after leaving my black helmet under the sun for 10 mins it's pretty hot. this got me thinking, instead of black helmet and black jacket, if i wear all white will i feel cooler under the scorching sun?
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does a white jacket make the rider noticeably cooler than black under the sun?
- Thread starter SkyRider
- Start date
Yes.
Very much so. You can cook a pack of hotdogs in about 30 minutes just by putting the unopened pack on a black jacket laying in the sun. Black absorbs heat from the sun. White will reflect it and keep you a lot cooler.
That said, the tricky part about a white jacket is keeping it white.
That said, the tricky part about a white jacket is keeping it white.
MikeMyhal
Well-known member
Can someone verify this, or do I have a new experiment for Friday evening?
Also, on topic, it is cooler. Perforations are a bigger factor I feel, but all else equal, white seems cooler.
Well, it won't work on Friday evening. Friday noon maybe though if the skies are clear and the breeze down.
lol. Sorry Mike. i think you just got owned by TD on this one .......
Back on topic, I've noticed that it makes a huge difference (between my current and last yrs gear), and with venting included - a definite yes as Mike already pointed out. It is indeed hard to keep clean though.
Mebbe except at night in the fog and rain with cagers in a hurry to get home....learned my lesson as I realized my oh so cool black gear including helmet made me just about invisible.
Went out and bought a day glo construction vest for $12 and keep it with me- damn that drive home made me nervous being in black.
I think silver is a reasonable compromise. Silver mesh is very cool, looks good, doesn't mark.
If you're gonna wear black - at least get day glo rain gear.
••
BTW get a $60 JR liner for your grey mesh and you are good to much lower temps and it packs down small.
JR mexh with the liner and a rain jacket....have ridden down to 4.
I have a mostly white cycling jersey for this exact reason.
For a mesh jacket the colour wouldn't make much difference. The amount of ventilation greatly overshadows any difference in absorbtivity due to colour. Ideally I'd have two jackets, one leather in whatever the heck colour i wanted for most riding situations and another textile in a light colour with good ventilation for days that the leather would just be too hot.
The A* Sniper Airflow in the light gray camo would be my hot weather jacket of choice.
For a mesh jacket the colour wouldn't make much difference. The amount of ventilation greatly overshadows any difference in absorbtivity due to colour. Ideally I'd have two jackets, one leather in whatever the heck colour i wanted for most riding situations and another textile in a light colour with good ventilation for days that the leather would just be too hot.
The A* Sniper Airflow in the light gray camo would be my hot weather jacket of choice.
I had this exact jacket in grey and it was awesome in the summer.
Yes, I had a light grey mesh jacket last year (Rev'IT Air, LOVE IT) and it was much better than a black RST mesh I had before that. The black really starts baking when sitting in traffic.
This year I upgraded to a white Rev'IT Pheonix for the extra leather protection, worth every $$.
This year I upgraded to a white Rev'IT Pheonix for the extra leather protection, worth every $$.
It's basic physics, light colors reflect more light rays than dark (black).
Remember the old school experiment where you lay 2 squares (one black and one white) out on the snow in a winter day? The black one melts the snow under much faster it as it gets hot from the sun at a faster rate than white.
With that in mind however, it boggles me why gear manufacturers, worse shop owners manufacture/merchandise so many black summer mesh jackets... Tried to buy a Dainese at Riders Choice and GP Bikes and all the had was black mesh versions.... Bought a white/grey Rev'It Air and like it very much so far.
Remember the old school experiment where you lay 2 squares (one black and one white) out on the snow in a winter day? The black one melts the snow under much faster it as it gets hot from the sun at a faster rate than white.
With that in mind however, it boggles me why gear manufacturers, worse shop owners manufacture/merchandise so many black summer mesh jackets... Tried to buy a Dainese at Riders Choice and GP Bikes and all the had was black mesh versions.... Bought a white/grey Rev'It Air and like it very much so far.
I've got the Rev'It Air in grey also. I also have the Rev'It Sand jacket and pants. Much cooler than the black JR Alter Ego I've worn the past couple of years. The nice thing is that the colors all match. The light color does show the grime around the collar and lots of bug guts on the shoulders but I just through it in the tub with some Nickwax Tech Wash and scrub it with a soft brush. I can't say enough good things about Rev'It gear.
homme de fer
Well-known member
I honestly don't think the difference between white and black gear is that much when you are riding at speed. The airflow will regulate the temperature regardless the colour of the jacket.
I thought of going with a light grey Rev'It! suit but decided on the back simply because it is easier to keep clean. Indeed, the light grey parts of the suit are dirty while the black part looks the same as when I bought it.
I thought of going with a light grey Rev'It! suit but decided on the back simply because it is easier to keep clean. Indeed, the light grey parts of the suit are dirty while the black part looks the same as when I bought it.
Damn right it keeps you cooler. That's why I got my mesh jacket in white. The hell's the point of a mesh jacket if you're just going to get baked when you're stuck in traffic?
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