This is my 4th winter riding. I ride early AM when it is usually the day's low temps. I constantly read threads on here where people say that they are wet from sweat when they ride. That always puzzles me, because I never sweat in the winter. In fact I find it hard to see why others do.
I've posted some on this topic before and the first thing people do is accuse me of not riding hard enough. Maybe so, but I ride just as hard as i do in the summer and i can assure you that i sweat tons in the Summer. I usually average between 13 and 15 mph over a couple hours on unpaved dirt and gravel county roads on my mtb with 2" tires.
I don't kill myself but I'm not on a Sunday stroll either. Thing is, that it seems like you are dressed "cool" enough then sweating really shouldn't be possible. I NEVER really wear a mid layer or what is called an insulating layer. I wear a winter cycling jersey as a base layer that is basically like long underwear in thickness. Depending on the temp I might add a nylon unlined vest over that.
If it is freezing or above i wear only a very light pearl izumi jacket as a shell over that. Below freezing i just wear a goretex cycling jacket that still doesn't have insulation. So it seems like the people that are sweating might me wearing heavier midlayers than I. I guess i really don't wear a mid layer for that matter.
I like to dump heat quickly and having no thick layers on makes that possible.
The BikeForums Team
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I certainly sweat less in winter but I still sweat no matter what the temp. It it is above freezing and dry I wear a long sleeve jersey type shirt and shorts with thin gloves. I've always been a big sweater ... even where I was a in shape teenager. I wonder if it just varies greatly between individuals.
CrosseyedCrickt
You probably do sweat, but since your body is not encased in a vapor proof shell it evaporates before acumulating. When I forget my shell and ride in the cold I arrive fairly dry, but know that I have sweated by my extreme thirst and, if I did not drink enough water, dehydrative induced mild headache. When I have my raingear on as a wind shell I sweat like a pig.
But then again, I am sweating just typing this post... I need a beer.
cyccommute
This is my 4th winter riding. I ride early AM when it is usually the day's low temps. I constantly read threads on here where people say that they are wet from sweat when they ride. That always puzzles me, because I never sweat in the winter. In fact I find it hard to see why others do.
Each person is different. I sweat riding a bike across the street. Doesn't matter if I go at walking speed or do a sprint nor if it's winter, spring, summer or fall. Or if the temperature is 90 F or -5 F. If I start to exercise, I sweat...buckets! Personally, I find it hard to see why people don't sweat.
I've posted some on this topic before and the first thing people do is accuse me of not riding hard enough. Maybe so, but I ride just as hard as i do in the summer and i can assure you that i sweat tons in the Summer. I usually average between 13 and 15 mph over a couple hours on unpaved dirt and gravel county roads on my mtb with 2" tires.
I have a similar ride to and from work. I sweat slightly less on the way home because it's down hill but I still need a shower at the end of it. Even when I go to my other work assignment which is only 5 steep downhill miles from home, I'm soggy when I get there. Again, people are different.
I don't kill myself but I'm not on a Sunday stroll either. Thing is, that it seems like you are dressed "cool" enough then sweating really shouldn't be possible. I NEVER really wear a mid layer or what is called an insulating layer. I wear a winter cycling jersey as a base layer that is basically like long underwear in thickness. Depending on the temp I might add a nylon unlined vest over that.
If it works for you, that's great. But that may not be enough for others. I see people out riding in 40 F weather in shorts and can't for the life of me see how their knees function. Some people can ride in any weather as long as their hands are warm...I get by in even the coldest of weather with rather light gloves. Some people can ride with just a helmet...I have to have my ears covered. If my feet get cold, I'm done!
If it is freezing or above i wear only a very light pearl izumi jacket as a shell over that. Below freezing i just wear a goretex cycling jacket that still doesn't have insulation. So it seems like the people that are sweating might me wearing heavier midlayers than I. I guess i really don't wear a mid layer for that matter.
I like to dump heat quickly and having no thick layers on makes that possible.
