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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Where the sheets have no stains
    Posts
    22,070

    AQI whats your number

    Air quality has been the suck here since July 4th and not getting much better. I have not ridden in a week with AQI 100+.

    Whats your cutoff?
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    CO
    Posts
    2,720
    Usually try to say 100 as a rough cutoff but depends how desperate I get and also the look and feel of the smoke. We've had a nice monsoon season so it's been clear but some smoke started rolling in today and is bumping things over 100
    Quote Originally Posted by other grskier View Post
    well, in the three years i've been skiing i bet i can ski most anything those 'pro's' i listed can, probably

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Hyde Park, Vt
    Posts
    893
    As a Vermonter over 70 I did not want to ride my bike. It felt awful.

    Ours today is 28.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    1,488
    There's a good study here on biking and PMI 2.5.

    I ride 4-6 days a week and feel like even in AQI in the yellow I start feeling rough if I'm out there day after day. Could just be in my head, but I've started just staying indoors on weekdays if AQI is 60(ish) or higher. I will do one weekend ride up to 125 or so though - I can't spend the whole summer riding zwift or I'll go nuts.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1,685
    Numbers without a city or general area isn't going to help.

    Missoula, usually 60 in the morning, 110 in the afternoon, then afternoon winds seem to clear it out by evening, maybe back down to under 80.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Posts
    1,026
    Helena has been crappy. Lots of moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups days. I will ride with AQ in the orange (101-150) but moderate my activity. My tolerance for hanging out inside is decreasing.

    I won’t go out over 150, though.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Down In A Hole, Up in the Sky
    Posts
    35,361
    Generally, If I can smell it, no fucking way I am riding. 92/95 is my top end before it makes me feel worse to go.
    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Down In A Hole, Up in the Sky
    Posts
    35,361
    Forecast looking ‘not bad’ this week, though!

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,479
    It's up over 100 now most places in the Roaring Fork Valley (Aspen to Glenwood Springs).
    My cutoff is in the 90s depending on how eager I am.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,429
    This might be short sighted, but I honestly never feel it. My eyes get dry, but that's about it. Over the last few years living in NW Montana we have had bad fire years. Unless it is over 200 I am usually willing to ride outside, although above 150 I strongly consider riding inside. At those levels it isn't my body or lungs that feel bad but rather thinking that I may be causing damage I'm unaware of.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,845
    I just checked 4 different sites for my location (whitefish) and got 4 different numbers ranging from 29 to 111. So to some extent, deciding on a numerical cutoff is a little bit pointless.

    I would rate today as bad-ish. Which realistically is somewhere around 100. I'd still ride, but I'd keep the heart rate down. A bit worse than this and I'd ride, but only shuttles / lift served. If it's really bad (probably over 150), I'll stay inside. If it's really really bad, I'll close the windows in the house.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    NorCal coast
    Posts
    1,950
    This year has been really good where I am (current reading near my house: 5), but last year it was bad. I'd ride without much consideration then up to around 75. I think I did a couple rides over 100 and it was unpleasant. We went really slow and tried to keep the heart rate / breathing down - just wanted to get out and move the legs a bit.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    348
    Good question and thoughts above.

    Once it gets to about day 4 of 100+, I find that going for an easy/moderate spin with an N95 on does wonders for the head and muscles. The kids have been riding to school with them on for years on the worst days (200ish), but that's a level I would wait out any rec riding.

    We don't have AC, so bad AQI always coincides w/hot temps indoors, so Peloton, etc. not a pleasant option at my sweat/funk level.

    Quick comment on whether you can smell it or not: This is a good positive test (air is bad), but a lousy negative test -> can be close to 200 AQI w/out significant smoke smell. Get real meters & filters for the home -> will be eye opening how bad things can get indoors, but similarly eye opening how quickly a cheap filter* can clean things up!

    Despite being surrounded by huge fires, and after several days of getting to 300ish overnight, we're having a welcome AQI respite in Truckee right now, but I feel for you guys/families that are in the thick of it now. It will be heading back our way soon enough...


    * Duct tape a furnace filter to a box fan

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Missoula
    Posts
    2,104
    I did a pretty hard effort up a short climb last week with air in low yellow range, so like aqi 70ish, and felt really bad at the top. But it's not just current air quality but what it's been like for the last few weeks, so yeah it was pretty good at the time but was bad in the few days before that.

    So I stick to just commuting, shorter rides, low effort, and then have my zwift setup in the cool basement. If it's red I generally don't ride or go outside at all.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,479
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    I just checked 4 different sites for my location (whitefish) and got 4 different numbers ranging from 29 to 111. So to some extent, deciding on a numerical cutoff is a little bit pointless.

    I would rate today as bad-ish. Which realistically is somewhere around 100. I'd still ride, but I'd keep the heart rate down. A bit worse than this and I'd ride, but only shuttles / lift served. If it's really bad (probably over 150), I'll stay inside. If it's really really bad, I'll close the windows in the house.
    I’m looking at OpenSummit:

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    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,845
    Quote Originally Posted by grskier View Post
    I’m looking at OpenSummit:

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    Aaaaand now I've got 5 sites with 5 different numbers.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Missoula
    Posts
    2,104
    I noticed some of the sensors on purple air are inside people's houses. I use these two

    https://svc.mt.gov/deq/todaysair/
    https://fire.airnow.gov/


    Looking at the sensors in your area on airnow there are like 4 reading 78-79 so seems like aqi is around that right now?

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    1,488
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    I just checked 4 different sites for my location (whitefish) and got 4 different numbers ranging from 29 to 111. So to some extent, deciding on a numerical cutoff is a little bit pointless.
    Your PMI 2.5 might have been close to 29 when you checked, but I've never seen a huge discrepancy in an AQI like that. What sites are you using?

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Last Best City in the Last Best Place
    Posts
    7,272
    If it's 50-100 I go for a hike instead of a ride. Over 100 I go swim laps at the club.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,845
    Quote Originally Posted by kathleenturneroverdrive View Post
    Your PMI 2.5 might have been close to 29 when you checked, but I've never seen a huge discrepancy in an AQI like that. What sites are you using?
    Those numbers were just based on the first few Google hits. Air-quality.com was the one showing the lowest reading.

    Realistically, I think there's a handful of sensors around here that aren't reading correctly. Different sites treat that anomalous data differently. It's just tough to know what the actual numbers are, since even the realistic options range from 90 to 139 at the moment.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,479
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    Aaaaand now I've got 5 sites with 5 different numbers.
    Um, that’s really consistent.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Hell Track
    Posts
    13,845
    Quote Originally Posted by grskier View Post
    Um, that’s really consistent.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    That site is consistent with itself. But it's not consistent with the other 4 sites. Most of the sites are consistent with themselves.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Carbondale
    Posts
    12,479
    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    That site is consistent with itself. But it's not consistent with the other 4 sites. Most of the sites are consistent with themselves.
    Don't know what to tell you...
    I've used Purpleair.com, iqair, and opensummit. They're all saying the same thing.... a few outliers on one of the sites that can a reasonable person can take out of consideration.. they are either broken or inside.

    In your region, I'd say it's in the 120-130 range currently.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Squaw valley
    Posts
    4,639
    I have a small meter that measures 2.5 particles.

    Over 50 i don't ride, though i see many riders out when it's 150 or more. Mostly road riders though.

    I might ride with a mask between 50 and 60.

    Normally though, i find an area within an hour drive that's clear

    Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    YetiMan
    Posts
    13,370

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