Living Car Free - Heat keeping bikes off the street

I live in Quincy IL, far from any cycling mecca by any means. By this, I mean that there are under 100 cycling "enthusiasts" in 40,000 people. There are also plenty of people who got their old bikes out of the garage to fight the higher gas prices, but they have become extinct as of July 1st. Summer heat and humidity has removed the 2-month-old mopeds off the street too. Local news has even shifted from the obvious "biking and walking saves gas money" to to apparent "gas is expensive." Is anyone else in heat zones noticing this?

Heat? Humidity?

Try Houston. I still see plenty of bikes.

It was 90+degrees 70%+RH here today, put the heat index around 100 or so, saw the same riders I see every day. Storms rolled thru so it has cooled a bit

Aaron:)

sounds like people in Quincy IL need to HTFU.

plenty of cyclists out around here.

Don't notice that effect here. Today is nice with humidity at 41% and Heat index 88. I rode 10 extra miles just for fun. I think the snow and cold rain chases more cyclists off the streets than heat and humidity. Maybe that's just a DC thing. People here have a fit over a few snowflakes.

Here in the desert it has been 110+ for the last few days with no humidity. It'll be a warm ride home from work...

Here it is just that cycling takes place at a different time of day. Commuters are still out but mid day rides are far fewer. I get out about an hour earlier so I can get home before 10am. However my LBS said most of their customers are staying in during the heat of the day so their service department is a bit busier during the day. Still he mentioned that they are doing a better than average business in comfort and hybrid bikes for this time of the year. Still it has been close to 100 every day last week and that is no fun to ride in.

Austin, Texas: more than the usual number of summer hot weather cyclists out on the street this year. There has been a slow decline from the spring peak. We had a long stretch of humid 100 F days last month that slowly wore people down, I think.

No noticeable effect here; I'm still the only cyclist on the road.

I actually think there are fewer cyclists in general around here once it got over 100. It's just another excuse to add to the usual litany. To my way of thinking, there are a solid core of consistent riders, and then there are the "occasionals". The "occasionals" just aren't going to ride in the extreme temps; either cold or hot.

Heat? Humidity?

Try Houston. I still see plenty of bikes.

Well, they say you get used to it...the heat and humidity. Yeah, sure. Actually, you just persevere and ride through it.

I'm seeing more adults on bikes all times of the day than before. Lots who don't know how to ride on the street and trying to carry groceries without racks and bags/baskets. But, not nearly as many as before the temps got up around 94 every day.

I love heat and humidity so the riding is fine in hot and humid Toronto.

But seriously, I'm careful not to ride hell bent for death when the humidex starts to make basic survival dangerous, I drink water with Gatorade (and I hate the stuff) to keep my innards moist and supple, and I'm mindful of my attitude -- if I'm getting cranky and minor irritations are starting to get to me, then it is really hot and I need to take a break.

Luckily many of my rides take place on green leaf covered trails so I'm pretty happy. On streets with no tree coverage the ride is pretty toasty with the sunshine bouncing of the asphalt.

But I am getting a stellar cycling tan!

drink more water

Once you get going, the slight breeze helps. Its when you stop that you REALLY get hot.

A lot of it is attitude I suppose. If you have a choice and it gets hot you might decide to stay in. But I was out yesterday about the time the kids get out of school and there were a mass of them on their BMX bikes heading out in all directions. But then yesterday seemed cooler than the 93 degrees that was showing on the thermometer. May have been the breeze. Today on my morning ride I still didn’t see anyone heading in my direction.

But I was out yesterday about the time the kids get out of school and there were a mass of them on their BMX bikes heading out in all directions.

Kids getting out of school on July 10th? What kind of school?

Heat? Humidity?

Try Houston. I still see plenty of bikes.

I think it depends on what part of Houston. On my usual routes the number of bikes is down somewhat.

Bikes are up around here.

Unfortunately, we have many people who know how to RIDE a bike but not how to DRIVE one.

Right now its 91 degrees and 40% humidity. I still am seeing bikes out.

..

Right now its 91 degrees and 40% humidity. I still am seeing bikes out.

90 degrees with 57% humidity; I saw myself out for a 12 miles shopping run in town, saw a few adults on a bike, no kids.

Kids getting out of school on July 10th? What kind of school?

Here in Southern California many School Districts are 4 tracks. The exception is High School and a few middle schools. That may change with the budget cut backs but there were kids with backpacks heading out again this morning as I went for my morning ride. In San Bernardino for example they have just built a few new schools allowing them to go back to traditional schools for about 5 of their schools. So either the district I live by is on track or they are having summer school.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year-round_school

Once you get going, the slight breeze helps. Its when you stop that you REALLY get hot.

