Commuting - Visor for keeping rain out of the eyes?

Continuing my quest to improve my wet-weather commute, I'd like to find a way to keep rain out of my eyes. I really hate rolling along while blinking like crazy to keep my eyes clear, or while my glasses become covered with drops and impossible to see through.

Have any of you guys discovered nice ways to deal with this? I've thought about putting a cycling cap under my helmet, or maybe one that attaches to the helmet. I don't want a helmet cover, since I prefer to let my head get wet (keeps me from overheating). Or, how about a cheap pair of clear glasses coated with Rain-X?

I've wrestled with this same issue. Rain-x helps but small water droplets still stick messing up your vision so it's not a perfect solution. I tried a cycling cap under the helmet. It helped but the bill wasn't big enough. I currently wear one of these (http://www.headsweats.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=18&idproduct=101) under my helmet. The bill is about the same as a baseball cap. It keeps a lot of the rain off your glasses/out of your eyes, though not all especially if the wind is blowing it in your face or if you're riding fast. I find that it's also great at keeping oncoming cars' headlight glare out of your eyes and when riding all day in the hot sun it keeps the sun off your face. One thing I'd change is to make the forehead part of the visor a little thinner so that it fits better under your helmet, but it's not bad.

A simple solution would be nice (I am curious as well) - though I'm inclined to put up with it for the rest of the rainy season myself. Only been really bad a few times for me.

They do make helmets with visors. I would think that would be a good way to get a visor on your head. I know you probably lose about 10 cool points and 0.003% more drag or something, but that should be worth it so you can see. Many mountain bike helmets have visors that you can clip off, but they may be a bit fragile if you are going to take them off and put them back on a lot.

Baseball cap pulled down low works good for me.

Baseball cap pulled down low works good for me.

Yeah--on a nice summer day. It's zero degrees F with 45 mph winds here today. I would not want to be hassling with a baseball cap. I vote for the visor on the helmet. Or just stop and wipe the glasses every few miles.

I do not see it on their current website but I bought a Champion C9 hat last year at Target. It has a long bill ( plastic or vinyl that resists water ), reflective material on rear strap and bill, and polyester fabric that wicks well. I wear it year around. I found it cheaper and more effective than a Headsweats bicycle specific hat.

I bought my Bell Influx helmet because I know I tend to get caught in the rain during commutes. The visor on it is detachable, extremely easy to snap on an off, and thin and flexible enough to store in my trunk (I ride with it most of the time anyways). I do wear contacts, but I usually don't feel any discomfort from the rain since it mostly slides away from my face due to the of the angles of the helmet.

The main reason for my purchase was that one of the previous models saved my roommate's life while he was on the trails a few years back. The helmet was in a few peices after his crash, but he had no head trauma at all.

http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Influx-Bike-Helmet/dp/B000BOC8SC

Maybe something to look into?

Goggles with RX inserts.
I got tired of always eventually giving up and pocketing my glasses.

I've found that European-style cycling caps worn under the helmet help.

Before they introduced automatic landing aids on aircraft carriers, the batsmen who guided the aircraft down were issued glasses with electric wipers. Visors only work if you ride real slow. You can make a chamois sleeve to put around the thumb of your glove which you can use to wipe your glasses.

Yeah--on a nice summer day. It's zero degrees F with 45 mph winds here today. I would not want to be hassling with a baseball cap. I vote for the visor on the helmet. Or just stop and wipe the glasses every few miles.

I've got a fleece cycling cap and a wool tanker's cap, both with small visors...perfect for windy, rainy/snowy winter commutes. You don't need a long visor, one that you can pull down somewhat over your glasses has always worked fairly well for me. The fleece cap fits under a helmet nicely too.

Yeah, a baseball cap on a nic summer day. It's zero degrees F with 45 mph winds here today.

Then a baseball cap with a winter hat pulled on top to cover your ears and keep in warmth. :rolleyes:

I vote for the MTB helmet. I have one that I use when it's rainy and it works great. They can be very inexpensive also. My visor that came on mine is about 3 inches long.

Lasik would let you get rid of the glasses totally. That's what I'm doing. :)

You can get a cycling cap for less than 20 bucks. Trust me, it will solve your problems. There's a reason why you see the pro's wearing them during wet races/stages.

You can even get wool ones (I have one from swobo) with ear covers for those colder days. I have never had a problem with overheating when wearing one on a rainy day since they aren't waterproof.

Even if you don't wear glasses, they keep the rain out of your eyes when you're riding hard.

Someone else posted this in answer to a similar question one time, it's a carbon visor (http://www.lobosolo.com/visor/) to add to your existing helmet.

Louis Garneau makes a plastic windscreen that attaches to your helmet with velcro. It covers from the bottom edge of the helmet to your nose, and back to your ears. It's about $10. It works very well for rain and cold, and doesn't fog up unless you're also wearing a balaclava or face mask as well.

Someone else posted this in answer to a similar question one time, it's a carbon visor (http://www.lobosolo.com/visor/) to add to your existing helmet.

Holy fred! This is awesome!

I use a Louis Garneau "western helment cover". It's kind of ugly but works great for keeping water out of my eyes.

Many years ago, a friend lent me a neoprene device that went all the way around the helmet and had a visor at the front. Unfortunately, I lost it on light rail one day. :( I wish I still had it, because I bought one of the sweet-deal helmets at the campus bike shop, but it has no visor. I carry an old-school cycling cap for the rainy days.

bell triton has a reasonable visor (and is big enough for my melon), but I think a baseball hat is the ultimate solution.

Cycling cap:

http://www.probikekit.com/_img_200x256/C0137.jpg

Cycling cap:

http://www.probikekit.com/_img_200x256/C0137.jpg
+1
Sew your own cycling cap and use clear plastic for the bill.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pandaface/278411178/
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/278411178_3d72c2b49a.jpg?v=0
The see through bill should be longer and not so rounded so it will cover your eyes when down. You can make custom graphics for your cap. Look around the computer printer supply area of your favorite X-mart or office supply store and find Ink Jet iron on T-shirt transfer paper. Create your design, print it on the transfer paper, transfer the graphics from the paper to the cap material, sew your cap, and enjoy one of a kind cycling caps!

Cycling cap the only way to go. Especially in group rides, too.

Cycling cap the only way to go. Especially in group rides, too.

Why would a cycling cap be necessary on a group ride, vs, say, a different type of visor?? This is the fred forum, man.