Cold weather riding???

grumner80

Member
it's kinda funny how we're talking about the ways to stay hydrated, and use things, like alcohol, that naturally dehydrate us. :hmmm:
 

Steve Vai

Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
"While alcohol may make us feel hotter, it actually aids in decreasing core body temperature. Normally when we feel cold, it is because blood has flowed from our skin into the organs to keep our core body temperature warm. After alcohol consumption, though, blood flows into the skin, giving us that warm feeling and making our faces flush, but leaving our body temperature to decrease rapidly."

But it's a heck of a lot easier to keep your core warm than it is your fingers and toes. Too bad I don't drink:D

-Jim.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I use salt sometimes, but I've recently been keeping a bottle in my back pocket. Not a normal water bottle but a small nalgene. I drink from the water bottle in the cage for the first 30-60 minutes, then when it freezes up I'll pull out the nalgene and drink that. I will then pull over at some point, open the top of the freezing water bottle, dump whatever wants to come out into the nalgene, and put it back in my pocket where the frosty turns back to cold water.

It nets you almost 2 bottles. On the coldest days the water bottle freezes up fast, so you'll be lucky to get 30 out of it. Just drink an extra 2 cups of water before you leave the house. If you're going for an epic, then stop somewhere and refill. If you're not, then you'll be all set.

The nature of winter riding tends to be lower intensity, so the factoid that you dehydrate faster in the winter is an incomplete truth. You go slower, work less intensely, and thus sweat less. If needed, I can go 3 hours on 1 bottle in the winter and be fine. In the summer I'd be hallucinating if I tried to do that.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I having been using salt this year with good results. I have more of an issue with the nipple freezing.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I have more of an issue with the nipple freezing.
To combat this, a few of my roadie friends used to put the bottles upside-down in the cages on sub-freezing rides.

It doesn't work quite so well if you have leaky bottles.:rolleyes:
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
To combat this, a few of my roadie friends used to put the bottles upside-down in the cages on sub-freezing rides.

It doesn't work quite so well if you have leaky bottles.:rolleyes:

I have heard this, although one of my favorite bottles leaks pretty bad.
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The nature of winter riding tends to be lower intensity, so the factoid that you dehydrate faster in the winter is an incomplete truth. You go slower, work less intensely, and thus sweat less. If needed, I can go 3 hours on 1 bottle in the winter and be fine. In the summer I'd be hallucinating if I tried to do that.

I juggle water bottles as well from my back pocket to keep from freezing, and it usually works out for me.
I was somewhat skeptical about winter dehydration so i did some googleing. you can scroll down to cold environments in the article for good info.
http://216.64.209.97/shared/common/images/pdfs/Dehydration_en_GB.pdf
On winter road rides i don't sweat a lot and therefore dont need as much fluid. however on mtb trails i am working harder and sweat more, especially pedalling in snow. What i took away from hydraution article is,
1. in winter your layered in so many clothes it can be tough to gauge how much your sweating, especially if you wear wicking fabrics.
2. its cold so you dont think you need to drink fluids/not thirsty.
 

Engignar

New Member
When I use a camelback I fill it with warm water just before I leave. I don't like to keep it under my jacket so I just stick the hose into the neck of my jacket and keep it tucked away, and then blow back into the hose to push the water into the reservoir. Has worked for me so far. I also put salt in it and a few squirts of lemon juice. On the road I keep a bottle in my jersey pocket and swap to it when the one on the bike freezes.
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Hydration: make sure you pack yourself with at least two bottles of water. Since we dehydrate more during winter than summer, you need them.

