5kdad

One of my grand fathers was a farmer and an avid outdoorsman. I don't ever recall seeing him in short sleeves while on the farm or fishing. He always said, a long sleeve shirt was cooler, kept the sun off your arms.
I was watching a video on hiking. The hiker, who was in a very warm climate, wore long sleeves. I decided to looked up some summer clothing for outdoorsmen, and noticed this, "Sahara Tech Long-Sleeve Shirt provides comfort, ventilation and adjustable coverage for hiking in warm climates."
Does anyone find it cooler to wear long sleeved specialty shirts when cycling in a hot climate? I've never tried it.

DropBarFan

DC area now has very hot & sunny conditions in summer, used to be generally overcast. I've switched to long-sleeve shirts/jerseys for summer riding & find it more comfortable.

Aushiker

I am in Western Australia so we are known for being a touch warm (39 C/102 F expected Saturday for example) so for sun protection as much as anything else I tend to ride/tour in long sleeve shirts. I tend to get long sleeve shirts that I also use for running, e.g., from Under Armour, Nike and sometimes from Icebreaker.

They do not get too hot, keep the sun off and dry quickly.

Machka 

Also in Australia ...

I have sunsleeves which I've worn in temps up to 30C. Unfortunately they don't breathe particularly well, so 30C is about the hottest I could stand. However, under 30C, they're great ... I don't burn through them and don't have to use sunscreen while I've got them on.

When it gets hotter than that, I switch to sunscreen.

A good part of feeling cool while riding is not getting burned.


I also know that a lot of people who work outdoors prefer loose, long-sleeved cotton shirts.

dabac

In terms of comfort, getting the sun off your skin can sometimes be a worthwhile tradeoff for wearing more clothes.
What it actually does for your core temperature, I can't tell.
Having a go at analysis, it might be that sweating on bare skin tend to cause beads. Sweating into a wicking fabric will spread that droplet over a bigger surface. A bigger surface means more efficent evaporation, keeping you cooler.

bradtx

5kdad, A light colored loose fitting long sleeve shirt can be quite comfortable even when temperatures hover around the 100 F mark. A tighter fitting long sleeve T-shirt made with a moisture wicking material is also good.

Brad

kingston 

I often wear a rash guard under my jersey as a base layer when it gets really hot, more for the sun protection than the cooling. I don't notice that I am warmer or cooler when it's really hot, but I do notice that I am comfortable over a bit wider temperature range with a rash guard + jersey than with a jersey alone.

alan s 

I use PI white sunsleeves when out riding all day. They are more for UV protection than anything else. Very thin and tight fitting, and not hot at all.

gauvins

I wear long sleeve, "non specialty" Merino Ts (and gloves). Beats sunscreen.

tmac100

I wear long sleeved shirts. Found out the hard way in desert countries that long robes the locals wore kept them cooler than me and while I became dehydrated in a tank top and shorts, they were hydrated. Now I follow their example as much as I can - I cover up as much as possible.

Lesson learned! Also the long term increased risk of skin cancer is lowered with a head scarf/wide brim lipped over my helmet and long sleeves and floppy pants...

Shimagnolo

Performance Sun Pro II Long Sleeve Jersey

I bought a similar jersey to try out some years back.
It was great!
So I bought another one so I have a clean one in case one is in the laundry.
I no longer use short-sleeve jerseys.

Mongoeric

I only ride in long sleeves, summer and winter.

To me, there is no discernable difference in comfort. My arms were getting sun damaged and sun screen was problematic.

I'll never go back to long sleeves.

Jim from Boston

I bought mine in the fall, and intend to wear them this summer. I'm not aware of any similar light weight leggings though.

pdlamb

Like @Machka (only in Fahrenheit!), I find I'm cooler above 80F with sunscreen and short sleeves than with long sleeves or sun sleeves.

Shimagnolo

https://www.desotosport.com/products/sds-leg-coolers

You can find them most often at online stores who carry triathlon products.
They look darned near sheer, but are remarkably effective at blocking the sun.

gerryl

If I'm riding somewhere hot and dry - long sleeve loose fitting cotton tops for me.

mdilthey

Yep. Desert shirts. Lots of ventilation, nice and loose-fitting.

If you're gonna wear something skintight, black is cooler than white in sunny conditions, contrary to what it seems.

fietsbob

Your old western cow boy liked white longsleeve shirts. for that reason..

BlarneyHammer

If it's dry and the scorching kind of heat, long sleeves can be feasible.
If it's humid and the sweltering kind of heat, wear less and air yourself out.

Sharpshin

I'm all about staying out of the sun, there's a reason vaqueros and cowboys both wore big hats and covered everything, the sun is NOT your friend.

Single layer of loose fitting nylon. Won't stay wet and you can feel breezes right through it. UPF50 wet or dry, doesn't abrade and takes forever to wear out.

Texas - NY....



and in Scotland in July....



The shirts are plain ol' oversized (2X for me) $25 Magellan fishing shirts.

The pants are REI "Adventure" pants, about $50.

This is also my daily commuting (and gym workout on the way) attire.

I've been on the bike in full sun in Texas all day long in that outfit and not even begun to get sunburned.

Mike

nun

I always wear long sleeves to avoid sun burn. I also wear a cap and a bandana around my neck that I keep wet.
Groundeffect Rock Lobster is excellent. It has a collar for extra neck protection and some good pockets.

https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/colle...nt=28749387267

Doug64

Almost anytime you see a picture of my wife on tour she will be wearing a long sleeve shirt.

andrewclaus

Long sleeves and trousers are good for bug protection too. Less liquid to carry, no sunscreen or bug repellent.

axolotl

No, DC did not used to be "generally overcast" in the summer.

acantor

I have toured in both long sleeved and short sleeved jerseys, and the long sleeved rules! I am cooler, more comfortable, and have more energy.

I also drape a bandana over the back of my neck to ward off the sun. Every couple of hours, I slather my face and exposed legs with sun block.

Before I was careful about sun protection, two or three days of riding in hot sunny weather wiped me out.