You may like to dump heat quickly but be aware there is a risk there. Hypothermia happens when the body's core gets too cold to maintain function. Dumping heat quickly could lead to hypothermia in some situations. Better to keep the warm air trapped and be somewhat soggy then to lose it all and fall into that situation. Additionally, in some temperatures, dumping heat will cause the body to preserve core functions at the expense of the extremities. That can quickly lead to frostbite if the temperature is far below freezing.
I agree that you should start cold but don't be silly about it.
Roody
I sweat as much in the winter as summer, I think. After a good ride, my skin will be nice and dry, my outer layer will also be dry, but the second layer of clothing will be soaking wet.
Phantoj
Location: KANSAS
I have a mile-long hill with 400+ ft elevation gain on my way home each day. If not for that, I could ride with minimal sweat.
HDWound
I'm in Kansas and I always sweat in the winter when I ride.
I dunno what you're doing wrong. :D
CastIron
yes. If my core isn't warm enough to perspire, then my limbs will freeze.
BenyBen
In the winter, I'm that guy you see waiting at lights literally smoking (and not just a bit) from the moist/heat that I generate. I get strange looks sometimes...
I think parts of it is based on how I dress (still experimenting), but I (like cyccomute) always sweat buckets as soon as I exercise.
Machka
Yes, I do ... a lot! But it's OK, because as I described in another post (One Hour Threshold), I've got a layering system that works very well for me to keep me warm and dry.
It's interesting ... the more fit I've become, the more I seem to sweat (summer and winter) ... not sure why.
woody_1029
In the winter, I'm that guy you see waiting at lights literally smoking (and not just a bit) from the moist/heat that I generate. I get strange looks sometimes...
I think parts of it is based on how I dress (still experimenting), but I (like cyccomute) always sweat buckets as soon as I exercise.
+1
I went for a run with a neighbor the other day and afterwards we were standing near the curb talking and steam was coming off me like a nuclear reactor!
barba
I get the sweat going up the hill and then it freezes to my chest going down. Lots of fun.
Portis
I have a mile-long hill with 400+ ft elevation gain on my way home each day. If not for that, I could ride with minimal sweat.
I'll agree with this. Granted Kansas is known for being flat. In fact most people who ride the BAK (bike across Kansas) comment on how wrong that ascertion is. Mix in the fact that it is the home of the windiest cities in the USA and you can find some resistance.
But it is pretty flat where i ride. There are a few good climbs on my routes but certainly nothing serious. I am experienced enough to know that climbing increases the heat in winter. In fact, I call hills "heaters" in my own mind. ("here comes a heater")
This is my 4th Winter of daily riding so I consider myself experienced and have never had hypothermia. To me, it seems a greater threat to be wet. I also will mention that I am in pretty good shape. I'm 6'2" and 150 lbs. I've riddden over 15,000 miles on roads like these (http://www.putfile.com/furniture/images/38576) in the last 3 years, and many more on my road bike.
Everything I've read about how the body works while exercising is that the more you sweat, the more efficient your body is at cooling itself. There are some people that don't have the same amount of sweat glands as the average person and because of this, they can't handle as much high aerobic activity as it will bring on heat exaustion or at the worst, heat stroke.
woody_1029
I get the sweat going up the hill and then it freezes to my chest going down. Lots of fun.
That must loads of fun :rolleyes:
In the past -- I'm talking years ago, the TDF riders used to stuff their jerseys w/ newspaper on the downhills to keep themselves warm. I heard that was also good for aerodynamics ;)
Portis
That must loads of fun :rolleyes:
In the past -- I'm talking years ago, the TDF riders used to stuff their jerseys w/ newspaper on the downhills to keep themselves warm. I heard that was also good for aerodynamics ;)
That was the good ol days. Now they stuff themselves with all sorts of performance drugs. :mad:
barba
That must loads of fun :rolleyes:
In the past -- I'm talking years ago, the TDF riders used to stuff their jerseys w/ newspaper on the downhills to keep themselves warm. I heard that was also good for aerodynamics ;)
I actually still use that trick. It works fairly well. Oldies but goodies.
woody_1029
That was the good ol days. Now they stuff themselves with all sorts of performance drugs. :mad:
Some vintage doping :)
CBBaron
That must loads of fun :rolleyes:
In the past -- I'm talking years ago, the TDF riders used to stuff their jerseys w/ newspaper on the downhills to keep themselves warm. I heard that was also good for aerodynamics ;)
I actually saw a rider in one of the spring classics (or was it the Giro) put a piece of what looked like paper down the front of his jersey just after cresting a mountain on a cool day. I don't think the newspaper stuff is that old.
