Do you ride with your mouth open?
05-09-23, 08:40 AM
#1
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Do you ride with your mouth open?
I was riding and a bug hit my chin.
It was then I realized I bike with my mouth open.
Is this normal or a symptom of a neurological illness I should be concerned about?
It was then I realized I bike with my mouth open.
Is this normal or a symptom of a neurological illness I should be concerned about?
05-09-23, 08:48 AM
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I'm sure that there is some variation in how much air people can take in by nose, but in my case when I had a broken jaw wired shut, I was definitely limited in my ability to ride because I couldn't get enough air. I always ride with my mouth open. It's a matter of necessity for me.
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05-09-23, 08:53 AM
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05-09-23, 09:04 AM
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05-09-23, 09:09 AM
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I think so. Link not working?
05-09-23, 09:12 AM
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05-09-23, 09:12 AM
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I hear it’s more aero to ride with your mouth closed.
05-09-23, 09:28 AM
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It can be hard for some of us to get enough air into our lungs and the CO2 out of them if we try to use only our nose. So you do what you need to do. If you are riding at a hard level, then getting rid of CO2 is very important. So don't worry about the occasional bug that you get in your mouth. Just try not to breathe it into your lungs.
For most bugs that you aren't certain about, it probably is better you bite them and kill them before they bite you. Then you can spit or swallow, your choice!
FYI, the large dragon flies around here don't taste so great. And they hurt if they smack you in the face while going twenty plus MPH.
For most bugs that you aren't certain about, it probably is better you bite them and kill them before they bite you. Then you can spit or swallow, your choice!
FYI, the large dragon flies around here don't taste so great. And they hurt if they smack you in the face while going twenty plus MPH.
05-09-23, 10:58 AM
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The Real Science in Sport podcast had a breathing specialist guest on one episode who made some interesting points on how to breathe during exercise. There are physiological benefits to having air go through the nasal passageways that you don't get gulping and expelling out through the mouth. Basically if you can, breathe in and out through your nose, then as intensity ramps up exhale through your mouth, and only inhale if it gets too difficult.
I swallowed a fly last year riding with my mouth open, so I started focusing more on breathing through my nose and keeping my mouth shut. It didn't take too long to get used to, now it feels weird to leave my mouth open.
I swallowed a fly last year riding with my mouth open, so I started focusing more on breathing through my nose and keeping my mouth shut. It didn't take too long to get used to, now it feels weird to leave my mouth open.
05-09-23, 11:47 AM
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only when I'm mouth breathing. And according to a few people, I do that all the time.
05-09-23, 12:01 PM
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Yes. My nose starts running as soon as I start turning the pedals at any temp below 75. You don't want to draft me.
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05-09-23, 01:21 PM
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the harder i ride my mouth is going to be open. just two weeks ago i nearly swallowed something that i think stung be way in the back of the throat. not fun. and this on a day i deliberately did not take water, it was a challenge to get out, about the size of a pea. i assume the guy walking on the other side of the rode got a kick out of my choking and hacking.
05-09-23, 01:29 PM
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the harder i ride my mouth is going to be open. just two weeks ago i nearly swallowed something that i think stung be way in the back of the throat. not fun. and this on a day i deliberately did not take water, it was a challenge to get out, about the size of a pea. i assume the guy walking on the other side of the rode got a kick out of my choking and hacking.
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05-09-23, 02:20 PM
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You have to be riding quite easily if you can manage to breathe only through your nose.
Coasting downhill is one situation that lets you keep your mouth closed. Thankfully. Bug strikes can still hurt at downhill speeds, especially on the mouth.
Coasting downhill is one situation that lets you keep your mouth closed. Thankfully. Bug strikes can still hurt at downhill speeds, especially on the mouth.
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05-09-23, 02:27 PM
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Riding with my mouth open is how I fuel my body to ride. Gnats are like air plankton.
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05-09-23, 02:37 PM
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As others have stated, if you really riding hard then you aren't likely to be able to breathe ONLY through your nose. I have allergies and sinus problems, so that makes it harder, too.
What I do when I start riding too hard to 'nose breathe', is inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. This reduces the likelihood that a bug/insect will be swallowed. Of course, when really pushing it, I have to mouth breathe. But for me, it's a good compromise that works most of the time. I don't race or ride in the '18-mph or dropped' groups.
What I do when I start riding too hard to 'nose breathe', is inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. This reduces the likelihood that a bug/insect will be swallowed. Of course, when really pushing it, I have to mouth breathe. But for me, it's a good compromise that works most of the time. I don't race or ride in the '18-mph or dropped' groups.
05-09-23, 02:42 PM
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The MUP I ride on has a couple of swampy places where there are literal clouds of gnats. Being swampy, the path is very flat there, so I'm usually doing 20 mph or better through the clouds. I have definitely learned to keep my mouth shut there, but the sensation of thousands of the things hitting your face at once is pretty damn gross.
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05-09-23, 02:44 PM
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05-09-23, 02:44 PM
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The MUP I ride on has a couple of swampy places where there are literal clouds of gnats. Being swampy, the path is very flat there, so I'm usually doing 20 mph or better through the clouds. I have definitely learned to keep my mouth shut there, but the sensation of thousands of the things hitting your face at once is pretty damn gross.
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05-09-23, 02:45 PM
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05-09-23, 02:47 PM
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My nose runs to some extent when I ride, regardless of temp. Out of sheer volume of practice, I have become a deadly-accurate snot-rocketeer.
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05-09-23, 02:48 PM
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05-09-23, 02:48 PM
#23
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Can confirm. Last year I had a Bee Strike just as I hit Vmax going down Whiskey Hill toward Sand Hill.
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05-09-23, 02:48 PM
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Bugs are cheaper than Clif bars. Mouth open here.
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05-09-23, 02:50 PM
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Mine tend to be too watery for rocketry. More like a spray, accompanied by trumpeting.
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