^ +1

Well said.

I don't think I *couldn't* ride. I just don't want to, and I have nothing to prove.

I decided I wasn't having much fun anymore when I would still feel overheated and wiped out hours after "cooling down", drinking lots of water, waking up the next day feeling wiped out. Felt like mild heat exhaustion.

Funny thing was, those days I *never* felt tired on the bike, wasn't really bothered by the heat during the ride, took it really easy. My heart rate would return to resting really fast and I didn't feel tired like from exercise; just overheated and beat.

I grew up in south Arkansas, hot and humid, and have lived in Austin off and on for over a decade. Some summers are worse than others here, and this one has sucked for sure... but I'm well used to the heat and probably *could* HTFU. But why? I have a sweet car, and she gets lonely.

Does someone here from Montana bike commute through February? That's how I feel about August here.

Ride if you like, take care and have a great time. Just don't underestimate the conditions.

I found a bandana with a handful of ice cubes rolled into a tube and tied around the neck does WONDERS for heat managment! It feels odd to have hot skin but not a hot head, if that makes sense...In fact, the first time I did this it was 104 for my ride home. I put too much ice in and started to get the 'brain freeze' headache about 6 miles into my ride home. Still had ice chips in the bandan when I got home, too! Fewer ice cubes the next day riding home and it was perfect!

"But its a dry heat!" my a**!!

Having experienced moderate heat (90s) and high humidity on vacation in Missouri at the beginning of summer, it does make a difference. I very much appreciate Denver's dry heat I've done hours and hours at over 100 F in low humidity and as long as you can keep water in you (and some on you), it's not really that bad.

I'm going to make a very unconventional suggestion to you, Harryman. Try a Camelbak. I know, I know...it'll make your back sweaty but, bear with me, pack it with as much ice as you can. In the humidity, the cold will condense lots of water on the bag and drip cold water down your back. Additionally, the bag itself will be cold against your back and act like a mini air conditioner by sucking away a bit of your body heat. Both my wife and I found that the humidity of Missouri was much more bearable with ice packed Camelbaks than when they were filled with just water.

The Major thing that helped me was drinking water before leaving, like 30 minutes before, drink a good 20-30 oz of water, more if you want, and then take ice water with you. and take it easy.

I've lived in Texas my whole life. We get the 100+ temps every summer.

Dealing with the heat is three parts hydration and one part acclimation/conditioning.

I used to think that whole acclimation thing was an old wive's tale. However, studies have now shown that the more time you spend in the heat, the better your body gets at conserving fluids.
Also, for every molecule of glycogen your muscle cells take in, they take in a certain number of water molecules, (sorry, I don't know the ratio). So, the more you work your muscles, the more fuel they need and the more water they take in, thus helping you to stay hydrated and cool. I've seen this in my own body. If I take a few days off from commuting, I'm usually feeling dehydrated on my first ride in to work. But I'm feeling fine, by the time I ride home that evening.

So...

Hydrate
Hydrate
Hydrate
and
Acclimate

I will be starting one of these threads, but for winter soon=]

very worried i will wuss out this winter, heat dont bother me much being a las vegan afterall..but COLD, not sure i can hang.

+1

and don't forget those electrolytes lack of them will wipe you to!!!!!

I'm with you on people getting too used to creature comforts, but failing to hydrate is flat-out hubris. Different people have different tolerances to it, so you might be lucky, but that advice might not generalize well. For example, I've been riding every day all summer, but after a particularly long, hard ride in the heat - on a day I failed to properly hydrate - by the end of the ride pretty much every muscle group in by body was cramping badly. I was in agony for about an hour after my ride. Heat stroke is another possibility for many people. Riding in the heat is definitely possible, but most people need to be mindful of it and prepare properly.

Football coaches tend to take that whole 'water is for p*ssies' attitude as well - but a rash of players dying in the heat has made them take it a little more seriously.

Bingo - best way to handle your environment is to acclimatize yourself to it, not hide from it.
Then it's just a matter of keeping hydrated, fueled and listening to your body when it says 'no mas'.

I'm not trying to downplay cold. It sucks. BUT, the one advantage you have is that you can always put more on. The problem with heat is that you can only take off all your clothes and then you're stuck. (NOTE: I am not advising naked commuting)

I agree as a transplant to Texas from Mi about 15 years ago, it took awhile to acclimate, but now I sit in my 76 deg office and am cold. I have commuted for seveal years here and now 100+ is no big deal if I Hydrate. But a few things I have found that also help is to drink room temp water before the commute, and have cold water as I ride. This keeps my body at "room" temp befor the ride and doesn't fool it into thining it's cold, and during the ride the cold water lowers my internal temp.

Thank you... thank you...

I love it when people chant my name while gripped in the throes of rampant adoration!

Maybe you can make up some HFFL jerseys to sell to your fan base.
(Hydrated Fan For Life)

I am...for women only, of course.

incorrect, neekid wimminz on bikes would only be R rated...no touchee allowed, gringo.

I'm sorry chipcom, but the word "neekid" in your post combined with your avatar might have just scared me.

I saw those recent photos of you/Artiface...you may be able to pull it off.

I handle the heat by sweating, just like the rest of us. Now that I have gotten that one out of my system, here's the reality.

Hydration is the most important thing that is part of the ritual of riding. I always plan on drinking 1 22-ounce water bottle for every 30 minutes of riding. This is after drinking a large glass of water prior to getting on my bike, and I always get something to drink when I get done riding as well. Much less than that, especially in the summer, can find you dehydrated very quickly.

Acclimatization is the most important thing in the long term. Since you have started riding in the summer, keep the rides short and in the cooler parts of the day for the first few weeks. Then you can start to increase the ride distance and ride in the warmer parts of the day. You'll know that you are becoming acclimated when you go for a 5 minute ride and are dripping sweat when you stop. This is a good thing. Part of being acclimated to a warm environment involves starting to sweat faster. So, the more you sweat, the more comfortable you will be when you are moving, even in humid weather.

That being said, light clothing that is breathable and dries quickly is a must. "Cotton Kills" is an old adage of mountaineering, which also applies to lots of athletics. Cotton holds water and dries very slowly, and can cause you to overheat or get chilled depending on where you are. Wool and the performance synthetics are definitely the way to go.

D

You need to be hydrated the day before. If you start 30min from an under hydrated state you will be too late. Of course you should have some water before a ride if you are under hydrated.

Al

I'd hope that you're not thinking about going out for a ride if you're "under Hydrated"!!

Haw haw haw... I just can't get enough of this thread!

I'm a bit of a noob myself, but even in 100+ temps I'm usually fine for my 11-ish mile commute home as long as I drink a couple of sports-bottles-worth of fluid (I'm a gatorade *****) during the day.
Getting a wicking shirt made it nicer too.

Though, Tucson's humidity level is not exactly high most times, so it might be comparing apples to oranges for you East Coasters.

edit: wow, you can't say "who**" huh.

Down here in Miami, I thought the heat would be a big issue when I started riding. But its not really. The breeze from the speed of the bike keeps me cool, and I drink water during the ride. I dont really think about the heat that much.

Great ideas on this thread. Thanks for all the advise. I never thought it would get this much attention.