If its warm enough that I can wear only fleece type layers without a windproof layer then I arrive at work mostly dry. However as it gets colder it gets harder and harder to get the number of layers just right so that I do not get cold extremities and I do not sweat. Below freezing I find it more comfortable to wear a windproof layer and deal with some sweat. I tend to underdress because my commute is only 40 mins of sprinting from light to light but still I almost always arrive at least a little wet.
Craig
WriteABike
In my experience, people vary greatly in the amount they sweat. My wife recently ran a marathon and only got a bit damp. I would've been dripping. (I also drink twice as much as she does. I know sweating and drinking are connected, but I'm not sure which one is the causal factor.)
Portis
Based on my lengthy experience, the heavier the layers, the more you sweat. Like i mentioned, i don't really sweat, at least not enough to have "wet" clothing. If i start to feel myself sweating, i start unzipping or take stuff off. I don't like the notion of having wet clothes on my body when it is 0F outside.
I have one midweight cycling jersey which would be classified as HEAVY for me, probably most would classify it as midweight. I have to be very careful, when i wear it because it is usually too hot. Just the other day i wore just it and a lightweight Pearl Izumi jacket. Temp was 27F. I was nice and toasty for most of the ride, but there were times where i was borderline too hot.
I think the answer to my own question is: (not necessarily in this order)
1. Everyone is different, some sweat more than others.
2. Depends on the number of hills you have to climb.
3. Depends on how heavy your clothes are. Anything cosidered mid weight is often too hot for me. I prefer a thin insulating base layer, a nylon unlined vest, and a shell. (gore tex shell for extreme cold)
cyccommute
Based on my lengthy experience, the heavier the layers, the more you sweat. Like i mentioned, i don't really sweat, at least not enough to have "wet" clothing. If i start to feel myself sweating, i start unzipping or take stuff off. I don't like the notion of having wet clothes on my body when it is 0F outside.
When you have passed your 10th year of winter cycling, come back and talk to us about your lengthy experience.
I have one midweight cycling jersey which would be classified as HEAVY for me, probably most would classify it as midweight. I have to be very careful, when i wear it because it is usually too hot. Just the other day i wore just it and a lightweight Pearl Izumi jacket. Temp was 27F. I was nice and toasty for most of the ride, but there were times where i was borderline too hot.
I did a ride two rides this weekend. Saturday the temperature was 40 to 45 F and was a mountain bike ride. Dressed in a cycling jersey, shorts, tights, wool socks, a thin long sleeve jersey and an outer unlined jacket light long fingered gloves and an ear warmer, I was not overdressed at all. Started damned cold and stayed that way all day. But I was sweaty as hell all day long.
Sunday the temperature was 45 to 55 F on a road ride. Dressed in a jersy, shorts, tights, and the outer jacket, I started cold and stayed cold. I was again sweaty all day long.
Each person is different.
I think the answer to my own question is: (not necessarily in this order)
1. Everyone is different, some sweat more than others.
Yes. But you are starting to come off as being superior to the rest of us because you don't sweat as much. Here's a clue: Everybody is different. Not better. Not less fit. Just different.
2. Depends on the number of hills you have to climb.
Nope. Flat. Road. Mountain. On road. Off-road. Fast. Slow. Carrying a load. Or bopping down to the local malt shoppe. You name it and I'll sweat getting there. Some people do. Some people don't.
Everybody is different. Not better. Just different.
