The Reality of Gear

[Chimerix]

Aloha all!

First, I am a firm theoretical believer in the value of gear. And you all know the but...

I live in the tropics. There is tropical sunshine. All day. Every day. Even when it's raining, the sun continues to beat down.

The roadways were inadequate 20 years ago, and they are substantially unchanged. Traffic ranges from abysmal to pure parking lot. My personal record, so far, is 72 minutes on the freeway to cover 10 miles. Sitting. Baking.

I try. I always wear long pants. They may be light denim, or may be flimsy cotton Dockers. Either way, they're gone after the first bounce. If it's a nighttime ride, I do have a padded leather jacket. Daytime, it's a lightweight jeans jacket. Again, gone after a couple of feet of sliding.

Full-face helmet at all times. Heavy boots, laced over the ankles, at all times. Boots don't make you hot.

I prefer to ride gloveless. Have yet to find a pair that I felt let me maintain the same degree of contact with my controls as my own hide.

So, I'm well-protected if I fall over in a parking lot. I'll probably survive a 35 mph ditch with some broken parts and a lot of skin grafts. Other than that...

I congratulate myself on being better prepared than the idiots that breed here. The ONLY restriction in Hawaii state law for riders is that they must have eye protection. Seeing bikers wearing rubber flip-flops (they call them slippahs) and board shorts, or a bikini (depending on preference) with sunglasses is a commonplace thing. (Try imagining sitting on a hot vinyl seat in a thong!

Still, I recognize that I'm not as well prepared as I should be. No Kevlar, no padding, no armor. It's that I simply can NOT stand the heat!

So, tell me about YOUR reality dealing with it. You Texans who ride within the DFW metroplex during business hours, you Louisiana residents (my home state!) who understand the reality of a 120 degree blast furnace as you cruise down the highway, anyone out there who rides while it is HOT. How do you balance between heatstroke and protection?

[Hacker]

I ride occasionally without my jackets in the heat of the summertime and quite frankly I find that, for me, it's actually HOTTER than when wearing my TourMaster "Draft" all mesh jacket w/armor. During the summer here in west Tennessee, it gets 90+ most days, along with killer humidity. My mesh jacket lets the wind/air right through while keeping the sun from baking me silly. For gloves, I wear the River Road "Sturgis" model. Not a ton of protection, but better than nothing and the gel palms keep things comfortable.

[Uthor]

What about a mesh jacket (though not much help if you aren't moving) over a cooling vest? As long as it's wet, the evaporation will cool you off.

Other than that, water, water, water. Maybe get a CamelBak backpack for hydrating on the fly? I also hear amazing things about these water coolers (ice after a couple of days in the desert?), though they are a little too much money for me.

[Musgofasa]

Originally Posted by Hacker

I ride occasionally without my jackets in the heat of the summertime and quite frankly I find that, for me, it's actually HOTTER than when wearing my TourMaster "Draft" all mesh jacket w/armor. During the summer here in west Tennessee, it gets 90+ most days, along with killer humidity. My mesh jacket lets the wind/air right through while keeping the sun from baking me silly. For gloves, I wear the River Road "Sturgis" model. Not a ton of protection, but better than nothing and the gel palms keep things comfortable.

+1
I actually feel cooler while moving with my mesh on. Of course, it can be stifling when sitting still. lol I didn't wear my gloves for years, but have become accustomed to them now. I feel funny riding without them and I don't notice them making me any hotter. Boots and jeans are where I haven't purchased anything yet. I am going to be looking for some as soon as finances allow though.

One of my customers makes some cooling gear worn by race car and bike riders. One of their big clients is Mat Mladin on the AMA (supersport?) circuit. They are in Virginia and he has won at VIR the last two years so they are pretty stoked. I am thinking about getting some samples of this stuff to see if anybody wants it. I might be able to get a group buy together or something.

2bKool race driver apparel cooling system

Take care,
Robert

[artz]

in the heat, I hydrate ALOT. I wear jeans, boots or ankle high work shoes. No jacket, but do wear a T-shirt....and maybe a leather vest. With leather half gloves.
If I could get a cooling vest in my size, I would try one with a mesh jacket.

[Ruh Roh]

The hardest part for me is convincing myself to actually put a coat on when its so hot. And initially the change of temp will cause condensation to from on my skin, but it gives me a lil cooling when i get started.

