Keeping Cool: Can clothing help?

[Dirt]

Greetings y’all. Americancyclo’s comment in the sock thread reminded me that it is possible to use clothes to help stay cool.

The important thing is to get moisture away from your skin so that it can evaporate. On days like today, moisture is more dripping off, than evaporating.

Some general rules. Just like with winter clothes, cotton is NEVER your friend. It absorbs water, holds it and chaffes against your skin. It wads up and causes hot spots. It holds heat in.

Interestingly, in some conditions bare skin can also not move moisture as well as a good cycling jersey.

Light colors: As you might imagine, a white jersey absorbs less heat than a black one. It is a difference you can feel.

Jerseys: High quality jerseys wick moisture very well and move it away from your skin, cooling you. Older, simpler lycra jerseys are good, but still hold heat a little more than higher tech fabrics used today.

Shorts: The unmodest, tight, roadie shorts definitely keep you cooler. Baggies trap air and moisture, even high-tech ones, are warmer than roadie shorts. High quality, stretch chamois pads also move moisture better and don’t create chafe spots on your tender parts.

Fit: Tight is better than loose. Flapping clothes inhibit the moisture movement. Tight clothes transmit moisture from your skin much easier.

Undies: For women, modern sports bras move moisture away. They are not pretty, but they’re designed to move moisture and not chafe.

Summer base layer: I use it. It seems weird that adding an extra layer keeps you cooler than wearing only one layer. I buy super cheap summer base layer from eBay. It sells for $25 for 3. The idea is that it pulls moisture away from your skin and gets it away so you can keep cool. I stay cooler.

Coolers:There are a few companies (DeSotto and 2XU) that make things called coolers. They look like arm or leg warmers, but they are white. They are treated with aspartame… the same stuff that makes mint gum cool in your mouth. These pull moisture away from your skin, give you very good SPF protection, and can keep you much cooler. These really work, though on very humid days like today, they’re easily overwhelmed by people like me who sweat a lot. You can get long sleeve jerseys made of this stuff. I haven’t tried them, but I’ve heard they work well.

On days like today, not much is going to keep you cool. Stay in the shade and keep moving. The wind will help keep you as cool as possible. Drink a lot. Drink a whole lot. Don’t overwork yourself. Have reasonable expectations of what you can do.

I hope that is a good basis to start a discussion.

Best wishes,

Pete

Topic

[Greenbelt]

I use the Halo version with the plastic-y rubber-y strip in front that really helps keep sweat from dripping straight in to eyes. The strip will eventually crack, though. But they last a long time. My wife uses the Headsweats — I like how hers are in bright colors and sort of add some extra visibility from behind.

[CCrew]

@JeffC 6246 wrote:

All things considered, for a $20 purchase, they are worth it.

Keep your eye out at end of season when Performance does their blowout warehouse sales. I picked up like 5 of the Headsweats for $2-$3 a piece in summer and winter weights.

I have an UnderArmour Cold Gear hood/balaclava that is indispensable in the winter. That’s it, let’s think COLD today!

I have one with the tail you speak of. Don’t really see a difference either.

[CCrew]

@StopMeansStop 6250 wrote:

Does Dirt wear a sports bra all the time, or just on the pink bike?

Only when his spaghetti strap top isn’t in the wash I believe

[Dirt]

I’m more of a crop top kinda guy.

[Silver]

My commute is super-short (1.6 miles each way), and I have good luck wearing a big loose cotton t-shirt: the wind gets underneath it and cools off my skin. The drag it creates wouldn’t be acceptable on a longer commute, but it doesn’t slow me down significantly.

[Author]

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