Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
On the bike, I'm cooler in hot weather wearing skin-tight everything. We're water-cooled beings when it's hot, and water evaporates most quickly when it's exposed to moving air, hence tight, thin, wicking clothing. That said, my experience is in climates with humidity mostly under 70% in summer. It's my impression that stark white sunsleeves don't diminish the rate of sweat evaporation, plus being white means they don't absorb heat as much as your skin of whatever color. I don't like hot climbs with a tailwind, when the sweat off your nose lands on your top tube.
Tight clothing certainly does keep airflow off your pores. It's okay in the desert. The first time I rode through Death Valley, I wore black, fleece-lined leg warmers (all I had with me) even though it was 120 on the tarmac, they didn't get wet from sweat. There is no experience of sweating out there it's so dry. And I have heard the advice to wear tight clothing in the desert because it does slow evaporation and will keep you from getting dehydrated too quickly.
When i went back, I followed the lead of folks who have lived in the desert for centuries; fully covered, lose-fitting, light colored. Very comfy. Like wearing shelter. ,
Back home in hot, humid New England, I would want as little against my skin as possible. In my experience, lycra is not the same as bare skin; it does hinder water transfer from skin to air. Less clothes is always better at 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity. Again, if you look at the people native to the east coast, they kept a lot of skin exposed.
