Winter Cycling - Eye Protection - 3 solutions

I'm brand new to winter cycling, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of my experiences.

A few days ago, the morning temperature was -12C and I found my biggest challenge was keeping my glasses from fogging up. I was wearing prescription glasses with a belaclava while Southbound. I found that no matter how I held my head, or how I breathed,it was a lesson in controlling my fustration - LOL

On another thread, I posted some questions about it, and I received lots of good advice. Here's what I have so far:

solution #1

Ski goggles. There is not much I can say about them. You guys are have experience with them, and I'm a newbie.

This pair is from Canadian Tire, it costs $22, and has clear lenses.

(see pictures below)

solution #2

I took an old shield from a motorcycle helmet and mounted it to my bike helmet. The shield is attached to some old pieces of suspenders so I basically have an improvised hinge on each side. Then I used velcro to attach the straps, and a small amount of velco on the top edge of the shield to control the tilt. I found that too much velco made it difficult to remove and adjust while at a stop sign.

(see pictures below)


Solution #3: a better set of prescription glasses

With this idea, I'm trying to imitate the winter cyclists that advocate the use of safety goggles/sun glasses instead of ski goggles.

I have this set of prescription sports glasses that allow more air behind them than my regular glasses. I've noticed that it does seem to press my neoprene mask against my face which should help prevent moist air from leaking upwards into my glasses.


(see pictures below)

Edited: the links that I had didn't work so I edited them out so that this post was easier to read. see the pictures below.

Oops, the links to the pictures didn't work out, so here they are as attachments

Fog is condensation. Condensation comes from wet air meeting something cold.

So, you do something about one or both variables to control this. For me, I have had good luck with ski/snowboarding goggles because they are well ventilated and yet trap enough heat in there that my glasses must stay somewhat warmer than otherwise.

But frankly, fogging is always kind of there.

Now, if you are asking a question of aesthetics, I like the second picture. Very Tron.

jim

jim

Here's a few more of my home creation:

SiezeTech,

Just a few comments on your methods. First the flip down face shield. This method is probably the most prone to fogging if the shield comes down too far below eye level. But if the shield is kept short enough it can work. It looks like in the picture that it may come down a little too far. You may need to remove about an inch or so of material off from the bottom so exhaled warm moist air does not come into contact with the shield. The flip up method seems like an outstanding idea to me since if the shield does fog you can get it out of the way in a hurry. And while it is in the flipped up position it will probably defog much faster due to more air moving across both sides of the shield.

As for the goggles. They are the warmest approach but often don't work well combined with glasses. If you can see well enough to use them without glasses try them out. IF you can improve the internal ventilation by removing the foam from around the vents they will not be quite as warm but they will probably stay defogged much better.

The glasses by themselves will not be as warm but will stay defogged most of the time while moving. At least they will if you are wearing them without any facial insulation. They also offer the best and most accurate vision if you need corrective lenses. I'm not exactly sure why you couldn't keep your glasses defogged while moving unless your balaclava was directing warm air up into the lenses. Also, with the bottom of the glass frames resting on the neoprene face mask the bottom of the frames may get too warm because your face will be a lot warmer when it is covered with the neoprene mask. If there is much of a temperature differential between the top and bottom of the frames the lenses may fog up much easier. However, since I have never used a neoprene face mask I am interested no know how that method works combines with the glasses only. I think the problem with the neoprene face mask that I see is if you happen to breath through your mouth. The small holes are probably not enough and some warm air will escape out around the outside edge of the mask. Some of the warm air, warmed even more by the close proximity to your face will escape under the glasses. This will fog them up. Even a small amount. I would cut a larger hole just the size of your mouth so that there is no air restriction whatsoever when you breath out of your mouth.

However, I really like your flip up shield approach. I may experiment with it this winter. Let us know how it works.

Hi Hezz,
thanks for the input. i've come to beleive that humudity, local temperatures, as well as personal riding preferences makes it difficult to zero in on just one solution. I'll just have to get out there and enjoy the ride, and experiement a little.

Actaully, Hezz. I wont need to trim the shield. its difficult to see, but on this last photo of my post#4, it shows how I used a continuous stip of velcro down the centre of the helmet. That way, the shield can be raised or lowered to any level. I'm also wondering if the visor will have any value in the summer rain. I think it may be possible to raise it high enough that i can see under, but it shelters my face from that -sometimes annoying - drizzle of water.

