Heat
I live in Arizona. The heat is of the brutal, searing type. I also ride every day. Rain, shine, or temperatures in the teens.*
Note this is 91º at 8am, later in the summer
it will be over 90º all night long!
My ride is only 3.5 miles, and only takes 10 minutes if I hit all the lights and average above 16mph, but I am still a sweaty mess when I get to work. There are no showers in the building, although there are some across campus. I usually don’t get out of the house until 7:40 so I have no time to stop and shower on the way in.
So what do I do? Am I wet and noisome all day? No, I have some tips for staying fresh year-round. The key is in the clothes and a few supplies.
Part 1: the Clothes
Let’s start with what you wear while riding to work. For pants, I have some of those meshy, basketball-type drawstring shorts. If you commute is more than 10 miles, I would invest in some bike shorts. If you have an aversion to showing your goods in public, the bike-short undershorts are good too, or you can just wear shorts over your bike shorts. Keep in mind the heat factor here. Things get swampy quick.
Speaking of swampy, I have to talk about one of the greatest inventions of the modern age — Under Armor. This underwear makes you feel like an NFL astronaut. Space-fricking-age materials keep you cool in the most moist of nether regions. They ain’t cheap, but once you go there, you will never wear anything else. The “HeatGear Boxerjock”® make fantastic ersatz bike shorts. But only use as underwear, not shorts, which I may or may not do in the early morning on Sunday while doing yard work.
Actual photo of me, my ripped abs, my package, and my massive veiny arms
T-shirts are good to ride in, bike jerseys are better, and the poly-spandex athletic performance shirts are best. Bike jerseys can be pricey, but you can find athletic shirts at a discount outlet (Ross) for about ten clams. The loose t-shirt style are preferred over the spandex-bodybuilder style for ventilation and summer comfort. (and not looking like a douche)
Socks are another thing to consider for heat and comfort. Thin socks to ride in, dress socks at work, and if it is a really hot day you can change your dress socks at lunchtime to a fresh pair which can help restart your mojo. As for shoes, sandals may seem like a good idea but sunburn and road rash are an issue. Also if you have not discovered clipless pedals, you are definitely creating more work for yourself, and creating more sweat!
I keep a belt and shoes in my office. Two reasons: I don’t need to haul them back and forth every day which would be more effort, and they are always there. (I hate forgetting a belt and having to tug at your pants all day) I used to keep a pair of pants, socks and a shirt in the office in case I forgot one of those items, but I stopped doing that after a year or so.
So that leaves very little to carry to work — socks, pants and a shirt. The shirt and socks are rolled up in the pants for easy transport. Just make sure your lunch is sealed tight so you do not leak last night’s leftovers onto your new pants. (never happened to me, really)
Don’t put those work clothes on just yet! There are a few more things to attend to once you are in the office. I will cover that in part 2: transition tips.
Editors note: I just noticed this is a very male-centric post. I cannot speak for the ladies, but if you are one and would like to contribute, please comment below.
*teens in AZ = over 112º f
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Hello to my neighbor to the north! Running into similar temps here in Tucson, and I’ve found similar things work for this “lady.” The main thing is to make sure you’re changing 100%– no sharing anything between ride & work, and that includes undies (if you use ‘em for riding) & bras, gals. Actually, I’m currently riding in Keens. They make a sandal for clipless pedals, incidentally. And you can wear socks with ‘em if you like.
As a new commuter, I’m still working on a couple of things. One is trying to find bike shorts that are comfortable– there IS such a thing as too much padding. Another is the amount of sweat on my head/face. Anyone have any experience using a bandanna or a Buff under their helmet?
And then, of course, there’s post-ride cleanup. I look forward to your next post!
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I hadn’t considered Under Armor. Thanks for the info.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Consider myself lucky we have locker room and showers. I wear a uniform for work so I only carry undershirt/underwear and socks back and forth along with small lunch box, wallet and cellphone. All gets loaded in a sling bag I wear on my back, very light for my 11mile commute.
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I appreciate your advice and encouragement for bike commuters. One of the main concerns that I’ve heard from people reluctant to ride to work is, “But I’ll sweat!” (A near second is, “But my hair!”) I think you have some good tips to help address that worry, especially when people don’t have access to a shower at work.
At the risk of starting a flame war, I just want to say that for a commute as short as yours is, it probably doesn’t really matter whether you ride with regular pedals or with the clipless kind.
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 4:25 am
Cool! Always good to hear real life war stories from other bike commuters. I love the similarities. Here in England we are enjoying our hottest days (86oF) and we are in complete melt down!
and seemingly uphill all the way! Similarly I sweat buckets, commencing from the second my bike comes to a halt.
My commute is 4miles, as much offroad as I can afford the time
Luckily I have a shower at work. I also stock emergency pants (shorts) and socks in the drawer, shirts, ties, trousers (pants), belt and shoes strewn around the desk.
Keep up the good work
Ponnymeister (male!)
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 6:05 am
This is a good post. We are getting a bit of heat over here in London at the moment, with temps during the day in the 30’s (celsius).
I am lucky and have showers at work as do the majority of people who cycle.
For me its a 14 mile commute each way and takes about 45 mins if the lights and the railway crossings are good, oh and the taxis and buses don’t try to mow me down.
Clothing, always wear an under vest, Canterbury hotpack is great. Bicycle shorts with over shorts, Endura shorts are what I have, commute daily so 28 miles per day and I have had them for 1 year with no problems.
Always wear socks, thin, and I have SPD pedals so I leave my shoes at work.
Its all about layering. I get all my undervests from TK Maxx, cheap as chips.
Here is the best tip, always always carry your goretex with you……don’t mind your legs getting wet but when your top half is wet its not nice.