A low-sweat bike?

Recently I had a few too many beers and was talking to a friend of mine who is doing many kinds of sports like kickboxing and soccer etc. etc., but REFUSES to ride a bicycle to move around town because he complains that whenever he is riding, he breaks into a sweat because he just can't ride in a relaxed way.

I was then claiming that he's probably spinning too fast and needs a really, really high mash-to-crash gear so his knees+legs give up before his lungs do, and then he would have a bike where he would not sweat (as much) anymore.

Before he's starting to call me where to buy a 66t chainring and a 11t cog: did this beer-driven claim make any sense, or will his "problem" persist?

162" (66/11*700c) is a truly ridiculous gear ratio, I'm pretty sure I couldn't pull away from a standing start (traffic lights, junctions etc) with a gear higher than 100", and even that would be a hernia-standard effort, a lightweight geared machine with an upright position would probably help but the only way of curing the problem is to chill out and not push as hard as you can, which speaking from experience is surprisingly hard to do...

He needs something heavy and slow like a raleigh superbe. Comfy geometry, upright riding style, rod brakes so you daren't go too fast because you know your stopping distance is huuuuuge, and a wicker basket for things to bounce out of if you go too quickly.

^ That's actually a really good idea.

Stiff bikes with instantaneous energy transfer beg to be ridden fast. Whereas a bike that sounds like it's about to explode if you use 3rd gear does not.

I think with a lighter gear he will sweat less, not a heavier. The harder the gear, the more effort to push it, the more you'll sweat. Compare it to weight training. I could probably do 100 squats with 20 kg and not break into a sweat, but 10 with 130 and i'm be dampening....

I think he'll sweat less as his body gets used to the particular exercise.

He just needs a wicking base layer.

... or maybe just needs to ease up on the ephedrine...

Get him a HRM

“Fit people’s bodies cool off more efficiently,” says Ali Kerner, a Los Angeles–based personal trainer. “They do this by starting to sweat earlier.” Fit bodies are in the zone when it comes to heavy lifting, running, and so forth because they’ve done it so many times. They kick into gear right away, keeping the body cool from the start, making the whole workout more efficient.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22176/92372-don-t-sweat-it-hows-whys/2

can't find another source now but I heard this before

??

and fit a few of these on the bars

He needs something heavy and slow like a raleigh superbe. Comfy geometry, upright riding style, rod brakes so you daren't go too fast because you know your stopping distance is huuuuuge, and a wicker basket for things to bounce out of if you go too quickly.

This plus a thousand time.

cheap old dutch bike that flex more than a West Midlander's pregnant teenager would do the job.

and fit a few of these on the bars

One of your sex toys?

He works only with leather.

no, i'd work with anything!

Mostly this though:

you'd like a "good hammerin'"?

Nice light carbon fibre road bike that's been "scoble-fied" with rising stem, lots of spacers. A really high gear will probably make him sweat more than a low gear, with massive efforts required to get started and stop, ride hills etc. So best bet would be a very light bike, because they require the least effor to accelerate, ride up hill and so on, maybe some really deep carbon rims to help maintain at speed. Gears, maybe Campag Super Record, will mean he can always be in the right gear, so can trundle along at just the right cadence without raising a sweat.

This is all.

heavier, the better, you take your time accelerating because there's no point pushing it.

200mm cranks. No spin = no sweat.

Bullshit actually; the only solution is to cycle less quickly.

you'd like a "good hammerin'"?

Are you telling me to go fuck myself.

How about a moped?

He just needs a wicking base layer.

+1. Cycling should be one of the less sweaty ways of exercising what with all that cooling air flowing over you.

Stuff that blocks air flow ('waterproofs' or a bag on your bag) will turn you into a sweat monster though