I need some unique help.....
 

OK, some of you know I've been having some rather serious health issues the past few months. Well, I finally have a diagnosis. I have Lupus.

OK, now for the help......in order for me to continue cycling, one issue I have to deal with is the fact that Lupus causes me serious problems with UV light. It causes me to get these huge splotchy lesions under the skin that break open and bleed. This happens even if I wear long sleeves, because UV penetrates most materials. What I need is UV repellent cycling clothes, that are long sleeved, but cool enough for midwestern summers, and won';t make me look like a robed Bedouin on a bike.

Suggestions?

Wow, that sounds very tough. I have no expertise whatsoever, but what happens if you have a healthy coat of SPF50 underneath long sleeves?

Also, and this is probably already obvious to you, the UV strength in the morning and evening is much less than at mid-day. And though there are other safety, comfort, and enjoyment issues, you may consider getting incredible lights and becoming a night rider.

Tom... I have several UV repellant jerseys and fitness tops (SPF 50+) ... all long sleeve and lightweight. Some I bought at REI, others through various cycling companies (for instance Terry but that doesn't do you any good). Have you checked online? The stuff is out there... I'll go look...

for instance:

http://www.sungrubbies.com/product_i...HighTecTee.htm

They even make cycling gloves...

This one is alittle more expensive but its UV 50+ and looks like a cycling jersey:

http://www.sungrubbies.com/product_i...ing-Shirts.htm

Another company - think about a "driving sleeve" like an arm warmer. I have a pair of these I wear...

http://www.solartex.com/servlet/the-...sh--Sun/Detail

I don't know about cycling jerseys. But over in the sport of fishing, Orvis have clothing with UV protection that you might want to check out.

Or rub sunblock over your longsleeve jersey?

http://imaginecolorservice.ipaperus....unPrecautions/

Don't think they have anything cycling-specific, but lots of sun-protective clothing, much of it aimed at an active outdoor lifestyle.

Try looking at clothing made for hiking and backpacking. There's quite a bit of UV-protective stuff available, and it tends to be pretty comfortable.

I don't know anything about Lupus so I apologize for that. You mention that you need to protect your arms. What about your face, neck, legs, etc?

Here's some info that perhaps you already have: http://www.lupusinternational.com/Re...chures_03.aspx

Brad

Sorry to hear this, Tom. I have no expertise, but I took my dad to his dermatology appointment a few weeks ago. In the lobby they had flyers for manufacturers or UV protective clothing. Maybe you should talk to a dermatologist.

The head of QA at my hospital is an avid cyclist and has the same problem. I rode with her on a day with a heat index of 100 and she did just fine with her long sleeves. If you don't get an answer here shoot me a PM and I'll put her in touch with you.

Tom,

First, I'm sorry to hear about your condition. Take care of yourself.

Look into Australian sports retail sites. Between their low latitude and an ozone hole overhead, they are deadly serious about UV gear. Since it's warm in the summer they have cooler clothing figured out too.

Last time I was in Sydney, I picked up a long sleeved top designed for surfing. It's skin tight and, as far as I can tell, just about UV proof. I wear it on the bike when I feel I need warm weather UV protection. Now I wish I'd bought more.

Dang Tom, that is a sad day for you. You love the outdoors probably more than anyone here. Its good to see the troops with the good suggestions. I hope they work for you.

Personally, I think the Hooded Bedouin look fits you! Maybe the grim reaper of biking?

Ive used a lot of gear from Rohan. They have some gear with total sun protection, mainly for desert and tropical travel.

Tom, I have no specific advice to offer but I have dealt with 'bad back' issues most of my adult life. Although I will have to deal with this continuously, I've gotten much better at it in later years. My advice is similar to finding a good bike saddle. Keep at it until you find what works for you, then build on that and never give up searching or building. Best wishes, Bern.

Sierra trading post has many exofficio shirts with spf 50. Also check out Dr Shade spf50 summer balaclava. Looks strange but works great, and cheap

Best wishes in getting this figured out.

Well, I'm in luck. Specialized has a line out now of SPF 50 long sleeve summer jerseys, but dang! $110! Pearl-Izumi has arm and leg covers in SPF 50, too. I'll need to find a neck drape yet, but if nothing else, my wife can make me a helmet liner skullcap with a drape using UV reflecting cloth.

You might also take a look at the varieties of swim wear. I've seen a fairly good variety of garments in several catalogs. They may be adaptable to your use.

Good luck on facing the challenge!

I have a similar problem because of some meds I have to take, plus a number of "sun-related lesions" showing up in my 60s after decades of spurning sunscreen (lesson to you young guys there...). My daughter used to work at a local outdoor-equipment place, and she scored me a couple of long-sleeved shirts rated SPF 50. Several companies make them. Mine are North Face (employee discount price) and Columbia (somewhat cheaper). I don't burn or tan at all through those. You don't completely escape the Bedouin look, but they're reasonably attractive casual shirts.
I don't do anything special for my legs other than sunscreen, which works all right for me. When I started watching the sun, though, I googled up several places that sell loose, airy pants with room to move and SPF 50 protection. I sometimes ride in a pair of nylon zip-off "convertible" pants from REI that aren't much for sun protection but presumably feel the same way SPF-rated pants would feel. Takes a few minutes to get used to them (I'm a year-round shorts guy by choice), but they're fine once you do.

I have very sun sensitive skin also. I also like to snorkel, cycle and kayak. I went to a dive shop and was introduced to a snorkeling suit made for people like us. It was a one piece suit made of a very light weight material that covered everything but my neck and head. It absorbs any sweat and dries really fast. Since I have started using it I am sunburn free for quite a while now. I almost gave up many outdoor sports until I found this. You can wear clothes over it for that svelte cycling look. Hope this helps. Also have started to use the skull caps that footballplayers wear under their helmets.

A comment about SPF. The Honolulu newspaper of about a week and a half ago had a story about sunscreens and advertised SPF ratings. Essentially the story said that the advertised ratings were greatly inflated. Most of the "SPF40/50/??" were in fact about SPF 8. But, if I recall correctly, SPF 8 reduced damaging exposure about 85%.

No mention of clothing ratings but before I believed any of the marketing claims I'd want to see some independent testing results before I believed them.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/20471...622-ppxs&dds=y

http://www.uvskinz.com/detail.aspx?id=146&c=6

http://www.basspro.com/Columbia-Skif...03583/-1550766

You must have skimmed my post. Look at this
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/7...Processed=true

Tom,
I know that you didn't ask about this, and don't need unsolicited advice, but I had a close family friend whose Lupus symptoms have left her for approximatly six years now since she began making dietary changes. This may not be a one-size-fits-all approach, obviously, but she based much of her initial changes on the book, The Maker's Diet.

http://makers-diet.net/

I don't know much more than this, but there may be something there that may be of help to you.

God bless,

Phil G.