I rode recently in 105 air temp, 112 heat index. It was actually cooler with my textile jacket (not the mesh) and cooling vest. The inside temp was cooler than even the highway speed air. I had to stop about every 45 min for rehydrating. Its brutal with no air moving at all, traffic lights, parking, even about 20 mph. And again, the hardest part was to actually put on a coat when its sooooo d@m hot.

If i had to do that on a daily basis tho, Id be in my car.

[Chimerix]

I wish we could take a page from the professional costumer's manual here. Modern, body-encompassing costumes (gorilla, the Tin Man, etc) will often have pockets inside where ice packs can be stored. They usually use those refillable blue-gel baggies, the same type sold for first-aid purposes. If someone were to make a heavy riding jacket with pockets for those inserts... I know I'd buy it!

[Aelwulf]

I've ridden in 95+ heat in Colorado in full gear, did a fair bit of sweating but kept hydrated. It was uncomfortable when not moving and traffic was a bear but I'd rather suffer a bit of discomfort riding then a lot of discomfort or worse if/when I go down. I have't ridden in Florida but I have worn heavy jackets and such for various reasons in the humidity there and I'd wear full gear there as well. Sometimes ya just gotta suck it up, it all comes down to how valuable your skin, etc is when your time comes IMO and Murphy likes me way too much for me to risk it.

[Uthor]

Originally Posted by Ruh Roh

I rode recently in 105 air temp, 112 heat index. It was actually cooler with my textile jacket (not the mesh) and cooling vest. The inside temp was cooler than even the highway speed air.

When the air temperature is higher than your body temperature, being covered will keep you cooler. Otherwise, moving through warm air is like being in front of a hair drier; it transfers the heat faster to your body (just like moving cool air makes you cold quicker).

[azwiley1]

Originally Posted by Chimerix

Aloha all!

First, I am a firm theoretical believer in the value of gear. And you all know the but...

I live in the tropics. There is tropical sunshine. All day. Every day. Even when it's raining, the sun continues to beat down.

The roadways were inadequate 20 years ago, and they are substantially unchanged. Traffic ranges from abysmal to pure parking lot. My personal record, so far, is 72 minutes on the freeway to cover 10 miles. Sitting. Baking.

I try. I always wear long pants. They may be light denim, or may be flimsy cotton Dockers. Either way, they're gone after the first bounce. If it's a nighttime ride, I do have a padded leather jacket. Daytime, it's a lightweight jeans jacket. Again, gone after a couple of feet of sliding.

Full-face helmet at all times. Heavy boots, laced over the ankles, at all times. Boots don't make you hot.

I prefer to ride gloveless. Have yet to find a pair that I felt let me maintain the same degree of contact with my controls as my own hide.

So, I'm well-protected if I fall over in a parking lot. I'll probably survive a 35 mph ditch with some broken parts and a lot of skin grafts. Other than that...

I congratulate myself on being better prepared than the idiots that breed here. The ONLY restriction in Hawaii state law for riders is that they must have eye protection. Seeing bikers wearing rubber flip-flops (they call them slippahs) and board shorts, or a bikini (depending on preference) with sunglasses is a commonplace thing. (Try imagining sitting on a hot vinyl seat in a thong!

Still, I recognize that I'm not as well prepared as I should be. No Kevlar, no padding, no armor. It's that I simply can NOT stand the heat!

So, tell me about YOUR reality dealing with it. You Texans who ride within the DFW metroplex during business hours, you Louisiana residents (my home state!) who understand the reality of a 120 degree blast furnace as you cruise down the highway, anyone out there who rides while it is HOT. How do you balance between heatstroke and protection?

Man I feel left out (again) what about us Arizonian, or the Californians?

Anyway, I wear a mesh jacket in the summer with out the liner. I am comfortable upto about 105 like that as the heat really doesn't bother me too much. Above 105, I throw on my cool vest under the jacket.

I wear a 3/4 helmet all the time, but have heard reports and tests that indicate a full face is actually better in hot and cold as the air can't get to your face, neck and head as easily.

Lastly, I don't thing it matters WHERE you live or what you wear when riding, traffic sucks and you either learn to deal with it or your don't ride.

