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I find riding in really hot (for me) weather less than pleasant. So I am trying a little experiment. I bought two muscle tops, one cotton, the other micro fibre. I soak them and then hand wring them out. I tried the micro fibre first. Put it on over my shirt and then my jacket and went for a ride of about an hour. The day before in similar temps I lasted about 30minutes and called it a day. But with the damp shirt on I was cool and comfortable. The next day I tried it with the cotton shirt. Since the first part of the ride was in the morning and quite pleasant I did not need the shirt. But I soaked both and put them in a "zip lock " bag. When the temp started to get oppressive I put the cotton shirt on. As you would expect, after being in the side bag all moring, it was warm to the touch. However as soon as it was on I felt cooler and once riding it was like air conditioning. And if it dried out before the ride was over I still had the secound shirt. Or simply stop at a service station and re wet the shirt.
By keeping comfortable I am more alert and therefore a safer rider.
Next step is to dampen a helmet liner and see how that works.

I don't know what sort of budget you're working with when it comes to your riding accessories, but if comfortable riding in the heat is something you're willing to drop a bit of money of on, check out the offerings on www.silvereagleoutfitters.com. They have high, medium and low grade 'cooling vests' that do essentially what you're doing with the wife-beaters, but include layers of waterproof fabric so the water never makes it to your skin. I haven't personally tried them, but they're on my short list of wanted accessories.

Also, my wife and I often use camel-backs if we're going a fair distance in the heat. They're not particularly stylish and can be difficult to incorporate into fully protective gear, but they're excellent for beating the heat. Besides having a source of hydration at your fingertips, you also basically have a bladder of cool water pressed against your back. Toss in some ice with your water and it doesn't get much better than that, and the contents will swirl and stir and radiate cool when you draw through the drink tube. It's like having a glass of water poured down your back every time you take a drink, except you're not getting wet.

Got another trick with the camel packs too. We get those flat gel packs that freeze. They fit nicely next to the bladder in the camel pack and keeps the water cold for hours.

I expect to be pilloried for saying this out loud, but sometimes I replace the back armor in my jacket with the Camelbak bladder. I always start with well iced water and it keeps my back nice and cool.

LoL, I think that's brilliant!

Wouldn't work for me, since in hot weather I leave the armored jacket at home anyway and just wear the vest. But, maybe one of those armored jackets with zip-off sleeves...

Hm. I'm cooler with my mesh jacket than without - I'm assuming it's because the jacket provides shade. We'll see if switching to white from a medium pink does even better for me in that department. I just hope the jacket fits when it shows up today.

MmeMagpie wrote:Hm. I'm cooler with my mesh jacket than without - I'm assuming it's because the jacket provides shade.

I agree, sunburn (and windburn too) is a PITA. Plus, the mesh controls airflow so your skin stays a bit wet (so you benefit from evaporative cooling) but it doesn't dry out.

Aside from wetting my shirt, pants, and helmet liner, I also wet my balaclava (or bandanna/buff if that's what you use). The wet fabric around your neck cools the carotid artery, which cools the blood going to your brain. Feels great!

Whilst reading this thread I am sitting by the window looking out onto yet another dreich day of drizzle
smiling sadly to myself & imagining what it must be like to be too hot

MmeMagpie wrote:I expect to be pilloried for saying this out loud, but sometimes I replace the back armor in my jacket with the Camelbak bladder.

I would have thought that a water filled bladder would provide quite good protection in the event of an off?

I don't worry about water touching my skin when I'm in hot county. I use mesh jacket and dump some water in front and back between stops and found it works very well. I also dump water down my throat! Hydration is EVERYTHING in hot country. The only complaint I have is trying to keep my palms cool--every glove I've tried seems to cook my palms in the hot climates. Maybe water cooled grips?

Regards,

The other day, in addition to the wet muscle top, I put a wet cloth on my follicularly challenged head. Worked quite well. Really could tell that the helmet venting was working.