Shoe color and foot temp
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I appreciate the question. I get hot spots on the bottom of my feet, and I note that they come more frequently when it is hot outside. I wear black shoes and have never pondered the possibility of having "cooler" shoes.
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Oh, and it comes in black or white
#30
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Insoles also can make a world of difference. For example, I like to use Profoot Care Miracle insoles (https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/pr...400003-product) - they are nice as far as foot comfort but they make shoes much warmer - this is very good in winter but not nearly so much in summer.
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Describing temperature differences by percentages is not helpful. Knowing something is 50 degrees hotter would be helpful, and even more helpful if you know which temperature scale is being used. Though if my head increased in temperature by 50 degrees, I don't think I'd care about any of this.
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Black objects absorb more heat that's for sure, but I am not sure if you can actually notice the difference when pedaling on a bike in movement since the wind dissipates a lot of it.
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As it happens I have 2 pairs of identical bike shoes - one white pair, one black pair. I don't notice any difference in foot temperature.
Black socks and white shoes is a legit combination - I've seen pro teams do it recently, so must be allowed.
What I'm now wondering is could I mix and match my black and white shoes? White on right, black on left? Perhaps with contrasting socks?
I definitely don't wear dark coloured jerseys in really hot weather. I think that would make a significant difference due to the relatively large surface area.
Black socks and white shoes is a legit combination - I've seen pro teams do it recently, so must be allowed.
What I'm now wondering is could I mix and match my black and white shoes? White on right, black on left? Perhaps with contrasting socks?
I definitely don't wear dark coloured jerseys in really hot weather. I think that would make a significant difference due to the relatively large surface area.
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Heat transfer = (some constant I just made up) * ΔT
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I think a mitigating factor though is also for this reason, meaning that black objects can pull off more heat from what they're resting on. As a thought exercise, if you wear a base layer under a jersey, and you want a cooling (not a thermal) effect, are you better off wearing a black or white base layer?
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I think a mitigating factor though is also for this reason, meaning that black objects can pull off more heat from what they're resting on. As a thought exercise, if you wear a base layer under a jersey, and you want a cooling (not a thermal) effect, are you better off wearing a black or white base layer?
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I think a mitigating factor though is also for this reason, meaning that black objects can pull off more heat from what they're resting on. As a thought exercise, if you wear a base layer under a jersey, and you want a cooling (not a thermal) effect, are you better off wearing a black or white base layer?
A brief search suggests that while black objects reflect less light, and so absorb more, which is converted to heat,
there is much less difference in the reflectivity of colors in the infrared (heat) range, so the statement above is not true, or barely true.
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All I've learned from this thread is that I prolly shouldn't buy white shoes.
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https://www.wired.com/story/should-y...eres-the-data/
It might suggest for example, that a beanie (if you wear a skull cap, designed like this might be more ideal than all white or all black. The black part is already blocked by the sun because it's under the solid part of a helmet shell, and can pull more heat off your forehead and back of you head, while the white part is reflecting sun thru the vents.
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Feathered shoes and cycling clothing is an under-considered area for thermodynamic and aerodynamic gains.
This article is interesting: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/d...rstb.2016.0345
"the thermal effects of colour depend as much on absorptance of near-infrared ((NIR), 700–2500 nm) as visible (300–700 nm) wavelengths of direct sunlight; yet the NIR is very rarely considered or measured. The few available data on NIR reflectance in animals indicate that the visible reflectance is often a poor predictor of NIR reflectance."
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Yeah, I guess so. Honestly I don't think much there's much in it.. Try wading through this for an answer :-)
https://www.wired.com/story/should-y...eres-the-data/
It might suggest for example, that a beanie (if you wear a skull cap, designed like this might be more ideal than all white or all black. The black part is already blocked by the sun because it's under the solid part of a helmet shell, and can pull more heat off your forehead and back of you head, while the white part is reflecting sun thru the vents.
https://www.wired.com/story/should-y...eres-the-data/
It might suggest for example, that a beanie (if you wear a skull cap, designed like this might be more ideal than all white or all black. The black part is already blocked by the sun because it's under the solid part of a helmet shell, and can pull more heat off your forehead and back of you head, while the white part is reflecting sun thru the vents.
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Your link seems to suggest that white clothing doesn't reflect heat back to your body any more or less than black. It doesn't actually say anything about heat conduction (as opposed to heat radiation) from your shirt directly touching your skin. I would be surprised if colour had any effect on heat conduction. But it's not something I've studied.
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Yeah I did see that part about really baggy clothing and the chimney effect. Maybe relevant for camel racing?
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Years ago, I did some thermal testing of white vs black helmets under simulated sunlight.
With air moving at 5mph, the white helmet was 1.5ºF above ambient.
Under the same conditions, the black helmet was 2.5ºF above ambient.
Conclusion: As long as the air is moving even slightly, the white-black temperature difference is not significant.
With air moving at 5mph, the white helmet was 1.5ºF above ambient.
Under the same conditions, the black helmet was 2.5ºF above ambient.
Conclusion: As long as the air is moving even slightly, the white-black temperature difference is not significant.
The skin of a polar bear is actually black. The black skin allows them to absorb more UV light to stay warm.
https://thewonderofscience.com/pheno...actually-black
#46
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It was a broad spectrum tungsten lamp.
Obviously not, why ask a smartass question that you know the answer to? I set the irradiance at the helmet surface to be that of a helmet worn outdoors in sunlight.
Again with the smartass question. Like most cyclists, I spend almost no time on a bike ride standing around, so I did not bother to measure the temperature with zero air flow. It's called a bike ride, not a stand around.
Whoever wrote that has scant knowledge of solar irradiance. At Earth's surface, only a tiny fraction of solar energy is in the UV spectrum.
Obviously not, why ask a smartass question that you know the answer to? I set the irradiance at the helmet surface to be that of a helmet worn outdoors in sunlight.
Also, do you never come to a stop at any time during a ride?
The skin of a polar bear [/color]is actually black. The black skin allows them to absorb more UV light to stay warm.
Last edited by terrymorse; 07-23-21 at 01:22 PM.
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Thanks. I asked because obviously all lights are not the same, and none are the sun. So a test may have any amount of relevance to the actual sunlight we ride in.
Like most cyclists I notice that when I stop is when I feel the heat the most... like when waiting at a traffic light. I much prefer my helmet to not heat up as much during these overheating moments. White helps.
Like most cyclists I notice that when I stop is when I feel the heat the most... like when waiting at a traffic light. I much prefer my helmet to not heat up as much during these overheating moments. White helps.
#48
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My feet do get really hot on hot SoCal days. I can feel tremendous heat radiating off the blacktop on these days. I wonder if much of the heat is coming from below. I'll try a test where I put white duct tape on the bottom of one shoe (not covering the vents) and see if it make a difference. I do notice that the water in my black water bottles heats up significantly faster than the water in my white water bottles on these days
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Pavement temp was 133 after our ride Saturday. I'm thinking the heat is traveling up from my feet to under my helmet, trying to drown me in sweat.
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This could be another scintillating debate.. would a clear water bottle let the sun just pass on thru and keep your water even cooler than using a white water bottle?