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Anyone wearing sun protective (UPF) clothing?

Old 07-25-19, 01:40 PM
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Bikewolf
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Anyone wearing sun protective (UPF) clothing?

Temperatures up to 41,5°C (and more) today. That means: water, sun crème ... and sun protective clothing (+ more water)?

Do you sometimes think of grabbing a sun protective clothing piece when hot?
E.g. UPF50+ arm sleeves

Other summer tips you wish to share?
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Old 07-25-19, 02:00 PM
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I wear sun arm and knee sleeves in almost all conditions, though it's never gotten that hot here. The noticeable tan lines I have show that they are very effective. I splash water on the arm sleeves before a hot ride for the evaporative cooling effect, and squirt more from the water bottle to re-wet them.
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Old 07-25-19, 02:12 PM
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You do know that heat has nothing to do with sunburns, right?

Sunburns are caused by the ultraviolet light in the sun rays, not the infrared light that warms the air.

I've gotten sunburned (badly, I might add) in 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) while skiing.

Now in extended periods above 125 F your skin can burn as though it was in an oven, but no about of sun screen is going to stop that. And that means 125 F skin temperature, but your body is working hard to keep your skin cooler than that with sweat that will keep it considerably under the 'thermal burn' level unless you're in a hot dry desert that can't keep your skin moist.
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Old 07-25-19, 02:12 PM
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I doubt for the cotton stuff I wear it's that big a deal but technical fabrics can be pretty transparent. Cosmetics companies have made some hay touting the SPF, why not clothes too?
@Skipjacks you are indeed more likely to get sunburned when it's hot for the same reason it's hot, the sunlight is more intense because of its higher (astronomical) altitude and the sun is up longer in summer. You get an extra shot of sunlight when you are skiing because of the higher (above sea level) altitude giving less attenuation of the light, and the sun reflected off the snow
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Old 07-25-19, 02:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
@Skipjacks you are indeed more likely to get sunburned when it's hot for the same reason it's hot, the sunlight is more intense because of its higher altitude and the sun is up longer in summer.
Well yeah....sunburn is more likely in summer for a variety of reasons

1) You are out in the sun longer
2) You aren't as covered up
3) The higher angle of the sun means it's got less atmosphere to penetrate and be dissipated by (which is 1 of 2 reasons it's hotter in the first place)

But heat doesn't cause sunburn. Period.

Heat and sunburn is correlation, not causation. (Work with me. I loved statistics in college but I never get to use that phrase in a sentence. I can't pass up the chance when it's there!)

You get an extra shot of sunlight when you are skiing because of the higher (above sea level) altitude giving less attenuation of the light, and the sun reflected off the snow
Not on the crappy foot hills I ski on. This may be true in the real mountains of Aspen, but in the pretend skiing I do barely above sea level in the Mid Atlantic it's more from the glare of sunlight off the snow that amplifies what would otherwise be limited UV exposure.

I call it the reverse summer tan. Instead of a tanned face with light spots where my sunglasses were like beach goers get, skiiers get a white face that was covered up by a face mask and tanned eyes where your skin was exposed. (I won't explain why my legs are white and my butt in tan, in reverse of summer.....)

Last edited by Skipjacks; 07-25-19 at 02:32 PM.
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Old 07-25-19, 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Cosmetics companies have made some hay touting the SPF, why not clothes too?
Voler makes jerseys from a fabric they call Spectrum, with a reported UPF 50+ rating. I have one of their jerseys, it's cool and comfortable.
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Old 07-25-19, 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
Heat and sunburn is correlation, not causation. (Work with me. I loved statistics in college but I never get to use that phrase in a sentence. I can't pass up the chance when it's there!)
Well. They both have the same proximate cause
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Old 07-25-19, 03:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Darth Lefty
Well. They both have the same proximate cause
I see your nerdiness is as strong as mine.
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Old 07-25-19, 03:37 PM
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i'm not in the sun a whole lot (thank you forested greenway MUP), except perhaps in winter when the trees lose their leaves, and i'm usually bundled up then anyway (and the sun is very low angle or non-existent at that time of year).

also, i'm riding at 8:00am and 5:00pm, the sunlight i do get filtered though the trees is a lot weaker at those times compared to anything closer to the noon hour.

so no, i don't really take any specific sun protection measures, other than my helmet/visor keeping the sun off my face.

