bpeder

Sorry, I’m not posting to say I’ve found one. I’m posting to shout out what it would be. Maybe if the designers of these things visit BF and see these ideas and those that others add it could help get something better produced…

Before I put design ideas on the plate, let me take one off. Bag trying to design a mask to be “fog free” Face it, it’s not going to happen. Ski goggles, motorcycle goggles, glasses - they will fog up no matter what. Besides, in many winter conditions, who’s riding fast enough to really be tearing up after the first mile or so when the eyes have become used to the chill?

The ultimate face mask would be a poly propylene/wool/nylon mix fabric, as thin as possible but still warm. Not too warm though. Just having a layer over as much exposed skin on the face and neck to keep the wind chill off is enough. It would be cut just stupidly extra generous from the chin down so it could never become un-tucked from your jacket collar, exposing your neck. It would abandon the idea of an opening big enough to accommodate goggles. You’re not wearing any, remember? The openings would be only big enough for the eyes. There would be a small elastic or adjustable strap at the bridge of the nose so you could cinch the thing up tight around the eyes, or it would just be sewn together there.

The top from the hat band up would be an even thinner fabric so it would fit easily under the helmet. Maybe even a mesh. Warmth can be had by putting any number of helmet covers over the helmet that can already be purchased, and anyway you oftentimes you want to be able to lose heat from the head – which is just about the best part of the body to dump heat from… There would be 4 or six thin elastic straps stitched in at the hat band with tabs of hook Velcro on the straps and tabs of loop Velcro at the crown. This would allow the mask to be cinched up so that the fit was customized to the eye openings. We don’t want the mask sagging away from the eyes. Because there is so much fabric at the neck, these upward adjustments could be made without the neck ending up exposed. These straps could run front to back in order to meld with the standard molded helmet liners that have ribs.

Around the area of the mouth and nose there would be a stiff piece a material sewn in that would force the mask to ride away from the mouth, and the mouth opening would be baffled so it kept the wind out, but still allowed for unrestricted breathing. The top of this stiff area might have a strip of memory material that could be formed over the bridge of the nose. Nothing is worse when you are fighting below zero F temps and wind and snow-drag and studded tires that all combine to make you work and breath harder than ever - than feeling like you are stifling. There might even be a small pouch stitched in just under the nose that would allow a piece of super absorbent, disposable material to be inserted, to soak up snot, and a piece of slick nylon stitched at the chin so the mask does not get hung up on your beard.

Finally there would be an adjustable flapped opening just below each ear that would allow the helmet straps to pass through the mask and click under the mask, not on top of it. The mask needs to cover as much exposed skin as possible while still remaining loose over the mouth to allow un-restricted breathing. Stay loose, but stay put! I like black. Blaze yellow is good too. Add a strip of reflective tape here or there and we’re golden!

For this mask, I would pay $100.00

What would anyone else want?