Hot weather riding gear

**branng** · 05-30-2013, 12:02 PM

Was riding around in the extreme heat today in Beijing (high of 37 deg C / 100 deg F), in direct sunlight, while wearing a 3/4 helmet, a mesh jacket and thick denim jeans. I had to pull over to cool off in the shade for a bit as I began to exhibit clear signs of heatstroke: dizziness, an elevated pulse and feeling faint. All despite keeping fairly well hydrated by drinking plenty from the bottle of water I had with me. Removed my jacket and thankfully managed to cool off just enough to be able to continue riding to my destination.

Which brings me to my question. Now that summer proper is here, what do you wear to i) stay safe and ii) keep cool while riding around in the extreme heat?

Note: some of you know I ride around on an electric scooter... be good if we can avoid turning this into a "why on earth do you need to wear all that gear on an electric scooter" discussion.

**Zorge** · 05-30-2013, 02:08 PM

Originally Posted by branng

Which brings me to my question. Now that summer proper is here, what do you wear to i) stay safe and ii) keep cool while riding around in the extreme heat?

Shades, shorts and spongy "Fila" flip-flops wannabes. Period.

**r1smith** · 05-31-2013, 09:34 AM

This?:

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/f...ness-adventure

U'll still gonna be hot, but not heatstroke hot.

**thedannywahl** · 05-31-2013, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by branng

Note: some of you know I ride around on an electric scooter... be good if we can avoid turning this into a "why on earth do you need to wear all that gear on an electric scooter" discussion.

I wear the same gear as you but my thought is this: mesh the more effective the faster you go. 30kph on an electric scooter is going to be a lot hotter than 80kph on a motorbike.

I'm using a Shift 3-layer mesh jacket that is absolutely mesh everywhere, not just armpits/chest, and I believe that helps a lot. It's kinda like this one, but like 10 years old: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...sh-Jacket.aspx

**branng** · 06-01-2013, 04:33 AM

Originally Posted by thedannywahl

I wear the same gear as you but my thought is this: mesh the more effective the faster you go. 30kph on an electric scooter is going to be a lot hotter than 80kph on a motorbike.

Speed saves lives!

Would be interested to see how that conversation goes with the policeman who stops you for speeding...

**thedannywahl** · 06-01-2013, 04:45 AM

Originally Posted by branng

Speed saves lives!

Would be interested to see how that conversation goes with the policeman who stops you for speeding...

well I suppose there is that. does Beijing not have divided highways where there's the main road with a speed of 60 to 80 and a parallel surface road for bicycles etc...with a speed limit of 20 to 40? a lot of Tianjin (at least the major roads) are like that.

**felix** · 06-01-2013, 01:27 PM

Higher speed = less time spent on the road = less time to get into an accident.

**zhu** · 06-02-2013, 04:22 AM

on my e bike i use a vented bicycle helmet
http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=....1.17.2.4OAB8z

as for water drink it and poor it over your face and neck
evaporation is your friend in hot weather

**felix** · 06-02-2013, 10:22 AM

Agree with john. Wear a tube scarf like this around your neck and keep it wet, the evaporation cools you right down.

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=12924910878

**milton** · 06-03-2013, 12:04 PM

I am wondering how effective this vest is for cooling down the rider in hot weather. You soak it in water before putting it on. It relies on the evaporation of the stored water for cooling.

I found it from my favorite site for motorcycle gears:
http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street...port_vest.html

They carry good stuff at very reasonable price.

Wondering if Taobao has something similar.