Last edited by Steely Dan; 07-25-19 at 03:44 PM.
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Old 07-25-19, 04:35 PM
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I wear arm sun sleeves and really should wear the knee sleeves also. I also always wear a cap for protecting my bald head, forehead and whatever it will cover on my face. I also use SPF lotion. I finally have found a couple of them that really do not irritate my eyes, CVS sports lotion and Walgreens Baby SPF lotion. The CVS goes pretty thick and lasts for a quite a while, even when sweating heavily. It is really sticky, however, and when I am done riding my legs are very dirty from road grime, arms face and neck not as bad. The Walgreens I use mostly on my face and once it is set, it looks like a thin layer of baby powder on the skin. Melanoma is what killed my Dad and I have had several basel and squamous cells cut out. Almost every time I go to the dermatologist, every 6 months, I at least get things frozen. Like pretty much everyone my age, I have had a lot of really bad sunburns.
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Old 07-25-19, 05:20 PM
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My commute is only about 50 minutes each way. I don't need any special clothing and I don't use sunscreen.
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Old 07-26-19, 08:29 AM
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I don't take any precautions, and maybe I should. My exposed areas are getting quite dark.
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Old 07-28-19, 06:51 PM
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I use long sleeve merino wool shirts. For hot summers like we have here in Texas, I just change it to a lightweight one.
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Old 07-28-19, 06:53 PM
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always wear a cap or some kind of cover under the helmet... and then arm screens a lot.
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Old 07-29-19, 09:42 AM
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My commute is 35 minutes each way and being at opposite ends of the day there is enough recovery time that I don't ever burn or tan. I'm sure a dermatologist would tell me that I should cover up because that's what they do, but I just ride in shorts and tech-t and my helmet.
If I'm going to ride any longer I will apply sunscreen everywhere that is exposed including top of my head that is exposed by helmet vents. I've never burned in an area covered by my non-spf related technical T's or jerseys, no matter how long the ride. I'm not really sure if SPF clothing is really beneficial or if it's just a marketing thing?
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Old 07-29-19, 11:40 AM
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For rides under a couple hours I don't use any sunscreen. I rely on the brim of my helmet. I wear a bandana around my exposed neck and arm sleeves. Past a couple hours I wear sunscreen. I been on the fence about a Da-Brim visor for my helmet but I think it's a smart thing to do if you are ok with the look.
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Old 07-30-19, 05:45 AM
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I wear fishing shirts

by Simms and Columbia. Long sleeve, light weight. For loaded touring they get a bit stuffy in humid weather over 80 degrees, but for commuting they can go much warmer.
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Old 07-31-19, 10:58 AM
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I wear the long sleeve shirt and bandanas from here: https://www.vaporapparel.com/mens/solar-long-sleeve/

They are very good in direct sun, and actually feel cooler than wearing shorter sleeves, as the material is slightly reflective, as well as being SPF 50+ equivalent. I wish they made leggins, but I need to order some white Pearl Izumi or similar for that. I ride a recumbent, so my legs get full sun when I'm riding.

When I ride the velomobile, I've only ridden with the Flevoroof on it so far, so I only need arm and face protection. Long sleeves and sunscreen for that.
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Old 08-03-19, 01:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
I see your nerdiness is as strong as mine.
Both you guys are up to something, but what really is going on is "Cosine Effect" of incident sunlight irradiance intensity,

See section 2.2 here: https://www.itacanet.org/the-sun-as-...arths-surface/

..... :-)

Last edited by Eds0123; 08-03-19 at 01:09 AM. Reason: extra wordings
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Old 08-08-19, 07:38 PM
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Not for commuting. I commute at 7am and 4pm so the sun isn't high enough in the sky to warrant any protection.
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