borobike

...seriously?

If it will make you feel better, I'll let you win this internet argument you seem to be perpetuating over...temperature. Really? Clearly you know what the temperature is wherever I happen to be from 800 miles away with your fancy google machine and reading skills, while I, a simple local resident with a thermometer, don't. I should have known better than to go against such a distant expert of my hometown.

In all seriousness, let it go. I live here, you don't. Just because the temperature reads one thing at the airport (where the temp station likely is) does not mean it's the same way all over the city. If my thermometer peaks over 90 degrees consistently every summer day, then it DOES. I'm not saying this to stroke my own ego.

Congratulations for being ultra-mature and trying to consistently one-up me over the temperature. You just proved my original point further, that it's HOT in the southeast. In some areas more than others.

This has to be one of the most pointless discussions I've ever had on the internet. Please, just let it go. If you don't, I will because this is just silly.
.
.
.

qmsdc15

If you spend most of your time inside air-conditioned spaces, you don't really live in the local environment, do you?

dwellman

It's not the temp that gets ya. . its the heat index. There's a huge difference riding in 88 with a heat index of 10 (MS is the WORST) and riding in 98 with a heat index of 0.

lunchbox1972

Southern AZ heat, I rode home in 100 degrees last week. It's 91 right now and I finished my first century at 105 degrees, in August..

Not a lot of fun, but not that bad.. Again, just need to be used to it.. Hydrate well before, during, and after.

BTW did I mention to hydrate?

vwhammer

I did a 45 mile ride on memorial day.
Headed out about 8:30am and it wasn't too bad but by noon the temps were in the mid 90s.

The last 10-12 miles were nearly devoid of shade and it damn near killed me.
I drank a 100oz camelbak and a 28oz bike bottle over the whole ride.
This equates to exactly a gallon of water.
I actually ran out of water about a mile before the end.
I will stick to 15-25 mile rides when its that hot.
I will save the 50+ mile rides for the fall.

However with that said I still commute about 10 miles each way when it is that hot.
I can do the short rides in 90+ heat, especially the morning part, but forget about the tours.

tjspiel

Let's say it's 92 on Monday, a bit cooler on Tuesday, - only 86, then 92 again on Wednesday. The average is 90 but on most of the days it was warmer than that, so yes it's very possible.

Averages don't really tell the whole story and can be deceiving. The average high for July in Minneapolis is 84, - only a few degrees cooler than Atlanta at 88, but I'm guessing that July in Atlanta feels a whole lot hotter than July in Minneapolis.

noisebeam

For those that want to debate typical weather for an area this is a nice resource:
https://weatherspark.com/#!graphs;q=T...+United+States

ronocnikral

having lived in chandler arizona, new orleans and houston....i will ride in any temp anytime. the hottest southern louisiana day will be hotter than the hottest houston day which will be hotter than the hottest east valley phoenix day. just my experience. averages be what they may...

while i will sling a leg in any temp, this minnesota raised boy detests the heat very much so.

McTrey

Hottest I've ridden in is 103 degrees, but since that only very rarely happens here, I think Iv'e yet to see the limit.

dwellman

Heat index is right around 1% right now. . . good time to go

qmsdc15

Indeed. After I thought aboutI realized if 90º is the average high for the month of July, it's likely that significantly more than half the days in July will be see 90º or higher. To illustrate, let's say the first and last few days of the month average highs are 89º, for an equal number of days around the middle of the month average highs of 91º and the rest, say two weeks the average high is 90º. So that's 90º or above for perhaps 3 weeks of the month...

Maybe I should think before posting, but it was a little too hot for thinking last evening.

Right now at 7:30am, it's 77º and only expected to reach 93º (heat index of 100º). Excpectations have been exceeded the past few days though...

tarwheel 

It got up to 96 F here yesterday with high humidity, and the same is expected today. It was so humid that my cycling shorts and jersey were drenched when I got to work in the morning and did not dry out hanging in my air-conditioned office all day from 7 am to 4:30 pm. This morning didn't feel quite as bad, but that might have been because I rode easier. I rode at 16.5 mph pace in yesterday morning but dialed it back to less than 15 mph on the ride home when the temp was in the mid-90s. No use getting a heat stroke.

My last 6 bike commutes have been on days when the high temperature topped 90 F with high humidity. This is August weather.

truman

This

scroca

To keep this heat thing in perspective, these people don't even have the advantage of being on a bicycle...
https://www.badwater.com/

pallen

Can you get those online? LBS?

shekelator

+1

oban_kobi

I don't like over 100F. Last time I did 100+ on a metric, I ended up with mild heat exhaustion and spent a good 30 minutes in the shade of my bike. That sucked. 90's are my limit from now on.

twobadfish

Is that Bear Grylls?

fmileto55

Humidty is a big factor. If you can't evaporate sweat, you have difficulty cooling. I wear long sleeve UnderArmour Heat Gear shirts which are fantastic at cooling you down more effectively than bare skin because the fabric wicks away moisture so efficiently. The long sleeves cool you through the wicking action and keep the sun off your arms.

I cheat when I can. I will stop at convenience stores and get a quart of loose ice and poor it down my bike pants or skin tight shirt. Very effective at keeping your core temperature down. The ice last for about 5-6 miles.

qmsdc15

98º again today with high humidity. At the airport, not downtown where it was hotter than witches' spit.

You couldn't really have too much water today. A picture I took today.


And wear a washcloth on your head!

You can wear your helmet if you insist, but you will get heatstroke and die!

Cyclon

For me, I'd say 95 is my limit. I try to stay late at work during the hot months until about 6:30pm-7:00pm and by then it's 95 or under.

Fizzaly

I don't really have a limit, but will bring down recreational miles a bit, mostly because once it gets over 100f it becomes a pain in the ass to carry enough water.

____asdfghjkl

I'll still ride in hot weather. generally I don't like it when it gets too hot. I tend to overheat and I have passed out, blacked out, gotten dizzy, fainted, etc.

I try to slow down when it gets hot. I can't think of any other way to cool down and I carry water with me all the time.

fletchh

I believe that air quality is the issue. If you have a compromised health condition, hot weather exercise can make the condition worse. All of the issues deal with air quality and the amount of bad particles in the air that we suck in. Like most cyclists, I don't know how to stop cycling, so I ride regardless of the temperature, but I do hate the air in traffic on hot days.

tjspiel

If you have a long distance to go just remember that you're losing more than water in sweat. A sports drink before the ride and a diluted one during the ride can really help, especially if it's got some protein in it and not just carbs. A sports drink slushy before the ride is great idea too.

There are also safety vests, shirts, touring shorts, etc. that have pockets suitable for carrying ice packs.

Just being in good shape helps your body deal with excess heat.