cyclezealot

I hate climbing on a really steep grade. Going from like 7-10 mph. Does it not seem gnats and flies can keep up with you. Can they really fly that fast. Just what you need atop the sweat. Don't think bug spray is good for your skin.

dobber

During May-June the Black Flies are out in full force. Speeds upwards of 16-18 mph doesn't seem to shake them, they're flying circles round me.

Nothing works for repellents, I've learned to:

-Alter my routes to avoid the more swampy and heavily wooded regions they seem attracted to
-Keep my mouth closed

vpiuva

Why? Easier than a Clif bar - tastes better than a gel. Calorie intake problem solved.

becnal

Also, you are creating a draft that they can fly in. Imagine a bicyclist riding directly behind a bus traveling at 40 mph. The bus pulls the bicyclist along. We do basically the same thing with the gnats and stuff.

Black Shuck

I learned that horseflies are really good at this last summer while touring. Looking on the grund I could actally make out a small string of tiny shadows trailing mine, and upon further inspection saw 6-7 of the little buggers lined up to strike me as soon as I stopped.

cyclezealot

Well , they call our bikes 'iron horses,' they are certainly on a suicede mission; if they were not so fast. They just don't understand a human being has a built in fly swatter. But, I hate it, when I am climbing a really steep grade and covered with gnats.

Machka 

Manitoba mosquitoes top out at about 15 km/h. Alberta ones are a bit faster, probably around 18 km/h.

Horseflies can hit about 34 km/h.

Machka 

I was on a ride in Manitoba a few years ago, and I had literally hundreds of horseflies drafting me. They'd come around front and sit on my handlebar bag for a while, then join the crowd behind me again. The people riding with me were riding about 50 meters behind me because these things streamed out that far back.

We all stopped for a little break, and they made me sit away from the group because the horseflies just swarmed me. When I got going again, sure enough, my entire entourage came with me. I hit 34 km/h on one downhill and lost them all, but as soon as I slowed down again, they were back.

Horseflies follow me quite frequently, but oddly, I've only ever been bit once.

Allen

Sounds like you may need to add a badminton racket to your equipment list Machka.

Stacy

Well that explains why they were chewing away at the small of my back -right where my shirt rides up and all the sweat runs down into my chamois

cyclezealot

Impressive . So we can't escape.

neilfein

Goggles! I prefer regular sunglasses, but keep a pair of goggles with swappable lenses in my kit for the more biblical clouds of critters.

dobber

That's what I thought at first. But the little bastards seem to able to orbit about my head, I've had them landing on my hands and arms, etc.

The cure is almost as bad. Dragon Flies. Swarms of them. Smacking into your face, bouncing off bike.

cyclezealot

Flying insects, the reason I never am without eyewear, while on the bike. They taste bad enough in the mouth let alone, have them flying into your eyes.

becnal

Had you showered that week?

Swoop

ya know, I was working on this theory myself, but found I was being constantly humiliated by flies flying in front of my face - sometimes even flying ahead of me and then back into me. I've started preliminary work on a theory of the "pre-stream" buffer of air that precedes moving objects and allows flies to fly faster then I can ride hills, but it's early days still.

ChristopherM

I understand that a lot of insects are attracted by Carbon Dioxide. Maybe if you don't exhale, the insects won't be a problem!