I'm always cold...

[casual_cyclist]

I went out yesterday on a sunny yet brisk 12-14deg day. LS base layer, SS jersey over the top, bib knicks with 2XU leggings over the top, and still felt cold. Yet I saw numerous riders in SS jerseys and shorts only and thought WOW, how do they cope?

Maybe they are taking cold showers?
http://gettingstronger.org/2010/03/cold-showers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tcdev]

I'm the opposite. Whilst I do feel the cold if I'm sitting around doing nothing, I overheat easily. Feet out the end of the bed type of person, even in winter. Sometimes I start getting hot for no apparent reason, especially after eating.

This is me, and it drives me insane. I start sweating walking more than 20m in summer. I'll sweat for an hour after my morning shower. I used to wear a T-shirt under my ski jacket, and have to remove my jacket in the village when we stopped for lunch. I walked to the top of Kosciusko (November) in a T-shirt. And like you, a big meal can have me peeling off layers for an hour after I've finished eating. I hate summer, because I'm always drenched. Humidity is my worst enemy.

Right now I'm 15-20kg overweight, which is the main reason I just bought a bike. But it's no different when I'm at my "fighting weight" either. I was supremely fit in my 20's to early 30's, doing high intensity martial arts regularly, and would walk off the mat literally dripping sweat, my gi absolutely and utterly soaked. I lost litres of fluids in those classes. In later years soccer and soccer training would result in the same. I could never accept a lift home, and I always had to take a complete change of clothes if we went drinking after the game. I hate it. It sucks.

Now I'm faced with a dilemma. I have limited time to ride, and was contemplating riding to work a few times/week. But we have no showers here. My ex-colleague used to ride from roughly the same area as I live and simply had to throw on a fresh shirt when he got into the office. I'd be sitting in a puddle of my own sweat, smelling like 6-week old swamp water if I did the same.

[Leiothrix]

Now I'm faced with a dilemma. I have limited time to ride, and was contemplating riding to work a few times/week. But we have no showers here.

Easy fix. Instead of riding to work, how about you just ride home? Then you can have a shower afterwards.

Hmm, no problems with that plan

[sogood]

Now I'm faced with a dilemma. I have limited time to ride, and was contemplating riding to work a few times/week. But we have no showers here. My ex-colleague used to ride from roughly the same area as I live and simply had to throw on a fresh shirt when he got into the office. I'd be sitting in a puddle of my own sweat, smelling like 6-week old swamp water if I did the same.

How about riding slowly, at an easy pace and not induce sweat/excessive sweat? All around the world, people ride the bike for their work and social commutes, no showers needed. At worst, give yourself a wipe down, wash your face and comb your hair. There's no need to ride like a TdF rider fighting for line honours.

[tcdev]

How about riding slowly, at an easy pace and not induce sweat/excessive sweat? All around the world, people ride the bike for their work and social commutes, no showers needed. At worst, give yourself a wipe down, wash your face and comb your hair. There's no need to ride like a TdF rider fighting for line honours.

In winter (as it is now), that's actually a possibility, and I've considered giving that a go sometime in the next week or two. My last few rides haven't resulted in too much of a sweat, even after 90 mins.

But in summer, it's simply not possible. I can sweat doing nothing at all on a hot, humid day. I literally sweat walking at a slow, easy pace - even ambling. My wife gets frustrated when we have to walk anywhere because I need to keep it slow to avoid drenching myself. And it's not that I don't like walking - we used to go bushwalking all the time, and I've done day-long hikes in Italy and the US, for example. At least the Californian deserts were dry - I sweat less in the 40 degree heat of Joshua Tree and Death Valley than I do in 25 degrees in Sydney.

[DaveQB]

Well it seems we are all pretty different in terms of how we handle heat and cold. No problem for me when I'm out on the bike, cos I'll wear what little I need and warm up quickly. What's hard is dealing with those people that do feel the cold - I argue with my wife daily about running the heater full ball when I'm in a tshirt and my 2 year old is just in a nappy (seems he's like me) while my wife is wearing sweaters and gloves. Living in Japan over several winters was like a nightmare for me - shopping malls, bars and restaurants have the heat turned up so high I felt like passing out while most of the locals are shivering lol

Yeah I am the same. This is my first winter riding and we start our rides when it is between 0-5 degrees. I wear cycling shorts, a jersey with a thin wind resistant jacket that comes off into the ride (and back on for descents).

OP, it could be diet related. Have a search for that relating to feeling cold.
Also, what is you average heart rate? Working hard makes a big difference, if you are averaging 160 bpm and still feeling cold, that's concerning, but if you are averaging 110 bpm then it makes sense.

I haven't read the full thread, so sorry if I have repeated something already stated.