This is my experience too. A large number of potential bike travelers don't realize that if you move along at a modest clip, the air is refreshing and you don't get overheated. When it does get into the mid-90s here, most bikers disappear, but I suspect it's their unfounded fear that keeps them off the road... it has nothing to do with fact.

Once you stop, however...

You may be correct but it might not be all about fear. When some of them get up in the morning and there is a heat advisory telling people to avoid strenuous activities outside. Some schools will keep kids inside when it gets hot. Often it is far less than the 100 degrees we got last week. We all know there are ways to cope with the heat but we are also being warned against working or playing in the kind of heat the OP may have been suggesting in their post.

To be honest I don’t believe heat reaching 100 degrees or more is keeping only cyclists off the road. I think a lot of people stay in when it gets that hot no matter what their mode of transportation.

When it isn't too hot it's too cold. Sometimes I just want to slap people.

If you wait for everything to be perfect, you'll be waiting for your entire life. Get out and enjoy what's been given to you.

If you wait for everything to be perfect, you'll be waiting for your entire life. Get out and enjoy what's been given to you.
+1. That's certainly the quote of the day... I've run into so many comments about the heat, the cold, the rain, the wind... if we excluded all adverse conditions, we'd never get out the door. When we do get off our butts and get out, we realize it isn't nearly as awful as we thought.

I don’t think we are talking about a little warm here I think we are talking about 100+ heat. I believe it is a bad idea to dismiss the effects such heat can have on people. Add humidity and you could be looking for trouble. The last week it has been 95 or less and I see more bikes out during the day. We shouldn’t paint people with a wide brush as wimpy just because they decide it might be too hot to cycle. Here is a quote from a article I was reading in my doctors office.


“Oppressive summertime heat claims more lives than all other weather-related disasters combined, including tornadoes and hurricanes. From 1999 to 2003, the Center for Disease Control reported 3,442 deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat.”

Not saying you shouldn’t ride just because it is hot. But you should be careful and stay hydrated and limit your exposure. I believe that is what my Web MD site suggested as well.

I'm in an area where we can get summer heat but not a lot of humidity. Summer temperatures can reach 40 C, which is a little warm. In that kind of heat, I've found it best to slow down a bit and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Around town, I'll plan my day so I'm not pushing myself during the heat of the day. When I'm touring, I'll often stop for a rest in a shady place on a hot afternoon.

I don’t think we are talking about a little warm here I think we are talking about 100+ heat. I believe it is a bad idea to dismiss the effects such heat can have on people. Add humidity and you could be looking for trouble. The last week it has been 95 or less and I see more bikes out during the day. We shouldn’t paint people with a wide brush as wimpy just because they decide it might be too hot to cycle. Here is a quote from a article I was reading in my doctors office.


“Oppressive summertime heat claims more lives than all other weather-related disasters combined, including tornadoes and hurricanes. From 1999 to 2003, the Center for Disease Control reported 3,442 deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat.”

Not saying you shouldn’t ride just because it is hot. But you should be careful and stay hydrated and limit your exposure. I believe that is what my Web MD site suggested as well.

I imagine a lot of those deaths were elderly people in unventilated homes, and people who were unfit or not acclimated to the heat by regular exposure. This is not the typical BF user. But if it worries you, by all means stay in the AC.

I imagine a lot of those deaths were elderly people in unventilated homes, and people who were unfit or not acclimated to the heat by regular exposure. This is not the typical BF user. But if it worries you, by all means stay in the AC.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating inactivity just because it is hot. I am simply saying that painting people that have decided to curtail some of their outside activity because of the hot mid say heat as weak is not all that justified.

When I was in Kenya in 2006 I spent quite a bit of time with people who had worked in the fields working their crops for generations. I believe they would be considered acclimated by most people. I also have watched them carry huge loads of wood on their backs an on their bikes for several miles. So they are not weak. But even they tend to slowdown their activity during the heat of the mid day.

If it is your contention that the typical BF user “should not” be concerned with extreme heat then you are entitled to your opinion. I can respect that. I don’t agree but that is my opinion.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not advocating inactivity just because it is hot. I am simply saying that painting people that have decided to curtail some of their outside activity because of the hot mid say heat as weak is not all that justified.

When I was in Kenya in 2006 I spent quite a bit of time with people who had worked in the fields working their crops for generations. I believe they would be considered acclimated by most people. I also have watched them carry huge loads of wood on their backs an on their bikes for several miles. So they are not weak. But even they tend to slowdown their activity during the heat of the mid day.

If it is your contention that the typical BF user “should not” be concerned with extreme heat then you are entitled to your opinion. I can respect that. I don’t agree but that is my opinion.

Except we're talking about Illinois here, in one of the coolest summers of recent years. Not equatorial Kenya or even inland southern California. Modern people just assume that their bodies are too pitiful to withstand the conditions of the outdoors, no matter what climate or season. It's a bunch of crap. Your body will do what it's asked to do, provided you're in reasonable health.

