treadtread

My Bell helmet has a vizor, I never removed it. Works well enough.

Double0757

Bought clear prescription sunglasses (wrap around), transition lenses (clear at night or inside, and some darkening during day) with anti glare and scratch resistance protection. Put a secure strap and "take a look" mirror. Both the mirror and the glasses are protected from the rain with a fast drying nylon baseball type hat (found in fishing stores) used under the helmet. This I found to be the most effective way to deal with the droplets on the glasses, without obstructing visibility.

As a side note. If there is standing water on the road, I wear an earplug on the left ear to prevent street water from entering my ear from the spray of passing cars.

Double O

eja_ bottecchia

OP, I got tired of dealing with the rain and fog while wearing glasses. So I did what any reasonable rider would do in my situation....I got Lasik eye surgery!

Dwayne

Sorry, I thought that was implied. Yep, prescription lenses, -2.5 in both eyes. The glasses don't hug my face as well as some of my other non-prescription sports glasses I wear with contacts, but they do a pretty good job, no complaints.

I agree, they only reduce brightness, but that was a small disadvantage I weighed against being able to use one pair of glasses for all commuting conditions, and not having to deal with carrying multiple pairs with me. I find polarized lenses much more beneficial while driving, the lack while cycling doesn't bother me at all.

fietsbob

Grundens' Sou'wester https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/ar4.htm

2_i 

Taiga helmet version

fietsbob

https://www.reddenmarine.com/grundens...Fed_QgodaxgAGQ

except it's not .. the fold in the brim keeps water from running off the front,
ear flaps and the elastic chin strap mean
that truck blowing water off the street into your ear wont happen .

and the brim is wider thatn a helmet .. it stows with my Rain Cape in a Bike bag when I dont need it .

Sou'wester is a century+ refined off shore bit of commercial Fisherman's Gear ..

that is where I got mine, local Marine supply ,,
I got oversize .. so a warm cap underneath, fits..



MEC has had something like that helmet cover with a mudflap for years.

Leisesturm

My eyes are spoiled, literally and figureatively. My uncorrected vision is 20/350+ so riding without glasses is not an option. Corrected I'm about 20/70. It takes serious lenses to get that kind of correction and my last two prescriptions have had a compound curve so the outside surface bows inward nearly as much as the inside surface. I don't know if the curve has something to do with it but wiping it dry with a finger doesn't really get the job done. My eyes are also usually behind full wrap Solar Shields that go over the glasses. They do such a good job of keeping wind and stuff out of my eyes that they now have no tolerance for bike riding in just prescription lenses. As long as its raining in the daytime there is no problem. The Solar Shields can get as wet as they want, I can wipe them down every now and then or just let them bead up and squint. I use Rain-X anti-fog on the inside of the Solar Shields. They only cost $20.00/pr. and I keep a couple of pairs on the go at all times because I manage to lose a pair every six months or so. At night I have been looking for a solution. Solar Shields does not make a clear. It would be great if they did. I've tried cheapo safety glasses and goggles from Home Depot but they get dull very quickly. Something like motorcycle goggles is beginning to look real appealing. Losing those won't be fun. People have said that they wear yellow lenses at night. I don't know how that would work, anyone? I think Solar Shields has yellow lenses.

H

Squeeze

I do as many have suggested already - let the rain hit my glasses/prescription sunglasses and hope my brain compensates for the mess on the lenses.

I haven't been commuting long enough on a bike to have experienced something I've definitely dealt with while skiing in the snow (or worse - skiing in the rain!): rain hitting glasses (or ski goggles) is more pleasant than snow/rain pelting you in your bare eyeballs.

But, I ski a lot faster than I can pedal a bike.

goldfinch

I have used this squeegee for motorcycle visors. Easy to use. Some might like it for glasses. https://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-v...-squeegee.html

jyl

To the OP - wear a cap under your helmet, the brim will protect your glasses a little, and you want to stop rain from coming through the helmet vents. Use an anti-fog solution if fogging up is an issue. