4 ms·

I guess you've never experienced a 40-45c day. You sound like one of the regular tourist types we get who dismiss how seriously we take summer conditions and th

I guess you've never experienced a 40-45c day. You sound like one of the regular tourist types we get who dismiss how seriously we take summer conditions and then end up with heatstroke and skin peeling off from sunburn. The 'self-created airflow' INCREASES the rate at which you gain temperature. Windchill is only 'chill' when the ambient air temperature is lower than your core temp. To cycle on a summer day, you need to slather yourself in SPF-40 sunscreen including underneath clothing, wear SPF clothing, and make sure to be constantly drinking water. And when you get to your destination you're definitely going to need a shower. I'll take public transport over that, thanks. So does the majority of people.

Fricken 7y ago
Evaporation can cool things to below ambient air temperature. It's why we sweat.
- missosoup 7y ago
  The point is at air temps >39c, increasing airflow around you increases apparent temperature. The more wind you experience (or the faster you ride your bike) in those conditions, the more work your body needs to do for maintaining homeostasis via sweating. You will certainly not perceive a >39c wind as a 'cooling' wind in any conditions, and the faster that wind is the hotter it will feel.
  - adrianN 7y ago
    This depends strongly on humidity.
    - missosoup 7y ago
      No it doesn't. The efficiency of sweating depends on rel. humidity. Not what's being discussed here. The fact that increasing airflow will increase the rate at which you heat up (and how much heat your body must shed) if that airflow is hotter than your core body temperature is just physics 101. Why do you think fan-forced ovens have lower cooking times or temperatures in recipes?
      - phonypc 7y ago
        The minimum temperature to which you can evaporatively cool something also depends on humidity. If evaporation is still doing anything (i.e. wet-bulb temperature does not exceed body temperature, in this context), increased airflow will absolutely still have a cooling effect.
dvdkhlng 7y ago
To counter that: windchill also works at air temperature above body temperature due to evaporative cooling [0], as long as relative humidity does not reach extreme levels. Proper sports clothing (allowing good moisture transport) and sufficient drinking help with that. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler#Physical_principles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler#Physical_pr...
quickthrower2 7y ago
Been in Sydney for a bit. When it’s 40+ the most I can do outside is 5 minutes walking in the shade. It’s not fun. I wouldn’t cycle unless it was electric assisted.
jakecopp 7y ago
Aussie Sydneysider cyclist here that commutes every day and in summer on a $70 bike - as long as I have a shower/beach at the end of my commute and a water bottle I'm pretty fine!
flukus 7y ago
> I guess you've never experienced a 40-45c day. You sound like one of the regular tourist types we get who dismiss how seriously we take summer conditions Funnily enough I was thinking that about you, because on 40+ days we've got people out riding, overcrowding beaches, walking and some even sunbaking, many will be doing that without shirts on in the open sun and they're not going up in flames. Some poor buggers even have to work outside doing physical labor on such glorious beach days. Personally on days like that I like to go for a quick swim and spend the afternoon with a beer on a bowling green if I can. We've been doing this for generations, my great grandma was doing it before cars, sunscreen and aircon were invented and kids had to walk to school, indigenous people were doing it much longer. We aren't scared of the sun as our skin cancer rates will testify. Of course these days there's people that take the doona off in the morning and enjoy their air conditioned house, run to their air conditioned car to work in their air conditioned office for 8 hours then do it all in reverse and never see the sun. Of course they don't climatise because they're living in a different climate.

Fricken 7y ago

Evaporation can cool things to below ambient air temperature. It's why we sweat.

missosoup 7y ago
The point is at air temps >39c, increasing airflow around you increases apparent temperature. The more wind you experience (or the faster you ride your bike) in those conditions, the more work your body needs to do for maintaining homeostasis via sweating. You will certainly not perceive a >39c wind as a 'cooling' wind in any conditions, and the faster that wind is the hotter it will feel.
- adrianN 7y ago
  This depends strongly on humidity.
  - missosoup 7y ago
    No it doesn't. The efficiency of sweating depends on rel. humidity. Not what's being discussed here. The fact that increasing airflow will increase the rate at which you heat up (and how much heat your body must shed) if that airflow is hotter than your core body temperature is just physics 101. Why do you think fan-forced ovens have lower cooking times or temperatures in recipes?
    - phonypc 7y ago
      The minimum temperature to which you can evaporatively cool something also depends on humidity. If evaporation is still doing anything (i.e. wet-bulb temperature does not exceed body temperature, in this context), increased airflow will absolutely still have a cooling effect.

dvdkhlng 7y ago

To counter that: windchill also works at air temperature above body temperature due to evaporative cooling [0], as long as relative humidity does not reach extreme levels. Proper sports clothing (allowing good moisture transport) and sufficient drinking help with that. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler#Physical_principles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler#Physical_pr...

quickthrower2 7y ago

Been in Sydney for a bit. When it’s 40+ the most I can do outside is 5 minutes walking in the shade. It’s not fun. I wouldn’t cycle unless it was electric assisted.

jakecopp 7y ago

Aussie Sydneysider cyclist here that commutes every day and in summer on a $70 bike - as long as I have a shower/beach at the end of my commute and a water bottle I'm pretty fine!

flukus 7y ago

> I guess you've never experienced a 40-45c day. You sound like one of the regular tourist types we get who dismiss how seriously we take summer conditions Funnily enough I was thinking that about you, because on 40+ days we've got people out riding, overcrowding beaches, walking and some even sunbaking, many will be doing that without shirts on in the open sun and they're not going up in flames. Some poor buggers even have to work outside doing physical labor on such glorious beach days. Personally on days like that I like to go for a quick swim and spend the afternoon with a beer on a bowling green if I can. We've been doing this for generations, my great grandma was doing it before cars, sunscreen and aircon were invented and kids had to walk to school, indigenous people were doing it much longer. We aren't scared of the sun as our skin cancer rates will testify. Of course these days there's people that take the doona off in the morning and enjoy their air conditioned house, run to their air conditioned car to work in their air conditioned office for 8 hours then do it all in reverse and never see the sun. Of course they don't climatise because they're living in a different climate.