Umm Just curious but how is this better than a visor that attached to the helmet? (ie: a MTB helmet)

i have to agree with Rich. i no longer wear ANY COTTON when i cycle unless i'm riding really slow somewhere in street clothes - even when i think it's only 5 minutes, my t-shirt will be soaked --- and as Rich said, the main problem is that they stay wet a long time.

back when i was a really poor college student in Texas i used to wear regular t-shirts. 1) they would get soaked so in the summer i just rode with no shirt 2) they would flap in the wind and on one 5-hr ride i got a rash on my chest/stomach from the shirt flapping in the wind. so at 19 (i'm 32 now) i bought my first jersey on clearance for like $10 and i've been wearing jerseys ever since!

i have a helmet cover that i really like in the winter although it looks dorky - some MTB friends told me it looked like i have a condom on my head, but as i said it works.

it's a thin windproof layer that goes over the helmet and is not waterproof but keeps the rain out well. i like it b/c it doesn't get sweaty since it doesn't touch my head and blocks the wind and rain (mostly). at first i had trouble using it with the visor on my helmet, but it works fine. although it does NOT work with my helmet mounted light, but i usually only use that for off-road, not commuting.

then i add the windproof headband.

when it's really cold i have a skull-cap to put under the helmet. with all 3 (helmet cover, headband, skullcap) i am fine to -20C/F

One time, last rainy season, I was riding through Temecula's wine country... I had on my yellow rainproof helmet cover( does your's just encircle the helmet area and not provide cover about the neck, like mine? ) and blue rain proof three-fingered 'lobster mites.' Plus I had on my orange rainproof thinsolate jacket.. Maybe the road traffic could pick up that color combination? But my head cover does not look like a condom, I don't think..? Got it from Adventure Cycling's "Cyclosource."I felt half way comfortable..
Some regular kitted US postie types- not wearing any raingear at all, snickered at my yellow and blue hands and helmet.. I ran into them at a nearby coffee shop.. They looked so miserable- I thought I had the last snicker.. I don't think just stopping for hot chocolate can stop you from getting sick..?

yeah, i think it's the same. it just covers the top of the helmut and is barely large enough to wrap under the lower "rim" of the helmet so it stays in place. mine's Pearl Izumi and black with thicker material in the middle and then thinner breatheable material on the sides where there is less direct wind/rain -- actually an x-girlfriend bought it for me as a present a few years back, probably would have never tried it otherwise.

actually, i think mine looks OK - not stylish, but OK - makes the helmet look more like the old 80s all-stryofoam helmets (i also got made fun of for my old helmet that i still wore in '97 until i broke it in a crash and bought another)

yellow is probably better for visibility... one disadvantage with mine is it covers the reflectors i put on the helmet (but not the small blinkie on the bottom back of the helmet)

i ride in bad weather more than most others i know, so i pretty much ignore "wussies" who who make fun of me for using fenders or neoprene shoe-covers or reflectors or whatever b/c they're not "tough and cool". if they really want they can ride with me though the winter and prove how tough they really are... but i'll be riding regardless!

I have a blinkie light attached to a rear strap on the backside of my helmet.. A friend saw me on way to work. She said the effect of two bliner lights from the distance on one cyclist was a little confusing. When passing me she had expected to see two bikes. maybe that is not bad. I use the two blinker lights, anyway..
Don't get out in the rain much, since it rarely rains here.. But with the uprasied collar on my rain coat not much water got into my neck with the helmet cover that only covers to the lower perimeter of the helmet.

although i personally think that LED blinkies are more effective, legally in Germany you must have a SOLID red light in the rear. anyhow, my old blinkies have slowly been replaced by solids as they wear out/break as i can only buy non-flashing here as that's what's legal, so i now have a solid LED light on the rear of all my bikes plus the blinkie on the helmet - plus various reflectors of course.

but yeah, even if it confuses people or motorists, that's usually good as confusion means they slow down, pay attention and use extra caution - all good things for the cyclist!

i installed 2 new orange reflectors on my commuter yesterday (i already had 2 red reflectors plus some reflective tape and a few refective spokes) and i pointed it out to my girlfriend who commented that it looks dorky with all the reflectors... but, oh well, if one must be dorky to be extra safe i think that's OK.

compared to the US where many commuters have their bikes decked out with lights and reflectors, here in Germany most have only a single rear LED, single rear reflector and 3W headlamp -- although German drivers are much more attentive to cyclists AND it's dealing with cyclists is a significant part of the driver training here --- as drivers have to look at the bike path before making a right turn (see other thread on bike paths for why i hate this)

Just personal preference.

I agree with all that has been said about cotton. Here in New Orleans we know a thing or two about humidity and perspiration. If I ride in summer with a cotton t-shirt it quickly becomes completely soaked and literally dripping. With the extremely high humidity we have we don't get ANY evaporative cooling effect because the air is so saturated nothing evaporates! The saturated, dripping cotton t-shirt actually becomes a barrier, holding heat in rather than letting it escape. If I ride with a t-shirt of Coolmax, Hydroduct or other wicking fabric under my jersey I arrive with the t-shirt still be very wet, but not so saturated it is dripping. Many times it is just damp where a cotton t-shirt would be saturated. I am a BIG believer in wicking fabrics. Down here it is almost a matter of survival in summer. I have visited drier areas where this is not such a big deal. Where it is really dry and evaporation is rapid cotton may be fine.

Might depend on if you need a sweatband, too. Also, for roadies particularly the cap is more versatile; you can turn the visor around back to protect your neck from the sun and give your neck a rest; the visor of the cap (or helmet) can be a source of neck pain after a while because you have to crane your neck more to see ahead.

It's academic for me; I switched to Headsweats a couple of years ago, and with good wraparound sunglasses I find that a visor just isn't a necessity any more, even though I ride into the sunset on a regular basis.

RichC

"Why are cyclist's so wrapped up in what everyone is wearing and riding, I am getting sick of this crap, it is BULL*****. It is bad enough that cyclist's have to deal with drivers who have no tolerance for people being different, now we have to deal with cyclist's who also have no tolerance! What a wonderful world."

a little touchy, duchy?

Yeah, I was in an angry mood yesterday. I hadn't ridden for a week, and have been feeling unmotivated, due to a concerns over traffic and general safety.

On my commute in I got abused by a garbage truck driver, then buzzed by a ute, then a car layed on the horn, then buzzed by a truck. So I was not in a good mood.

I have actually been contemplating, about getting back into XC riding to avoid the fast moving traffic.

Today I am much better.

CHEERS.

Mark

Winter: Doc Martin style Steel toe shoes, wool dress pants, Nike dry fit top, Marmot gore tex jacket with hood pulled over helmet, mittens. I put on a shirt and tie when I get to work

Summer: same shoes, non wool pants rolled up, no shirt

I have never been cold in winter, or too hot in the summer, even my feet with all that steel.