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I'm melting! 

6/30/2013

6 Comments

 
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It's hot! The first week of unbearable heat is always the hardest. It's when people hide in their air conditioned boxes (whatever they may be) and try not to exert too much energy. Believe me, I want to do the same! However, we don't have a/c at home and no car to duck into and drive to the coast. I had actually forgotten what air conditioning felt like until I popped into a Target yesterday. Then there's the random parking garage with it's obscenely cold air cooling the street around. I hate to admit it but I love it (although I also hate it and believe that maybe it'd be a good thing to stop doing for energy conservation, expenses, and global climate change...). We also like to make detours to ride through sprinklers for a little on-the-go pick-me-up. 

We do leave the house as little as possible on these kinds of days. The air quality is always especially grimy, too. If we don't have to leave, we don't. If we can, we do our errands in the early morning or once the Delta breezes pick up. 
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When we do have to leave, it's nice to have the cargo bikes so the boys aren't working, they're just getting the cool air. Biking is never too hot when you're moving, it's when you stop that it becomes suffocating. I try to stop in the shade, finding a tiny patch at stoplights. 

I've been enjoying wearing skirts with shorts under while I pedal. A light top is helpful to minimize the sweating (which tends to pick up about 5 minutes after I stop riding so watch out!). 

Some of my thoughts on riding in summer (and please add your own in the comments below!): 
  • Wear summer-appropriate clothes. For me, that's skirts (you men could rock an awesome Utili-kilt!), light tops-usually wicking material or quick drying something. I like shorts under my skirts (there are many great sites dedicated to finding the right skirt and how to wear one on a bike). 
  • If you need to bring an extra set of clothes, allow extra time to change so you cool down. Baby wipes or a wet towel can help speed that up. 
  • Make sure to cover your exposed skin with sunblock. I like having the kids under the weather-protectors, although I'm still working on putting that together on my bikes. 
  • Lots and lots and lots of water. And ice cream. I have about a 4:1 water to ice cream ratio. Our ice cream budget is through the roof. It's worth it. Good thing we're not paying a car payment. 
  • Choose when to ride, avoiding the worst of the heat. 
  • Remember that driving isn't fun either. It's easy to talk yourself out of riding if you have a car beckoning. Keep in mind that getting into a sizzling car is terrible. What if your a/c cuts out? What if you get stuck in traffic? What if you have to park a mile away and still have to walk to the store? Remember that driving is bad for the Earth and adding extra pollution to an already-highly polluted day is worse (driving in polluted air is just as bad as biking in it). 
  • If you do need to drive, do it. I choose the BionX Breezer for hot days when I can. It's great not to work very hard to ride somewhere but it's better than driving around in 2,000 extra pounds, spouting emissions everywhere. It's a great supplemental vehicle for those trips that we would resort to driving to. 
  • More ice cream. 


Now, what do you have to add to the list? 

What's your cut-off point for biking in Summer? 
6 Comments
Laura
6/30/2013 02:41:24 pm

Good tips! Thank you! I also try to do errands really early in the morning--I was at Trader Joe's at 8am on Saturday!--and then spend as much time as possible hiding in my air conditioned apartment. :) I think there's a good chance I'll cop out and do part of my afternoon commute this week by putting my bike on the bus. We'll see how it goes. I'm definitely going to ride into work in the morning, but I'm leaving the afternoon bus option open if I need it. One other thing I've learned is to store my bike indoors when at all possible--the seat gets really hot in the sun!--and to always bring my helmet inside with me in the heat.

I'm going to have to look for the websites about biking in skirts. I usually wear skirts to church on Sundays, and I don't love biking in them. I usually choose mid-calf / a-line ones so I'm not being constricted (learned my lesson the hard way after an annoying 10-mile ride in a pencil skirt), but then they fly up while I'm pedaling (I guess the shorts underneath would help with that) or get tire dust/grime on them. Work in progress...

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Tim
6/30/2013 03:16:13 pm

At home I have a MasterCool evaporative cooler that I use instead of the central A/C. It not only saves me money on energy thus reducing my carbon footprint, but also keeps me conditioned to accept warmer overall temperatures. At work the central a/c is never set below 85 degrees, for the same reasons. Because we lease the premises installing evap cooling isn't an easy option, however I am seriously considering a portable unit so we can avoid using the refrigeration at all. The main thing is to avoid getting used to the cold refrigerated temperatures which reduces the impact when I am outside. The BionX powered bike makes my commute a joy. I believe it is healthy to experience the seasons and note that mankind did flourish before refrigeration came along to create the synthetic indoor environment, and as an ex-hvac guy I am acutely aware of the amount of energy wasted to refrigerate buildings. Cars are especially excessive energy consumers when using their a/c systems. Believe it or not, each car has enough cooling capacity to refrigerate an entire 2000 sf house! This is why MPG declines so rapidly when using the a/c on a car. Thank you for caring about the energy you consume, it is individuals taking responsibility for their part that will make a real difference. Thank you.

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LL
7/1/2013 12:46:59 am

Popsicles. A Trader Joes lime popsicle helps get you through that last hour of heat before you can open up the house to cooler weather. We haven't used the ac yet--it's a fun challenge to figure out how to avoid it. Open the house in the evenings and morning, Close it down in the day. Popsicles when needed. Cold shower as a last resort (thanks, Jon).

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RZ
7/1/2013 02:20:37 am

I totally wimped on my commute today. We went from high 70s to 100, and the change is just a bit much. Especially since I make my 9 year old bike himself and he was so slow on Friday there was no cooling effect at all. I need to get the chain on the tandem tonight.

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Becky
7/1/2013 07:38:09 am

Yikes. It's times like these that Wisconsin winters seem worth it! I did have to put mittens on my daughter for biking over the weekend...

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HH
7/2/2013 08:13:46 am

I've wimped out of biking this week so far. I am trying to do an EARLY morning ride with the boys tomorrow on our family bike. We'll have construction vehicles and water and snacks in tow and I hope to be home before most high school students would be awake during their summer break.
Next week the car's getting fixed so it'll be biking all the way. Maybe we'll just stick to early mornings and later in the evenings with ice cream + pool as incentives. Ride with swim gear on?
Thanks for keeping us updated about your journeys -- karen's bakery and grumpy and ice cream and all!

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