With racing starting back up and it being hotter than ever here in the south east I’m considering the idea of getting a cooling vest for warm ups and potentially even during a race if its hot enough. I’ve used ice in some pantyhose down the back of the jersey before and it definitely helps, but I was thinking something to spread the cooling around may work better.
I’m looking at some of the TECHNICHE vests, but thought I’d see if anyone had any experience/opinions before I decide to pull the trigger.
Definitely following this thread, but more for indoor training.
Taken some of my training back indoors already and it’s a little warm, so have been looking at different cooling vests to wear for the first 20 mins to keep my body from getting too warm too early. Used ice packs etc. before but would like to know if there is something better.
The new subzero stuff from Nopinz looks good for indoor use, but I would rather not have to buy new bibs etc.
I have also been looking into purchasing a cooling / ice vest. Does anyone have recommended products they’ve used in the past? I’m looking to use it for warming up before hot races. The velotoze vest looks the most promising at the moment.
Funny this thread was revived as I was going to make a post about this subject.
I have a genetic condition that results in not having any sweat glands. So cycling in the heat obviously becomes a little difficult at times. I have tried just about everything you can think of to try to keep cool in the summer months. The Velotoze vest has been the absolute best thing I have used ever. It really helps keep my core body temp down. The mesh under a tight fitting jersey also helps me retain enough moisture from dowsing myself to get some evaporative cooling going too.
The vest is form fitting enough to not be a bother at all while road/gravel riding. Have not tried it mountain biking yet but hope to next summer (had a crash/injury that is keeping off the MTB this summer).
The Velotoze vest is the best heat management product I have used and highly recommend it. The only downside is the ice packs thaw quickly, however, they do provide reduced effect for up to about two hours in my use so far…
It looks like the pros have something new this year that I haven’t seen before. I saw G Thomas wearing an ineos branded vest that had to be an ice vest. I’m curious to know what that was.
After a bit of research, looks like the Artic Heat brand is the one popular with the MTB pros, anyone have any experience with that vest? Double the price of the Velotoze vest but looks much more technologically advanced?
A bit of a bump…but where are you? 2 hours would be amazing for me down here in the desert SW USA. A buddy has been wearing something called Glacier Tek but, it’s about $200 on Amazon and a bit bulky.
I am in MN, so not the heat that you experience. So far I have used it in temps ranging from 75 - 85 degrees. At the end of two hours, the ice packs are completely melted and not really cold, but there is definitely a residual cooling effect from them. The best also helps retain moisture under a Jersey that helps create an evaporative cooling effect too. When it’s hot, I have to dump water on my chest and back to be able to continue to ride and the best helps lengthen the effectiveness of the cooling from it. The best also lengthens the amount of time I can ride before having to start dumping water…
I just bought the Arctic heat ice vest, tired of being hot in parking lots the hour before a race. Will post here later on in August after I have used it a few times.
Yes, I use an Inuteq vest as seen on the Jumbo Visma riders in the TDF (Bodycool Xtreme). It mainly uses evaporation and basically puts your sweating on steroids. Not very costly and comfortable. I’d recommend it for hot days and idoor training.
First ride with Bodycool Xtreme in an 85 degree garage. Worked well for about 1 hour then ran out of water. I doused myself with my water bottle and kept going. Seemed to keep me cool as my head wasn’t sweating much and should have been in that garage.
I felt the same way with my velotoze. The RPE definitely felt lower, but it wasn’t an extreme cooling sensation. I’m planning to order another set of ice packs and maybe stick one in the front area somewhere. The packs lasted a little over an hour for me.
Any studies on the performance benefits of these vests? I don’t really want to add >2kg of weight to my upper body when XC MTBing if there isn’t a measurable performance benefit