Tips for biking in the heat

Read these stories and comment threads for loads of helpful tips on how to stay cool.

Here are a few basics:

  • Ride slowly.
  • If you see water, ride through it.
  • Get bags off your back.
  • Shade matters.
  • Timing is everything.
  • Freeze your drinks.
  • Soak your shirt or a bandanna.

Riding the Portland heat wave (video)

Holy heck Portland! Record heat. It is stifling out there.

I don’t have much time because I’m leaving for vacation tonight and I’ve got family in town, but wanted to share a little video I did yesterday biking in the hottest part of the day. I went out in my neighborhood to try and find people riding bikes and ask what they were doing, and how it felt to ride in the record-setting heat.

And of course today (Sunday) is even hotter. And Monday will be hotter still. I have deep and dark feelings about what this heat means for us in a broader context, but for now let me just share this video and ask if you can tell us how you’ve coped with it.

I know many of you were on the Loud n’ Lit ride last night. Thousands of people rolled out for that annual party. It looked amazing!

Are you riding in the heat? What has it been like for you?

While I’m here, let me say that I’m headed to Florida for some time with my family for the next 10 days. I’ll be checking in from time-to-time and we have some stories planned. Contributor Lisa Caballero will be moderating comments while I’m gone. If you have an opinion or a story to share, please send it to us and I’ll try to get it posted.

Please be careful out there. This heat is no joke.

Get ready to roll through the heat with these tips

(Photo: J. Maus/BikePortland)

As if we didn’t have enough on our plates, now a heat wave is coming.

Given that we’re in the midst of a surge in biking and many of you might not have been through a hot summer season before, it’s worth thinking ahead about how to stay comfortable when cycling gets sweaty.

Biking in the heat is no joke — especially if you’re wearing a mask or some other type of face covering that could make you even hotter. Before I share a few of our best hot biking tips, I want to share a story I heard from a reader this week.

Doug H. was biking toward the Springwater path in Sellwood Riverfront Park on Tuesday when he saw a man fall over while biking. According to Doug, the 68-year-old man suffered from a heat stroke and then later died of cardiac arrest. It was 90-degrees at the time of the incident.

I share this story to underscore how heat can impact your ride. So before heading out in the next few days, check out our tips below:

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Get hip to the heat this weekend

(Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)


Anyone living in Portland has surely heard the doomsday predictions for tomorrow. It’s going to be well into the 90s! That’s like heat-ageddon around these parts. In all seriousness, it will be hot (so hot TriMet says their trains will slow down). But don’t let these scare tactics keep you from riding! Sunny and dry weekends are like gold around here, so while I encourage everyone to ride, it’s probably smart to at least keep the heat in mind when planning your time in the saddle.

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