Bikes: How they are ridden Part II

[dbrk]

Now for some completely different advice. Wear an sports undershirt. Today Stage 9 TDF 36 min. into VS coverage you'll see a well placed rider take a tumble...jersey on backside is shredded and you can see a clean blood free undershirt poking thru. He prob. has a small amt of heat rash but not more. Wear a sports undershirt. That is all.

I can attest too that the overpriced-but-worth-it Rapha woolly base jersey saved me a ton of rash on a recent crash.

Here's a good story: when I got to the hospital they wanted to cut the Rapha jersey off me. There was no way I was going to do that unless it was going to do more damage. Doctor said no but it might hurt a lot more. What's 15 seconds of pain (saw stars, always fun) to keep a jersey that was only slightly torn?

I'm not much for the way plastic jerseys smell, not on me, not on anyone, and I don't care how much/well/whatever you wash them, they still stink. Oh yeah, wear an undershirt. I wear mine around the house when I'm trying to bring out my inner Tony Soprano.

[Shinomaster]

Now for some completely different advice. Wear an sports undershirt. Today Stage 9 TDF 36 min. into VS coverage you'll see a well placed rider take a tumble...jersey on backside is shredded and you can see a clean blood free undershirt poking thru. He prob. has a small amt of heat rash but not more. Wear a sports undershirt. That is all.

Even if it's 95 degrees and humid?

[Watoni]

Even if it's 95 degrees and humid?

Yes, I just rode in 105 degree heat with a Descente superlight and a Rapha lightweight jersey.

I find the Rapha wool baselayer (way less than the Assos, btw, so value is relative) awesome for anything under about 80 degrees, then the craft/castelli/descente layers come out

[Dekonick]

If the shirt design is proper, it will keep you cool by promoting evaporation of your sweat. A hydrophylic material, that is hydrophobic on the outside keeps wet out, and pulls wet away from your skin. All the fancy material they make stuff from should do this - but the net effect is water being pulled away from your skin, and this same water being evaporated off of the garment. It takes heat to evaporate water, and this heat comes from you. The net result is you will feel cooler. If it is humid, and you are sweating, and not moving...then the evaporation will slow down and the same water that is sitting on you, and in your clothes will gather heat and hold it - it will hold it until it reaches a temperature high enough to evaporate, and likely this will be higher than is comfy....

SO - to add to what TT said, a layer of clothing is
1) protective
2) comfortable if you are moving, even when hot and humid.
3) enjoy!

[Too Tall]

FWIIW Descente D-Vente Cycling Base Layer at www.backcountry.com for $14.95. Go nuts.

Next up. Eye protection. Yes.

[Saab2000]

Next up. Eye protection. Yes.

I'll happily ride without a helmet all day long. But eye protection is non-negotiable.

[davids]

FWIIW Descente D-Vente Cycling Base Layer at www.backcountry.com for $14.95. Go nuts.

Next up. Eye protection. Yes.

Thank you, sir. I've been needing some more undies.

[jmeloy]

I fall into this category myself - my bars are a little lower than my saddle, but if I go much lower, I can't tolerate the neck strain. I fractured T-12, herniated c5,c6 20 years ago in a high speed car accident. I should have died. To this day, at work, if I have to wear my helmet for more than an hour my neck screams...but I manage. On my bike, I find if my position is too low the strain of lifting my head up for hours makes the ride unenjoyable. Oh - I was fit by Smiley BTW and I love my present position, even if it doesn't pass muster with the 'gets it' crowd.

Do I wish I could go lower? Sure do - but someone had better find a way to fix my neck first.

+1000 to Dekonick. Flipped my 1969 Motobecane Grand Record when I drifted too far right on a fast down hill left turn and watched the front wheel disappear b/w the rails of a storm drain. Endo (luckily into grass) but bent a vertebre for good. Can't get past neck strain in helmet no matter what I do but a smaller seat to bar drop makes it tolerable. New Zanc being built to recognize this.
Wanna go lower, yeah. Can I go lower, no. Wanna keep riding, yeah!
Jeff

[doofus]

I fall into this category myself - my bars are a little lower than my saddle, but if I go much lower, I can't tolerate the neck strain. I fractured T-12, herniated c5,c6 20 years ago in a high speed car accident. I should have died. To this day, at work, if I have to wear my helmet for more than an hour my neck screams...but I manage. On my bike, I find if my position is too low the strain of lifting my head up for hours makes the ride unenjoyable. Oh - I was fit by Smiley BTW and I love my present position, even if it doesn't pass muster with the 'gets it' crowd.

Do I wish I could go lower? Sure do - but someone had better find a way to fix my neck first.

as a member of the putative "gets it" crowd, I'd say your position is perfectly fine. position is a consequence of the structural fitness of the rider. if someone has an underlying functional problem -- your neck, or ken robb's bad eyes -- then the position has to be adapted to the rider's body.

I used to work in a shop that sold serottas, and I assisted our fit technician. 95% of our fits were for people who had no underlying physical limitations -- they were just out of proper riding shape. we sold them $5,000+ upright bikes as fashionable, bling-bling quick fixes for their lack of postural fitness. those bikes and positions were awful.

however, any bike created to enable someone with a permanent physical limitation to get out and enjoy riding is a lovely thing.

[Dave Kirk]

however, any bike created to enable someone with a permanent physical limitation to get out and enjoy riding is a lovely thing.

Good words.

Dave

[GrantM]

as a member of the putative "gets it" crowd, I'd say your position is perfectly fine. position is a consequence of the structural fitness of the rider. if someone has an underlying functional problem -- your neck, or ken robb's bad eyes -- then the position has to be adapted to the rider's body.

I used to work in a shop that sold serottas, and I assisted our fit technician. 95% of our fits were for people who had no underlying physical limitations -- they were just out of proper riding shape. we sold them $5,000+ upright bikes as fashionable, bling-bling quick fixes for their lack of postural fitness. those bikes and positions were awful.

however, any bike created to enable someone with a permanent physical limitation to get out and enjoy riding is a lovely thing.

i love this guy.

[Sharon Stone's Comma]

[JeffS]

I'll happily ride without a helmet all day long. But eye protection is non-negotiable.

absolutely.