I have not been drinking a lot of water during my rides, if at all... For me it is just being lazy for I hate having to figure out all different tricks to keep it liquid

Why is that the body dehydrates more in the winter vs. the summer?
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
I *think* it's because your body pushes more moisture to your skin to stave off frost bite, where that water then evaporates more quickly. It's a great theory if you're walking around in shorts and a t-shirt in winter. If you're fully clothed though, there is very little skin exposed to the cold air, likely just a small portion of your face in temps that matter, so I don't really buy into the theory much at all. I'm not saying that you shouldn't drink water, or that you should get drunk while riding in the winter, I'm just saying that some of the theories about winter hydration aren't really entirely applicable to winter mtbing. I've been on winter rides up here where my water source froze in some way and I went without taking a drink for upwards of 3 hrs of riding at temps around and below zero. I didn't get hypothermia or frostbite. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, in fact it was pretty stupid, but it happened and I was none the worse of because of it.
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
Why is that the body dehydrates more in the winter vs. the summer?

I'm not sold on the theory that the body sweats as much or more in winter than it does in the summer. Sweat is a product of the body cooling itself. In cold temps, there is less need for the body to cool itself. If you are heavily sweating in sub-freezing temps then you dressed improperly.

I've got a long tested pattern of consuming fluids throughout the year. I also think I'm good at dressing properly for the weather so that I keep cool in the heat and warm in the cold. I need to consume far less fluids in the cold weather. About half as much or less.

Sunday's ride started at 13F. I got lazy. I drank beforehand and brought no fluids on the ride. After the three hour ride, I was thirsty but it did not impact the ride. I'm not advocating riding without fluids but we do not need to be packed for the dessert.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The link from Pooriggy basically says that you dehydrate more in the winter because you don't drink enough. That's different than the suggestion that you actually lose more moisture in the winter as opposed to summer. The sweat rates quoted in the article show that you sweat more in the summer.

It's kinda like saying that it's colder in the winter due to the cold.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I heard from some place that the lower humidity in the summer (drier) make sweat evaporate more quickly hence, you body needs to sweat more to keep your body cool.

Who knows, I know I don't drink nearly as much now as when it is 90*.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I heard from some place that the lower humidity in the summer (drier) make sweat evaporate more quickly hence, you body needs to sweat more to keep your body cool.

Who knows, I know I don't drink nearly as much now as when it is 90*.

Humidity is higher in summer, and lower in winter. That's why people run the dehumidifier in summer and the humidifier in the winter.
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
my understanding is because of the low humidty in the winter, you breathe out much more moisture.

dry air sucks the moisture right out of your lungs. every time you inhale, you bring in very dry cold air, so your lungs react by producing more mucus to protect and balance out your lungs. that's why you snot so much in the winter and not in the summer when you exercise. your body is pulling water out of everywhere to protect your upper respitory tract from drying out and which would increase the risk of infection.
 

clarkenstein

JORBA Board Member/Chapter Leader
JORBA.ORG
but we do not need to be packed for the dessert.

i don't know about you, but dessert always makes me thirsty :D

pictures_desserts.jpg
 

smufguy

Member
Why is that the body dehydrates more in the winter vs. the summer?


Like norm mentioned, your body dehydrates the same manner (difference might be negligible) but our normal tendency is NOT to drink water to keep up in winter. I use gatorade (same principle as adding salt) on my rides and they don't freeze and I try to finish up at least one bottle in an 1 hour ride.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
Humidity is higher in summer, and lower in winter. That's why people run the dehumidifier in summer and the humidifier in the winter.

it would help if I proofed my posts. I ment it is drier in the winter...
 

LandCruiser

Active Member
All I know is that I drink 3x's more water in the Summer then I do in the winter. Oddly enough, I drink 2x's more beer in cold winter nights than the Summer??? :hmmm:
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
All I know is that I drink 3x's more water in the Summer then I do in the winter. Oddly enough, I drink 2x's more beer in cold winter nights than the Summer??? :hmmm:

Agreed! Racing is over allowing you to focus on the more important things in life.

Here is my question which I am to lazy research. How much more, if any does your body have to work to warm itself...or than to cool? There has to be a difference. I think this may get closer to the answer.:hmmm:
 
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