Winter Cycling - Do glasses work in low temperatures?

I've been riding in the 20s to 30s over the past few weeks, and if I have my neoprene face mask on in the 20s my glasses get foggy. I've been just moving them further forward onto my nose to ventilate better, and look more sophisticated, and the fog goes away. I tried spit which doesn't seem to do much, and this morning it was between 3-6F and I tried dishsoap. The problem I had with that is when I breathed it got foggy and never went away, I stopped to wipe it off and realized it froze.

Does defogging liquid stuff actually work, or am I going to have to go with goggles in lower temps? The wife is going to the store today and may grab some defogger but now I'm wondering if it would be worth the money.

I've tried several types and the defogging liquid does work. It lowers the surface tension so the moisture forms a film you can kind of see through instead of tiny micro-droplets that you can't. The standard Cat Crap anti-fog lens cleaner is what I like best, their spray on stuff not so much. Fogtech wipes worked a hair better but never seemed to last long enough. There were some Mal-Wart wipes I tried that did almost as well as the Fogtech ones for about a third of the price. Dish soap didn't work all that well for me but Barbasol shaving cream did. Just lather up the lens, let it dry, and wipe off the excess. A 99¢ solution but not all shaving creams will give similar results.

The next problem hit me somewhere below 10ºF in foggy conditions. I had the film that I can kind of see through freeze over and had to take off the glasses for the last mile into work. I'm not sure which anti-fog treatment was on that pair but it was probably Fogtech that was in need of reapplication.

I have tried everything and wearing a pair of visorgogs over my cycling glasses keeps them from fogging up. Nothing else worked even close to as well.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=visorgogs

I'm using a new-ish product called Clarity Defog It anti-fog. I live in south Georgia, so I deal with heat more than cold, but I moved here from the Tennessee mountains and it was a cold-weather rider who recommended it. I use it on my glasses when I ride...and when I ride my "motorized" bike (aka motorcycle), I use it on my the faceshield on my helmet. It really works for me.
I found Defog It at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Clarity-Defog-Anti-fog-Reusable-Wipes/dp/B002BG588K/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_b

I've also heard of people using RainX on their glasses, but haven't tried it myself.

I've been riding in the 20s to 30s over the past few weeks, and if I have my neoprene face mask on in the 20s my glasses get foggy. I've been just moving them further forward onto my nose to ventilate better, and look more sophisticated, and the fog goes away. I tried spit which doesn't seem to do much, and this morning it was between 3-6F and I tried dishsoap. The problem I had with that is when I breathed it got foggy and never went away, I stopped to wipe it off and realized it froze.

Does defogging liquid stuff actually work, or am I going to have to go with goggles in lower temps? The wife is going to the store today and may grab some defogger but now I'm wondering if it would be worth the money.

This is such a perennial query and here is my perennial reply.



As one of those who needs to wear prescription eyeglasses (and not interested in contacts or laser surgery), we are in a different category for eyewear because of the fogging problem of the eyeglasses and the goggles. I have found cheap, clear plastic safety glasses as found at Home Depot for example, to be the only satisfactory solution. Besides the wide windscreen and open sides for ventilation, the rigid earpieces allow me to attach my eyeglass mounted mirror, unlike the floppy elastic band of ski or swim goggles.

Just two eeks ago [12/18/09] at 10 degrees I did my 14 mile commute of over an hour with no fogging. My personal best was the commute starting at about 3 degrees and ending at minus 8 with slight frosting on the right side for the last two miles, still allowing me enough foward and left (road side) vision including my rearview mirror. Fogging is a perennial topic on the commuting and winter forums, and probably the only solution I've seen to eliminate fogging better than mine (IMHO) is to ride without goggles and tolerate the cold and tearing. :rolleyes:

For my first and most detailed post on my solution, with some tips for securing the positioning of the safety glasses, see:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?450685-Ski-goggles-or-what&p=7220650 post #5

Posted in reply to the Original Post of 08-05-08! :twitchy: :lol:

I think the conditions or winter riding with the heavy breathing directed by a face mask onto the face is just too much for anti-fogging agents, and abundant ventilation around the windscreen of safety glasses is the way to go.

Just make sure your nose is not covered with anything, and your glasses will be fine.

I generally have no problem until I pull up my scarf to cover my nose. Problem is, if I don't pull it up once in a while, my nose starts looking like Rudolph's.

So I am in a constant cycle of pull up scarf, glasses fog up, pull it down, glasses defog.

Maybe I should give Jim's solution a try. Plus, there are a number of opticians who can now provide single vision safety glasses for a reasonable price.

I just put a dab of cream on my nose and cheeks before I go out riding on a really cold day.

Dermatone works quite well too.

