General Cycling Discussion - Keeping Sweat out of the Eyes

Since I've only been cycling since October '02, I have yet to experience the sport in truly hot weather. I drink a lot of water and perspire profusely. After most rides I have salt stains on my shorts and dried salt all over my face.

What is the best way to keep sweat out of your eyes? I wear a helmet (duh) and have been using a bandana fashioned as a scullcap so far, but I'm concerned about overheating when it really gets hot.

I've though about sweat bands but it seems like they would get saturated quickly.

Onething I just won't be able to do is buy a pair of $100 sunglasses that fit tight over the eyes. The day i spend that much on something I'll eventually lose or break is the day that I need to be shot!

Never had that problem.The helmet,decent ones will take care of it most the time.

I have the same problem (sweat). I have tried everyhing. A rolled up bandana works well for all but the worst days. It will get soaked and you can ring it out, or even dry it in just a few minutes. On multiday 60+ mile rides a keep one on my head and one on the bike. If I stop I put the dry one on, and of course let the wet one dry on the bike.

All that being said I purchased (last year) a coolmax headband that ties. It's great, it works well, dries quickly and rinses out easily. It was relatively cheap too.

The helmet I use (Giro) has sweat pads that help a
good deal. I do use a sweatband (thin type, not terrycloth)
and even when saturated it seems to keep the sweat
out of my eyes. It worked well at Hotter Than Hell last
year so thats my endorsement!

marty

After losing the sweatpad on my Giro helmet, I found I needed a rolled-up bandana for fit and comfort. In the process, I found that it does a great job of keeping the sweat out of my eyes!

Steve

P.S. Anyone else ever notice that a lot of guys who wear skullcaps and cycling caps tend to be a little - uh - "exfoliated" up there?

The bandanna should work. The secret is letting a little material roll back away from the forehead. If air gets to it, it wicks and it's just about impossible to sweat into your eyes. (dont wrap up the whole thing)

On the otherhand you maybe the big sweatmaster and it wont work no matter what...

A little aquafor or petroleum jelly above the eyebrows sometimes helps.

Dan

If you need to, take along a second bandana to change out mid ride.

I find if I look down and push the helmet into my forehead for a second or two it squeezes the excess moisture out of the sweatpad and it drips on the road instead of my eyes. Usually have to do that once every 5 minutes or so in the summer, not a good thing to do in heavy traffic or in a paceline mind you but it works for me.

Most decent helmets have sweat pads, they tend to work pretty well (I sweat A LOT around here). The only thing you need to be careful of is to make sure it dries out between rides or that you wash it out to keep it from stinking. I often fill mine with sweat on a ride, and find it still wet the next morning!

The thin (non-terry) sweat bands have worked well for me. I use one every time I ride.

I swear by the Coolmax version of Headsweats. Being Coolmax, it wicks moisture well so it can evaporate, so it doesn't become saturated. The fabric of the bandana part is so thin overheating isn't an issue (and it protects your scalp from the sun if you're going hair-free).

RichC

What RichC said. I'm a sweathog. All that pad in the helmet does is hold the sweat, so that it can all pour out into my eyes when I adjust the helmet. There are several brands, of which Headsweats are only one. They are usually doubled, or have some kind of absorbant fabric in the headband that helps control sweat. In addition to preventing a barbecue grill tan for the follically impaired, they also provide some insulation when riding in the cold.

Like DanFromDetroit said, with a little mod. I have fairly thick eyebrows, so I rub chapstick into them, then smooth them down. The sweat channels away from the eyes, plus it's fairly easy to wash off.

The sweat bands in the helmet just don't do it for me.

I take about 4 sweat bands with me, placing them over the seat around the seat post. When one band gets saturated, I switch and use another, and eventually the 1st one dries. Rotating through 4 bands keeps at least one dry

At the end I wash them all out.

The sweat king!!

Amerpie, I have the same problem you do. I have tried headbands and they are a temporary fix. I read about a product I believe is called the Halo headband. The way I understand it this is a headband with a rubber "band" at the bottom which will channel sweat to the sides and back. I have looked all over for this and not been able to find it yet. Maybe someone else in the forums is aware of where they can be purchased.

The headsweats are great-there's longer ones and the popular shorty style. They also have sweatbands. There are coolmax and cotton ones; as was said before the coolmax ones are where it's at.
As an aside, some of you may benefit from some of the coolmax (or other trade names) padding you find in higher end helmets.

Originally posted by amerpie
Since I've only been cycling since October '02, I have yet to experience the sport in truly hot weather. I drink a lot of water and perspire profusely. After most rides I have salt stains on my shorts and dried salt all over my face.



Hmmm...that doesn't sound to pleasant at all.
Just curious, what kind of helmet do you have ?
Does it have alot of ventilation ?

I just got a Giro helmet a couple of months ago and absolutely love it. It was expensive but well worth every penny. It has like 27 or 28 vent slots in it and I think the visor and sweat pads help too. The visor really keeps the sun off my face.

Maybe you could put a strip of terry cloth around the inside of your helmet..like just a strip all the way around the bottom inside part of the helmet and make it removable so you can wash it.

Justen