Fire Smoke and Tire Smoke: Should We Ride?

[Mason-Dixon]

Walnut Creek is in a haze, and this Tennessean transplant has no idea what's going on. I've been told that California has a fire or two, and this is my first one.

I ride about every day, but something tells me If i don't wanna breathe that, my bike doesn't want to either.

Then again my inner voice is telling me they make air filters for a reason, and to throw a leg over it and go!

So what do ya'll cali folks do when its smokey?
to ride, or not to ride?

 

[davidji]

Didn't notice the smoke today.

On a week long road trip during peak fire season, at one point I had helmet vents closed to keep ash out of my eyes. I changed air filter when I returned, but it looked ok.

I don't worry about my bike when it's smoky out.

Don't ride if it bothers you and you don't need to ride to work.

 

[NoTraffic]

Fires from Butte County today. Winds are bringing it southernly to the bay. Small haze like this has little to no affect to your bike. If you are out walking, you might has well be on your motorcycle. Not great but I'm sure there's 20k other incidents in one's life that this is negligible.

 

[CocoLoco]

After a ride home from work last year during the big fires my lungs felt like I had smoked a couple packs of cigarettes. I'm not worried about the bike in those or any conditions really.

 

[mean dad]

There is fire debris piling up in our parking lot in north Concord. Crazy that the fires are about 150 miles away and we're getting burned particulate.


I rode here, and I'll ride home. All of 4 miles.

 

[SlideSF]

I was on a 25+ mile bicycle ride, and I had to think twice before I decided to take the Bart home.
But you're talking about a motorcycle. You're probably not breathing that hard.
Bad for you? HELL yes!
But so is smoking, and people do it for years before it kills them.
Many enjoyable things in life are toxic in the long run.
Do what you want to do, under informed opinion.
obviously, if you suffer from asthma or emphysema, stay indoors. But otherwise, if you have normal breathing capacity and you are not exerting yourself, take sensible precautions and ride your ride.

 

[seadog]

Looks like smoke today is from the Nurse fire in Suisun. 2,500+ acres.

Don't know how long you've been here but if you don't ride when there is smoke you won't be riding much during fire season. BTW fire season is from January through December.

Also, fire season overlaps earthquake season. You can ride during earthquake season too.

I have worn a mask working outside up in the foothills clearing brush with a bit of smoke in the air. In the office / shop not so much.

 

[/dev/null]

I road through Highway 4 to the BARF rally during the Rimfire. Visibility was less than 100 ft due to smoke. It was epic no traffic and no cops. Just need to clean the air filter afterwards and you can get face mask/air filter at home depot that works pretty well.

 

[Blankpage]

There were fires in my area this past summer. I avoided riding as much as I could. Didn't want to get my helmets and gear filthy and stinking from smoke. Not to mention breathing in that shit.

 

[Jbella]

There’s an earthquake season? What months are that?

 

[norcalkid]

It's totally fucked up here. Lines of cars evacuating. Big lines at the gas stations. Shelters set up. Lota friends having to leave their homes.

 

[jwb]

I had to bomb up I-5 in August when there were a lot of fires. My eyes watered the whole time and when I got there I couldn't speak. Not recommended.

 

[Slow Goat]

Looks like smoke today is from the Nurse fire in Suisun. 2,500+ acres.

You’d think so but it’s actually from the “Camp” fire in Paradise some 170 miles north of us. It was the southerly wind at 60mph (at 1,000ft) that brought it here. Damned thing started before dawn and by noon it was over 8,000 acres.

Forecast calls for the wind to move it southwesterly tomorrow so it shouldn’t be as bad as it was today. Was up in Vacaville around 1 and it was much worse there. Easily as bad as last October’s smoke.

Hope the winds die, there’s a lot of forest up there and I’m sure it’s nigh impossible to create firebreaks to halt it. Feel bad for everyone up there.

 

[ejv]

I lived up there on the ridge from 8 until about 20 years old. Parents had a 3+ acre property with a ton of timber on it. Luckily they logged it and cleared a huge area around the house. Sold it about a year ago (sure the new owners are glad it was so well cleared) and were living in a rental my uncle owns while deciding if they should leave altogether or downsize up there. Eventually bought a house in Roseville and were splitting time between Roseville and Paradise until about 3 weeks ago when they decided my dad would just commute from Roseville during the week to his job at Butte College (was also evacuated this morning).

There were a few reasons they wanted to leave but one of the biggest reasons was always the fire potential. There are few roads in and out and depending on the approach of a fire, some of them will always get shutdown.

Some of my remaining relatives were able to evacuate and some were cutoff and had to try to go further up the ridge. Haven't had a status update in several hours.

 

[OaklandF4i]

It's totally fucked up here. Lines of cars evacuating. Big lines at the gas stations. Shelters set up. Lota friends having to leave their homes.

Stay safe!

Smoke from the Camp Fire was so bad all the way over in Lake County today that my outdoor lights were activated all day. It was that dark and smokey. I stayed inside.

 

[Entoptic]

Walnut Creek is in a haze, and this Tennessean transplant has no idea what's going on. I've been told that California has a fire or two, and this is my first one.

I ride about every day, but something tells me If i don't wanna breathe that, my bike doesn't want to either.

Then again my inner voice is telling me they make air filters for a reason, and to throw a leg over it and go!

So what do ya'll cali folks do when its smokey?
to ride, or not to ride?

It’s smokey but I ride regardless.

 

[FreeRyde]

Tried to go running yesterday morning (it wasn't even that bad smoke wise yet), made it 1/2 my usual route and was having trouble breathing.

Try to limit heavy breathing outdoors, but still ride yer bikes.

 

[dravnx]

Doing a group ride Berryessa run and lunch at Busters on Sunday. Hope it clears.

 

[cal scott]

Smell of smoke was very noticeable and the haze really diminished the effect of the sun when I left the house this morning at 7am. Air quality has continued to get worse over the course of the morning. I certainly wouldn't go out an purposefully exercise but I didn't think twice about riding. That's how I get to work.

 

[tfkrocks]

I'll keep riding and wear a mask when it's noticeably smokey out. A good dust/vapor mask makes a world of difference.