Gnats!
06-19-13, 07:44 PM
#1
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Gnats!
They are EVERYWHERE! Before the recent investment in a pair of glasses they'd hit me in the eye several times during a ride, and even hitting me in both eyes at one point! You inevitably swallow a few (or a dozen), get them in your ears, on your face, all over your sweat covered forearms, it's terrible.
Sometimes it's so bad that I might be better off wearing a bacalava and ski goggles!
Do any of you have tips for avoiding them? Maybe a bandanna?
06-19-13, 08:26 PM
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I just ignore them (I wear glasses, so it's the only thing I really care about, my eyes). Swallow them? Extra protein 
They don't tend to stick to my arms for some reason. Maybe they do, I just wipe them off as I see them.
They don't tend to stick to my arms for some reason. Maybe they do, I just wipe them off as I see them.
06-19-13, 08:27 PM
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A bandana or mask would help the face. If they fly in your ear tilt your head back and forth to encourage them to fly out.
As for your arms or legs, there's not much I've found that works aside from shaking them off, or if they're persistent, scraping them off.
Otherwise, I just keep my head pointed down as much as possible.
I haven't found bug repellent very effective if you're thinking of going that route.
There's a spot on my daily commute that always has bees darting across the path in the summer. I've gotten stung a couple of times.
As for your arms or legs, there's not much I've found that works aside from shaking them off, or if they're persistent, scraping them off.
Otherwise, I just keep my head pointed down as much as possible.
I haven't found bug repellent very effective if you're thinking of going that route.
There's a spot on my daily commute that always has bees darting across the path in the summer. I've gotten stung a couple of times.
06-19-13, 08:29 PM
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Clear safety glasses or goggles. Keep your mouth closed.
I had a commute through the swamp for 18 months a few years ago. Problem was clouds of mosquitoes all summer at dusk mostly. Same issue as gnats while you ride, but take a break or get a puncture after dark!!??? Just slit your throat.
I had a commute through the swamp for 18 months a few years ago. Problem was clouds of mosquitoes all summer at dusk mostly. Same issue as gnats while you ride, but take a break or get a puncture after dark!!??? Just slit your throat.
Last edited by JoeyBike; 06-19-13 at 08:32 PM.
06-20-13, 07:20 AM
#6
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They are EVERYWHERE! Before the recent investment in a pair of glasses they'd hit me in the eye several times during a ride, and even hitting me in both eyes at one point! You inevitably swallow a few (or a dozen), get them in your ears, on your face, all over your sweat covered forearms, it's terrible.
Sometimes it's so bad that I might be better off wearing a bacalava and ski goggles!
Do any of you have tips for avoiding them? Maybe a bandanna?
Sometimes it's so bad that I might be better off wearing a bacalava and ski goggles!
Do any of you have tips for avoiding them? Maybe a bandanna?
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
06-20-13, 07:27 AM
#7
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I love the summer bugs. The spring bugs are tough and stringy, but summer bugs get so plump and juicy.
06-20-13, 07:40 AM
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Wait until you have some bug to stay between the lens and your face 
Had that happen on Monday.
Make sure you have glasses that hugs close to your face.
Had that happen on Monday.Make sure you have glasses that hugs close to your face.
06-20-13, 09:26 AM
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If I see a cluster of gnats up ahead, I lower my head and close my mouth. I can hear them hitting my helmet.
Fortunately, they're usually only near farm fields, so I can adjust my route to avoid them.
Fortunately, they're usually only near farm fields, so I can adjust my route to avoid them.
06-20-13, 01:01 PM
#11
Roadkill
06-20-13, 01:14 PM
#12
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I've ridden through swarm after swarm of bugs on the C&O Towpath. They seem to cluster on one side of the path more than the other, perhaps due to the wind, but are they ever annoying. Clear glasses or sunglasses keep them out of your eyes, but they still get stuck all over me by the end the ride. Some kind of bug netting under your helmet? Never tried it.
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