Before making Bike Lights at Gotham, I’ve commuted through scorching summers in NYC, Tel Aviv, Boston and even the desert of Kiryat Gat, Israel. Here’s 4 quick tips to cool off while commuting.
1. Lose the backpack and escape the swamp
64%* of your heat escapes from your back and biking with a bag leads to nasty back sweat and it’s uglier southern cousin, swamp ass. Leave your bag at work or buy a rack + pannier and you’ll leave the back sweat behind. (*I totally made that up, but you get the idea.)
Lose the backpack, save the swamp
2. Slow down and glow.
We all know the feeling: you’re riding comfortably to work, pedal-powered breeze blowing through your hair, and then as soon as you get off, the flood gates open and you look like you just got out of spin class. I tried an experiment. Yesterday I biked to the office on full throttle and arrive in 12 minutes looking like I just finished a triathlon. Today I biked the speed my mom drives, showed up in 16 minutes, with a healthy “glow”.
Sweat attacks when you get off your bike
3. Dress Like A Hipster
The painted-on pants aren’t good for ventilation, but the ubiquitous hipster tanktop is the perfect commuter shirt. Long ago I worked in a business casual work environment (a very dark time in my life) so I rolled up in a tank top a block a way locked up my bike, put on my button down.
4. Pick A Cool Helmet
45%** of your heat is lost through your head. To to bike cool, choose a cool helmet. I used to think the Bern style helmet looked cool until I bought it. The inside is covered with insulating padding and they have no ventilation. I switched over to a less-stylish Giro and chilled out. (**I didn’t make that up, but someone else did).
Left helmet looks cool. Right helmet feels cool.
Photo Credits: flickr/ascendeddaniel, Bern, Giro
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