as something feels uncomfortable for one minute, they have to stop, so they never get to the point where it's comfortable again. Another part of the reason might be lack of fitness. Years ago when I was sedentary and in poor shape, I sweated so much that I couldn't stand the muggy weather. Now I barely sweat at all, unless I'm working extremely hard.

[aikigreg]

It's been > 95 here for quite a while, and it definately takes some getting used to, along with some planning on WHEn I'll be riding (since I'm jobless over the summer, I get to choose). Funny how most of the time I choose to go at 3pm anyway. My only complaint is that I HATE HATE HATE putting sunblock on.

Would be a great thread for someone to start though - how to beat the beat. Personally, I've been trying those kerchiefs that you soak in water that swell up and supposedly keep you cool for hours, but I can't say its been too successful so far.

[chennai]

In many areas of the country people can discuss the weather without a preceding whinny political rant about the foibles of "them."

I guess I missed the "whiney political rant." (I just re-read the OP and missed it again.)

[Roody]

Would be a great thread for someone to start though - how to beat the beat. Personally, I've been trying those kerchiefs that you soak in water that swell up and supposedly keep you cool for hours, but I can't say its been too successful so far.
I imagine that any cooling system (including sweat) that relies on evaporation is going to work better in a dry heat. The wicking clothes may not keep me much cooler, but they dry faster and that's a big plus. They're starting to make golf shirts and polo shirts out of wicking material, dressy enough for me to wear at work, so that's nice.

One other tip--get to work (or wherever) a little early, because it takes a while to stop sweating.

[KrisPistofferson]

Well, it IS too hot to ride, but those of us without cars do it anyway cuz we need to work. :) I actually like it because I work in an auto shop and get DIRTY working on cars all day (yes, I know I'm a double-agent,), so sweating profusely on the ride home opens up the pores and helps me get cleaner in the shower. Also, I can shave before showering because my hair follicles are already soaked. It gets freakin' HOT here in Tennessee, so you can tell I've taken great effort to accentuate the positive.

I used to run, and I'd much rather be cycling in extreme heat and humidity than running. Also, I have grandparents that lived through the Depression as farmers, and WWII as enlisted folk, so whenever I feel like whining, I think about them. Actually, cycling for me makes me feel more in touch with the elements, and I feel akin to those who used to ride mules and horses back in the day. They probably didn't do much whining back then.

When people at work and such ask you questions about being car-free, they tend to give you much respect for riding in the heat and cold, so that's a little gratifying. Keep it real, brothers and sisters, (even you, ILTB ;) )

[Roody]

When people at work and such ask you questions about being car-free, they tend to give you much respect for riding in the heat and cold, so that's a little gratifying. Keep it real, brothers and sisters, (even you, ILTB ;) )
That reminds me of something my mother told me. She loved everybody and was as close to a saint as anybody I've known. But once I was feeling sorry for myself because I was on a diet and couldn't enjoy all the holiday food at a party. Mom said, "Well sometimes it's OK to look at all those other people and think, 'I'm just a little bit stronger than they are.'"

Riding also makes me a little stronger than many other people, and that is something to feel good about.

[KnhoJ]

I work with these people, too. I'm only walking across the street, but still hear this stuff fairly often. The best strategy I've come up with is to just let them think I'm addled or some kind of masochist or wacky athlete type. Then I use my abnormally positive outlook and initiative gathered from my improved fitness to impress the powers that be, positively balancing promotional activities in my direction.
And soon I'll be in a truly superior position to mock "thier" "excuses" for not getting that promotion.
That'll teach 'em.

[becnal]

Excuses are like armpits: everybody has a couple and they all stink.

[STEEKER]

I ride into work or stop at the traffic light and I am all Smiles the drivers are all sour faces stuck in the metal hot box's I feel great

[noisebeam]

If very high temps I think it is a perfectly valid excuse. Some trips are essentially impossible by bike in the summer.

But therein lies the dilemma of 'car free' If one was truely car free (vs. car light) one could justify taking a taxi for trips that can not be done by bike in the summer.

Al

[cerewa]

I'd rather be outdoors riding my bike in 100-degree weather in full sunlight than sitting still in my no-A/C apartment where it's probably 93 degrees on the same day.