3. Depends on how heavy your clothes are. Anything cosidered mid weight is often too hot for me. I prefer a thin insulating base layer, a nylon unlined vest, and a shell. (gore tex shell for extreme cold)
Nope. Depends on the person. The man makes the cloths, not vice versa. Your system works for you. It might not work for anyone else. Everybody is different.
timmhaan
there are many rides where i swear i'm not sweating at all, but when i smell my clothes afterward...guess what? they stink. so, i'm sweating more than i realize.
i wear wind breaker style pants over normal cycling shorts in the winter. this tends to make my legs sweat quite a bit and usually my shorts are pretty damp with sweat when i take them off after the ride. i just never notice any sweat on my exposed skin (usually just my face).
robmcl
there are many rides where i swear i'm not sweating at all, but when i smell my clothes afterward...guess what? they stink. so, i'm sweating more than i realize.
That's me too. Remember that the wicking cloths dry pretty fast.
Portis
psychocommute,
I don't think I have ever been in a thread where you weren't being argumentative. What's up with that?
here and there
Nope. Flat. Road. Mountain. On road. Off-road. Fast. Slow. Carrying a load. Or bopping down to the local malt shoppe. You name it and I'll sweat getting there.
I'm the same way. I tend to underdress because of that and even then I'm usually sweating by the 2nd mile. Granted it doesn't get too cold here in San Diego (coldest winter daytime temps are in the upper 50s, early mornings when I ride get as cold as the upper 30s/low 40s), but the ocean breeze makes it feel much colder than it actually is so during the fall/winter/early spring I almost always end up cold and sweaty.
My feet especially feel the cold as I'm the type that has sweaty feet even if I'm sitting around doing nothing. Wool socks have been a godsend for keeping my feet warm and I cut the liner out of some cheap windproof/waterproof gloves and wear the shell over my riding gloves in the early mornings (yes, my hands get cold fast). I used the gloves this past sunday on a 54 degree morning and while my hands were a bit sweaty, they were nice and warm.
dalmore
yes. If my core isn't warm enough to perspire, then my limbs will freeze.
++
cyccommute
psychocommute,
I don't think I have ever been in a thread where you weren't being argumentative. What's up with that?
It's called disagreement and it's the life blood of these forums. If we all just agreed on everything, we waste less time here and spend more time riding :D
Ritehsedad
I seem to sweat as much at 0F as at 95F.
rebaths
I'm 6'2" and 150 lbs.
Damn, son... you should try.. oh, I dunno.. EATING once in a while!
;)
MikeR
In the cold, if I have no big climbs (rare) I can dress so that I don't get sweaty. That is - I probably sweat a little but it dries quickly and my clothes don't get wet.
But when I have to climb a mountain I get wet. About 1/4 of the way up the climb I usually have to stop and strip a layer or 2. Problem is, at the top I put the layers back on for the decent but my body is still in the sweat mode and I get wet.
MikeR
t's interesting ... the more fit I've become, the more I seem to sweat (summer and winter) ... not sure why.Maybe you are just better hydrated. I noticed that when I drink a LOT of water then I sweat more.
MikeR
I'm 6'2" and 150 lbs. Well THAT explains it! You dont have enough room in that skinny body for sweat glands. :D
Portis
Damn, son... you should try.. oh, I dunno.. EATING once in a while!
;)
I eat more than just about anyone i know. By the way, i used to be 200 lbs before i got in shape. I always laugh when people tell me to eat. It's funny because it is usually the people that tell me to eat that need to QUIT eating.
I'm usually the last one to leave the dinner table.
HDWound
I thought about this post doing a recovery ride the other day. I'm in KS also. My recovery ride speeds are the same/a little faster than the speeds you mentioned in your first post and I don't sweat noticeably at all during my recovery rides. Recovery ride for me is HR <131. What is your heart rate/level of effort during your rides you mentioned?
Bump up your speed a couple of mph and I bet you'll see a difference. Maybe you're in better shape than you think.
Portis
Look, my goal isn't to sweat. That wasn't the intent of the post. In fact my goal, is the exact opposite in winter, I prefer to stay dry and warm. It's quite natural for someone that sweats like a pig to assume that I am not working as hard as them. Might be the case, i don't know. I don't use a HRM or any of that crap. I just ride.