I took the visor out in -2C weather yesterday. it was starting to snow( we got 8" last night) and the air was pretty humid.

I'd have to say that it wasn't the kind of weather to create alot of fogging, but if you got some small traces of fog on the shield it took a while to clear itself.

the experience from my point of view was fairly good. it didn't seem to block alot of the breeze, but it kept my glasses dry. and my face dry.

its still too early to say how much it can be used, i'll be happy to post a followup once i get a better idea,

There is a guy I saw all summer that wore a hockey helmet with the lexan shield on his bike. Looked kinda funny in the summer, but might not be all that bad of an idea in the winter.

I like your homemade version. Kinda cool. I rarely have fogging problems. Playing lots of paintball back in the day kinda taught me how not to make it fog I guess. Need to just blow your air downward. Good luck.

solution #1

Ski goggles.


never tried them, but I've always suspected that might be a valid solution




solution #2

I took an old shield from a motorcycle helmet and mounted it to my bike helmet. The shield is attached to some old pieces of suspenders so I basically have an improvised hinge on each side. Then I used velcro to attach the straps, and a small amount of velco on the top edge of the shield to control the tilt. I found that too much velco made it difficult to remove and adjust while at a stop sign.

Conversely, it never would have occurred to me that this was a viable option...but just yesterday I rode with a friend who's done a lot of winter cycling in Wisconsin, and he showed up sporting exactly that sort of contraption. He swears by it, says it never fogs up, keeps his whole face warm, looks pretty Star Wars too.



Solution #3: a better set of prescription glasses

With this idea, I'm trying to imitate the winter cyclists that advocate the use of safety goggles/sun glasses instead of ski goggles.

I have this set of prescription sports glasses that allow more air behind them than my regular glasses. I've noticed that it does seem to press my neoprene mask against my face which should help prevent moist air from leaking upwards into my glasses.


I've tried this, and I've never been able to find a lens shape that offers enough coverage to keep cold wind out of my eyeballs yet leaves enough of a gap to prevent fogging.

So the solution I've come up with is:

I avoid the facemask/balaclava. As long as my mouth isn't covered -- and as long as I'm moving -- my glasses don't fog up. If I try to pull the balaclava over my mouth, or use one of those neoprene facemasks, forget it, Fog City. And of course if I stop moving for more than 30 seconds or so my glasses fog up anyway. Not a problem at traffic lights, but at lunch stops it can get inconvenient.

Hi Hezz,
thanks for the input. i've come to beleive that humudity, local temperatures, as well as personal riding preferences makes it difficult to zero in on just one solution. I'll just have to get out there and enjoy the ride, and experiement a little.



Yes, this is very true. I'm quite certain that people very a great deal in how hot their face and head get while exercising. And this makes a big difference in how glasses and lenses fog up. Also, the local temperature and humidity play a big role.

http://www.woundcareshop.com/microfoamconformablefoamelastictape-2x512ydsone.aspx

I am able to take pretty cold air on my face as long as my head, ears and neck are warm. So I have been using just a pair of athletic type glasses like yours with Rx lenses. But I do have a new idea that I am going to try out this year. It is foam medical tape on the nose. I started using a small piece of tape on my nose to keep my glasses from irritating my nose and found that it was quite warm. A slightly larger piece to cover the whole upper nose would block the wind and keep the nose warmer.

scott turbo fan goggles

problem solved 100%. no fog. just none. if it does fog turn
fan on high speed... fog b gone

I have the motor and prop from one of those toy helicopters. maybe i'll wire it into my goggles.

Temperature, humidity and dew point have everything to do with this discussion and are hard to quantify. Here in southeast Alaska, winter temps fluctuate between 20F and 38F. Humidity is high (we are in a rain forest after all). I have found that prescription sports glasses, Rudy Project in particular, have worked rather well. In summer, I use tinted lenses. In winter I use clear; mainly because most times there is little light, daylight here being about 9AM to 3Pm on a clear day and most days are cloudy. They fog if I stop at a light after a sprint, but are easily slid down the nose so I can squint over the tops until I start moving again at which point they clear right up. Goggles just don’t work as they are too hard to de-fog once I stop.