Cyclists ... (Don’t) Drop Your Buffs!
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Summer time is in full swing here in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that wearing a cycling buff isn’t really the first thing that comes to mind. Cyclists commonly wear buffs around their neck or head for warmth while out riding in the winter months. However, this simple piece of cloth can be incredibly versatile during any season of the year, and keeping one in your cycling pocket at all times, even in the summer, can be of tremendous worth.
As you’ll be able to judge from the title of this blog post, Christin & I are pretty big fans of the reality show Survivor. If you’ve ever watched an episode of this show, then you’ll know that contestants are known to wear their assigned tribe buffs in all sorts of creative ways, all while living on sun-filled tropical beaches. This demonstrates how extremely useful a buff can be, even in the warmest of conditions. Cyclists can actually learn a few handy tricks from this show when it comes to using a buff. In this post, I’ll walk you through my top 5 tips for why you should keep a cycling buff in your back pocket, even on those warmer summer days.
1) Mask
This one is by far the most obvious use for a cycling buff right now. I don’t have to explain why having a face mask with you at this time is reason enough to keep a buff in your pocket. Here in Virginia, USA we are required by local law to wear a face covering each time we enter a brick and mortar building. This means that should I want to pop into a store somewhere during my rides, I would need to have a face mask on-hand. Having a cycling buff with me at all times works perfectly, since all I need to do is simply pull it over my face and I’m good to enter a convenience store, coffee stop or bike shop along my route.
2) Sweat Band
This is my personal favorite when it comes to using a buff during the summer time. Where we live, the summers are known to be very hot and humid. It’s not uncommon to be completely drenched in sweat each time you go out for a bike ride during the warm summer months. While I do own dedicated sweatbands that I wear underneath my helmet, I’ve found that a cycling buff can work just as well. If I need to have it with me (see point 1), then I might as well wear it in a very useful way. I simply have to roll the buff up neatly into the size that I want the headband to be and I’m ready to take on the most humid of days. If wearing a sweatband around your head isn’t something that appeals to you, then another variation to this method is to wrap the buff around your wrist instead. You’ll be able to wipe down your brow easily if the sweat gets too much for the helmet.
3) Post-ride Sweat Towel
This third use of a buff ties in closely with the previous one, but goes one step further. I like to keep a clean buff handy, either at my parked car, or a spare in my pocket, that can be used as a towel. When things really heat up on a hot summer day, I can wipe down my face, arms and legs with the clean buff after a ride. With this trick, I feel slightly more refreshed after a ride and don’t have to drive home completely sticky and sweaty. For an even more effective trick, douse the buff with clean water - it’s great to cool down quickly and it helps to make the post-ride clean-up that much more affective.
4) Emergency Care
Buffs can be useful in all kinds of ways that you’d never expected. If you run into unforeseen issues along your rides, it’s good to know that you have some type of back-up solution on-hand. If you’ve been in a crash and need to urgently contain the bleeding, then a buff can prove to be invaluable. You can wrap the wound right away, potentially limiting the risk of further infection. If the crash was really bad and resulted in a broken/dislocated collarbone, then another emergency use for the buff is a makeshift arm sling. This solution requires two buffs and is another reason why a clean spare can come in handy. One buff can be used as the sleeve that can hold up the injured arm, while the other buff can be looped through it, acting as the sling that goes around the neck. Wrapping up your arm like this might just be the solution that can help you get to your next checkpoint where you can seek further medical help.
5) Storage for Food & Snacks
The last tip relates to using a buff for some quick-access food storage. This can be achieved by wrapping the buff around your wrist as indicated earlier. Pull the twisted buff higher up the arm towards your bicep to allow it sit securely against the arm. The double layer of the wrapped buff then provides the perfect place to stick a small snack (something like an energy gel or bar). If your cycling pockets are already fully stocked and you need more space to stick some additional snacks for a long ride, then having a buff on your upper arm can provide the ideal solution to your storage shortage. The upper arm is also a very convenient location to reach when you need to access your snacks in a hurry.
Wrap-up
Cycling buffs truly are incredibly versatile. Come winter or summer, their usefulness shines all year round. Given the small size and lightweight nature of a buff, it makes total sense to shove one (or two) into your cycling jersey pocket before each ride. Given the current global health challenges, it’s easy to think of at least one good use for a buff, but hopefully this article has shown that this seemingly simple piece of gear can be extremely useful in a variety of ways.
Do you have any other favorite uses for a buff? Let us know!
-Wiehan