Tried all kinds of stuff, but nothing really worked. Now I just use contacts on the longer rides.

I've heard that rubbing and polishing a good layer of wax on the lenses will help though it may distort your vision, depending on how well you "wax on". I think basic candle wax might work, anything that is hydrophobic will resist the water-vapour depositing itself. You have to keep them clean though because dirt and dust deposits will gather and ruin the anti-fogging properties.

I generally have no problem until I pull up my scarf to cover my nose. Problem is, if I don't pull it up once in a while, my nose starts looking like Rudolph's.

So I am in a constant cycle of pull up scarf, glasses fog up, pull it down, glasses defog.

Maybe I should give Jim's solution a try. Plus, there are a number of opticians who can now provide single vision safety glasses for a reasonable price.
Hi gerv,

Thanks for that comment. There is a concurrent similar Winter Cycling thread to which I have posted pictures of my solution, with commentary, including face mask adjustments. See, FYI :
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?612835-Fogging-glasses-with-balaclava-will-butchering-help&p=10225687 post #'s 10 and 14.

Shaving gel/cream will work as an anti-fog material (because of the glycerin component) if you don't mind re-applying every day. Apply, dry, ryde.

You can try riding with a snorkel, so that your exhaust goes up and out. Conversely, you can ride with an unfiltered, half-mask respirator, and route the exhaust down and out using a length of sump pump tubing, that's what I do when its below 15F because it also provides some windchill protection to my nose/mouth/teeth.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o85/WilburBudDark/misc/Half_mask_front.jpg http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o85/WilburBudDark/misc/Half_mask_side.jpg

^^^and when you need to drink? ;)

^^^and when you need to drink? ;)

Uh, I think he has had quite enough to drink already!!

http://www.gilsinan.com/raccoons/images/cyril_and_ralph.jpg

I knew that getup looked familiar, post that in the self-pic thread please! ;)

...just thought of something, at least you're all setup for a VO2 MAX test!!

What about "cat crap?" from REI I heard that is pretty good.

What about "cat crap?" from REI I heard that is pretty good.

didn't work for me....

HOW cold exactly is it where y'all ride, with Darth Vader facemasks and all? :eek:

It takes some time to get accustomed to cold, but after that I have no problem riding at -15C with a thin merino wool tube to cover the top of my head, and earflaps. Colder than that, I'll start experimenting with a silk balaclava to cover my cheeks and nose.

If it's sunny, I'll wear sunglasses (the same glasses I'd wear in summer, or xc skiing on a sunny day). In my case glasses tend to fog when stopped, but adjusting them slightly (moving them away from face) during stops helps. I'm fortunate enough not to need my prescription glasses to ride.

--J

HOW cold exactly is it where y'all ride, with Darth Vader facemasks and all? I don't get much opportunity to ride below 0F here in the midwest. I generally put on my Darth Vader facemask when it drops to 15F. I agree it's no problem to ride without a costume at -15C, but it's just a lot more comfortable for me with than without. Time and temperature have an impact for me, so on a day like today where I get 8-9F (-13C) and a 15mph (25 kph) headwind for my commute, turning it into 75+ minutes instead of 60, I find wearing that facemask takes breathing and cold mouth/teeth/lungs/nose out of the issues list and turns it into something I don't even think about while I'm riding, letting me focus on more important things like why I look like I had a 16 ounce snot rocket on the way in, due to the blow-by from the condensate exiting the exhaust tube.

I'll second the Rain X. I used it for years on both sides of my motorcycle full-face visor. Works on glasses too.

I'll also second keeping the nose uncovered if you can. I use a neoprene facemask and put the nose flap over my mouth so that if I exhale through my mouth, it acts like a breath deflector.

I worked in a freezer and the only time my glasses would fog up is after I went into a warmer room, then they would defog after a minute. As long as you put warm moisture on the lens it will get foggy and freeze. Take that away and problem solved.

Thirdsies on keeping your nose uncovered, if you can. I don't mean to sound like a jerk or a tough guy, but if most of your riding is in the 20F to 30F range, try ditching the neoprene and just learn to live with having a chilly grill. Maybe try switching to a light wool open faced balaclava, so you can still keep your chin and cheekbones toasty. My girlfriend swears by this, but I just grow a beard for the winter, instead. When you get into single digit temps, or worse, and frostbite starts to become a threat, then goggles and a facemask are really the only way to go. I've talked to riders who decry the loss of peripheral vision, but if you wear glasses you won't even notice. Smith makes gogs with an internal fan, might be a decent fix. I just try to not stop, keep airflow into the gogs, and actively breathe downwards, away from my eyes.

Whoops, dead thread revival. My bad.

Not dead at all, it is still winter after all, right? ;)