I also didn't say that i NEVER sweat. This is the winter cycling forum and i am referring to rides in winter like temps. If it is 60 degrees out than i will sweat. I just find it hard to believe that someone could ride naked on a 5 degree (F) day and sweat very much. That is my point.
I don't ride naked but i dress very minimalist for a given cold temperature, compared to some.
HDWound
You stay warm by having proper base layers. So you can still sweat and still be dry and warm. You don't have to go slower just to stay warm and dry.
I don't sweat noticeably (clothes being wet) on recovery rides up to 75 degrees. I'll come home after one hour and a half ride and be completely dry. Whatever I do sweat just evaporates.
My point is you're probably not riding hard enough to sweat. If that's your goal then you're accomplishing it.
Portis
My point is you're probably not riding hard enough to sweat. If that's your goal then you're accomplishing it.
You are failing to understand that temperature plays a big role in how much a person sweats. At least it does for me. For example in the summer on road bike rides, i will take two 20 oz bottles of water on a 40 mile ride and drink them both gone. THis is over the course of about 2 hours.
On my mtb's which i ride in the winter, i can go on a two hour ride and drink about 1/2 of one bottle or 10 ounces, if that. You've made it quite clear that you think a normal ride for me is a training ride for you. I don't know how to prove or disprove that, but I certainly don't think we can use sweat or the lack thereof as a measuring stick.
Perhaps i am in better shape than you. Do you ride every day, year round, regardless of the weather? How much extra weight are you carrying on your body? There are many factors, already discussed which could make one person sweat more in the winter than another.
Personally, i believe that clothing choice is a BIG factor in this equation. It's not the only factor of course. Entering my 4th winter of daily riding in the winter, I am convinced that if you are sweating a lot, you have dressed improperly.
cyccommute
Personally, i believe that clothing choice is a BIG factor in this equation. It's not the only factor of course. Entering my 4th winter of daily riding in the winter, I am convinced that if you are sweating a lot, you have dressed improperly.
You need to read everyone else's posts. Every single one, with the exception of yours, says that we all sweat independent of temperature and clothing...and they aren't talking about a warm day either. Look at my list of clothing from my rides last weekend. 40F is on the cold side and I was dressed very lightly but I still managed to be wet from sweat while riding. And I'm not talking about being damp. I was wet! If I wasn't riding I was cold from the light wind that was blowing that day. You seem to be the unique one here.
I've never said, and will not say, that you aren't fit or that you don't ride hard. I understand your original post. I've never said you aren't dressed properly for you. But I will say that the rest of us do know a little about dressing for cold weather rides (I personally have been doing this for 30 years ;) ) and dealing with sweat management.
Portis
When you have passed your 10th year of winter cycling, come back and talk to us about your lengthy experience.
I did a ride two rides this weekend. Saturday the temperature was 40 to 45 F and was a mountain bike ride. Dressed in a cycling jersey, shorts, tights, wool socks, a thin long sleeve jersey and an outer unlined jacket light long fingered gloves and an ear warmer, I was not overdressed at all. Started damned cold and stayed that way all day. But I was sweaty as hell all day long.
But I will say that the rest of us do know a little about dressing for cold weather rides (I personally have been doing this for 30 years ) and dealing with sweat management.
So if you are so profficient, why were you cold all day long? After 3 complete winters of daily riding, I can't recall one where I was cold on the entire ride. Maybe you don't have it figured out was much as you think. Try to limit the sweating and you might stay warmer longer.
cyccommute
So if you are so profficient, why were you cold all day long? After 3 complete winters of daily riding, I can't recall one where I was cold on the entire ride. Maybe you don't have it figured out was much as you think. Try to limit the sweating and you might stay warmer longer.
I was cold all day long because I took the wrong clothes for the weather. I was expecting warmer weather and I was 175 miles from home...kinda hard to go back and get the proper clothes, isn't it? My point was that I was dressed a lightly as you suggest is prefect for everyone but I was still sweating from the exercise and that translated into being cold when I stopped.
