Winter Cycling - Talus ColdAvenger

Anyone have any experience or opinions on this cold weather mask? The reading sounds interesting, but they don't seem to be very mainstream and most of the verbage seems to be talking about skiing or hiking.

The URL for the mask is http://www.talusoutdoortech.com

i'm using one made by Gore, excellent
super light, very warm, and covers nose, mouth, face, ears

put on the ski goggles, and you are set

all helmet compatible

see picture http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=485397

The rigid portion of that Talus mask makes it look like it would be inconvenient to stash in a pocket when it's not needed. And 50 bucks?!

I'd recommend the Seirus Combo Scarf. It's ideal and available for less than half of that price.

Hi--the Talus ColdAvenger is actually super...but I work for the company. :) The company is based in Montana, where John the owner bike commutes and trail rides all year round wearing the ColdAvenger. www.talusoutdoortech.com (http://talusoutdoortech.com) It actually warms the air you breathe 40-60 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the outside air. The whole idea is that it prevents cold-weather injury on your lungs. It was invented by one of the nation's top toxicologists, and former US Surgeon General Richard Carmona is on the board of directors. So, the engineering is world-class, the plastic is medical grade, and the soft-shell fabric is top-quality. I love it, and it actually doesn't take up that much pocket space if you need to stow it. Feel free to email any questions to info@talusoutdoortech.com. Thanks guys--happy fall and winter. Later, Hilary

Looks like it could be a good solution to really cold weather riding. Would probably be too warm for temps above 30F. The main concern would be if the breathing is free flowing enough for intense aerobic exercise. But I imagine it would leak enough to not be a problem.

The ventilation chamber has a valve that allows you to adjust how much air you let in and out, but you can never block the air completely, because that would be bad. It's designed for athletes...so a key to the product is that is allows breathability during strenuous cold-weather activity.

I ended up getting one, but have not used it extensively yet. I have only had one morning where the temperature was below 30 degrees, and one evening home. I expect to have more opportunities to use it by the end of the winter season, but right now I only use it when it is too cold for the balaclava. As Hezz theorized, it is way too warm for use over 30 degrees. This is a serious cold weather mask.

But, having said all that, it has its good and bad points.

Good:
-It is very warm. It covers the neck, ears, and face (including high up on the cheeks).
-It is very comfortable to breathe through. The air is not super cold, but it is refreshing.
-It works well with a bicycle helmet

Bad:
-Though I have had limited use of it thus far, it is not easy to find a comfortable way to wear it. It seems like if I put it up high enough that it becomes comfortable on my nose that it doesn't get a good seal and fogs up my glasses. If I move it down so it does get a good seal, then it is pushing harder on my nose than I would like. It is hard to find a happy medium, at least on my face.
-The valve for adjusting the air flow can only be accessed when the mask is off. So, if you are riding and decide there is too much mixture going on and want to tweek it, you have to stop, remove your helmet, remove the mask, make the adjustment, then put everything back on again.

Excellent feedback!