[ALStensby]

I'd look in to some light colored mesh gear with armor. When it's hot here, it's a massive help! I wear it with a thin T-shirt and shorts. That way, I'm comfortable and protected. For boots, look in to some "jungle boots". I have a pair from the Army I use when it's really hot out. Leather where it counts, mesh elsewhere. You'd be surprised what a difference your feet make. When they're cool, so are you. And when they're hot...you are too. In Minnesota, we get a pretty wide range. While the extremes may not be as bad as some places, few places experience the range we get. Summers can easily hit the 90s and some time the low 100s...and with 100% humidity. And in the Winter, I've seen 59F below 0. Obviously, I don't ride that cold. But, I've ridden in the upper 90s down to the single digits above zero.

[sbg8r]

Originally Posted by Hacker

I ride occasionally without my jackets in the heat of the summertime and quite frankly I find that, for me, it's actually HOTTER than when wearing my TourMaster "Draft" all mesh jacket w/armor. During the summer here in west Tennessee, it gets 90+ most days, along with killer humidity. My mesh jacket lets the wind/air right through while keeping the sun from baking me silly. For gloves, I wear the River Road "Sturgis" model. Not a ton of protection, but better than nothing and the gel palms keep things comfortable.

+1 keeps the sun from baking, I also wear a cool vest and I have a well vented leather jacket....I ode to the keys 7 hour ride and the last 2 hours I took the jacket off...wish I had wore it...

[sisooktom]

Here in NC, the heat rarely gets above 95 or so, but the humidity is oppressive. Nevertheless, I always wear my mesh jacket. It's very cool, and keeps me from getting sunburned as well. Everything I've read says that once it gets REALLY hot, you're better off being covered than uncovered. A good mesh jacket will be cooler than that denim you're wearing, and protect you better too.

[taro]

Although it didn't seem as bad this summer. Last summer, I rode through 95 degree days with my ff helmet, black (perforated) leather jacket and pants, Firstgear Master gloves, and BMW Transition Touring Boots. I am that kind of nerd. So I still stick to ATTATT, but do concede that most of my commute is by highway. I do very little sitting in traffic. Also, when it gets that hot, I tend to avoid the back roads, which I usually take because on those days if I'm not averaging about 70 mph, I really start to feel the effects.

[messer00]

Alpinestars textile jacket and Alpinestars jeans with knee pads all year. I don't care how hot it gets (105-110 is very common here in the central valley of California). My Shoei helmet has great vents and keeps my head cool enough. In the winter, I throw the liner in the jacket, still wear the pants, and wear rain gear whenever necessary.

[infonavigator]

I have been looking into ultraviolet reflective clothing hoping to reduce effects of sunlight and heat. I sure wish the protective gear providers would stop using black.

I use cabretta leather gloves I buy at Sam's Club. Cabretta leather gives you good grip.

[jcb]

Granted I don't have to deal with a ton of really hot days, but I've found that Under Armour works wonders, even when stopped. Last time it hit almost 40 C, I was still able to wear my full leather jacket and pants. Just opened the vents and unzipped a little bit and I was fine, even in stop and go traffic.

I have a long sleeve compression shirt that I wear, and am looking for full compression pants for next season.

[JoyRider]

Ditto on the mesh jacket! A light color might help. Mine is black (what was I thinking!) Anyway I feel like I don't get sunburned with the jacket on, were as if my skin was exposed I'd be burnt to a crisp. It's not very pleasant with the jacket on but I've ridden a few times without any gear and feel very naked!

[CTRider]

I wear a bright blue mesh jacket without the liner in the summer. The problem we have up hear is the humidity. It doesn't let you sweat properly.

I have also found I feel cooler while moving with the jacket on rather than without. Sitting still, you're going to be hot no matter what.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by Chimerix

I wish we could take a page from the professional costumer's manual here. Modern, body-encompassing costumes (gorilla, the Tin Man, etc) will often have pockets inside where ice packs can be stored. They usually use those refillable blue-gel baggies, the same type sold for first-aid purposes. If someone were to make a heavy riding jacket with pockets for those inserts... I know I'd buy it!

I think the issue with that would be having what amounts to be rocks inside your jacket. Mascots don't move fast enough for it to hurt landing on a frozen cold pack.