Except we're talking about Illinois here, in one of the coolest summers of recent years. Not equatorial Kenya or even inland southern California. Modern people just assume that their bodies are too pitiful to withstand the conditions of the outdoors, no matter what climate or season. It's a bunch of crap. Your body will do what it's asked to do, provided you're in reasonable health.

Point taken. This week has been a lot cooler here even though I have moved from the cool mountains to the hot desert. Three weeks ago it was 106 by 10am. But even that didn’t feel like Africa. I happened to be helping to build an orphanage and was assigned the task of welding bunk bed frames. I started about 8 am and by noon some of the local women came out to get me to come in and have lunch in the shade. I assured them I was not hungry and wanted to continue welding. About 30 minutes later they sent two strong men out to get me and one replaced me welding the frames. As I got up to walk to a cooler spot I almost fell down. I had been drinking water but that didn’t seem to solve the problem. Sometimes our mind just doesn’t listen to our bodies.

...As I got up to walk to a cooler spot I almost fell down. I had been drinking water but that didn’t seem to solve the problem...
Same thing happened to me last month after a 27 mile ride in 100 F heat. Just because the water goes into the mouth doesn't necessarily mean it's being absorbed into the cells where it needs to be. Since then I've been paying more attention to getting electrolytes (and carbs) in with the water. And, yes, I've been riding less in the heat myself -- not stopping by any means, but certainly being more conservative and cautious.

Same thing happened to me last month after a 27 mile ride in 100 F heat. Just because the water goes into the mouth doesn't necessarily mean it's being absorbed into the cells where it needs to be. Since then I've been paying more attention to getting electrolytes (and carbs) in with the water. And, yes, I've been riding less in the heat myself -- not stopping by any means, but certainly being more conservative and cautious.

I have never been to your state in the summer but I hear it does get hot. My son was stationed at Fort Hood. He transferred to Fort Carson Colorado. Seems to be a lot of Bike Riders In Colorado. At least in Colorado Springs.

Point taken. This week has been a lot cooler here even though I have moved from the cool mountains to the hot desert. Three weeks ago it was 106 by 10am. But even that didn’t feel like Africa. I happened to be helping to build an orphanage and was assigned the task of welding bunk bed frames. I started about 8 am and by noon some of the local women came out to get me to come in and have lunch in the shade. I assured them I was not hungry and wanted to continue welding. About 30 minutes later they sent two strong men out to get me and one replaced me welding the frames. As I got up to walk to a cooler spot I almost fell down. I had been drinking water but that didn’t seem to solve the problem. Sometimes our mind just doesn’t listen to our bodies.

I'm sure you've heard the colonial saying, "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun." Three hour siestas made a lot of sense in truly hot climates, in the days when there was no AC and most people did manual labor.

The body can acclimatize to hot weather (but not to cold weather), mainly by increasing blood volume and shunting more blood to surface capillaries. But you have to be out in it to make this happen.

On really hot days I make a few concessions like riding more at night and taking slow shady side streets more. Still, it really disgusts me that so many healthy people avoid hot weather all together. I'm not sure how they even know it's hot, unless their forehead gets a little sticky while they're walking across the parking lot.

I work outdoors for a living (industrial construction) We monitor the weather very closely, currently the area we are in is know for high humidity and high temps. Our unofficial cut off point is a Heat Index of 105 degrees. This can be reached at temps as low as 87 degrees if the humidity is near 100%. I have actually seen heat index of 103 at midnight down here.

Anytime the temp, whether actual or heat index exceed 90 degrees it is time to start paying attention to water, electrolyte intake and work load. We actually mandate work/break times when the heat index or temps hit 100. It starts at 20 minutes on 10 minutes off and goes from there.

Aaron:)

Nice here in SLC Utah, a bit warm in the afternoons but lovely in the mornings and PM's.

It was 96 here today. We went for a 2 hour ride after lunch, I forgot sunblock and now I look like a lobster.

I just started riding again a few days ago after not doing it for years. I ride in the evenings, an hour before sunset. Different people have different tolerance levels for heat. I normally spend the whole day inside during the summer because of the heat outside, and because of mosquitoes (I tend to get bitten more than average).

I just started riding again a few days ago after not doing it for years. I ride in the evenings, an hour before sunset. Different people have different tolerance levels for heat. I normally spend the whole day inside during the summer because of the heat outside, and because of mosquitoes (I tend to get bitten more than average).

This year here has been phenomenal in terms of mosquito population with all the floods and downpours. So I have one piece of advice: if you are getting bitten while you ride, don't stop. They usually can't catch up with you while you're doing 15 mph, but the posse will hunt you down if you take a break.