Originally Posted by
gerv
Beg to differ....
Balaclava needs to be light and display the whole face. It should cover forehead, ears and neck. No problem to put glasses inside. No problem with fogging (at least while the bike is moving).
However, as it gets colder, I also wear a scarf or one of those bike-specific neck scarf thingies that you can pull up and down as needed. Those thing can easily fog up glasses. Which is why I'm constantly pulling it up and down.
well, you didnt really differ...
balaclavas are cumbersome. if you stop anywhere along your ride, it's a pain to remove your helmet and balaclava to speak to a person or if your riding for awhile and want to cool down for a bit, you'd have to pull over and take off the balaclava. with just a neck gaiter, you just pull it down in half a second without any effort. I see no advantage that a balaclava has over a merino wool neck gaiter plus a wool or fleece skull cap -- same amount of material and same amount of warmth/coverage (if you do it right). this combo is simply more versatile.