Dressing as light as possible doesn't lead to less sweating. It does lead to being cold when you stop however. And, from my nearly 10 times your experience (yes, I am bragging ;) ), I know that once you get cold, you stay cold! The only way of not sweating is to not exert myself, which, if you would actually read and understand the other post, seems to be the rule...not the exception.
Roody
boys, boys....
Shiznaz
I'm 6'2" 150lbs too! I sweat every day on the way to work, summer or winter! I don't wear all that much either!
Portis
Do any of you make adjustments when you start to heat up or do you just ride on? Do you also keep notes for what to wear in what temperatures? I usually dress pretty close to dead on based on just looking at the thermometer, but if I feel myself starting to steam, i started opening zippers, or possibly remove a layer if the temp is rising.
Shiznaz
I unzip the pits and front zipper as I get warmer on my commute. The first part on the way home is really slow so if I'm not bundled up I can get cold, but closer to home the roads empty a little and I can go as fast as I like so I start opening up holes. I really appreciate pit zips as I have never had them before on a bike jacket and I would use them all the time skiing and snowboarding. I'm not really all that concerned about being a little sweaty when I get to work/home. I don't bother looking at a thermometer. I look out the window, throw on whatever gear I have lying around and head out; I'd rather be over- than under-dressed. If I'm a little cold on the way to work so be it, but it could be colder on the way home than it was in the morning, and I want to avoid being FREEEZING on the way home. I'd rather be a little bit sweaty than cold, as I don't have a scrap of fat on me.
MikeR
Do any of you make adjustments when you start to heat up or do you just ride on? Do you also keep notes for what to wear in what temperatures? I usually dress pretty close to dead on based on just looking at the thermometer, but if I feel myself starting to steam, i started opening zippers, or possibly remove a layer if the temp is rising.Definitely. I take great care in what I wear. I check weather.com every night and there is an electronic thermometer in the room where I dress. I have a pretty good idea what to wear for each 5 degree increment – rain or sun has an effect too.
All winter I keep some kind of pannier with extra clothing on my bike. Although I try to wear the right things you never know what might happen. Conditions can change quickly. The sun goes down or clouds roll in, a storm comes up quickly, or just rain or fog start. Also my riding conditions may change quickly. At the top of a big fast climb I could have a mechanical problem. If I have to stop for a while and do repairs I want to have another layer to slip on.
It’s not just extra warm clothing that I might bring. If the day starts cold but I think that it might warm up I will wear a heavy balaclava but pack ear warmers and lighter gloves. I don’t want to get chilled but I don’t want to get to sweated either – that can lead to getting chilled worse. This may sound like overkill but I live way out in the country – far from public buildings. I can’t just pop into a store to get warmed up and buy a hot chocolate.
My morning commute is not long and its near a town but I have to spend an hour on a crowded bus after my ride – I can’t afford to be too sweaty. I have a big climb in the middle of my 6 mile commute. I often strip down to a single layer on the way up the mountain. I need a pace to store the other layer(s).
It takes a lot of attention and time but the ride is worth it.
here and there
Do any of you make adjustments when you start to heat up or do you just ride on? Do you also keep notes for what to wear in what temperatures? I usually dress pretty close to dead on based on just looking at the thermometer, but if I feel myself starting to steam, i started opening zippers, or possibly remove a layer if the temp is rising.
When I start to heat up I open up more zippers and I'll pull my knee warmers up or open up my leg warmers or swap my leg warmers for knee warmers. I might swap gloves and remove my midcap for my regular skullcap as well. Sounds like a lot, but it isn't uncommon for an early morning winter ride to start cold and warm up 20-30 degrees when the sun comes out.
I make mental notes of what works for me and most of fall/winter/early spring it doesn't vary much. Generally speaking if it is a clear morning it is colder and it will warm up fast so I dress in more removable layers. If it is cloudy/foggy the air temperature will be warmer, but it won't warm up much so what I start dressed with is pretty much what I will keep on.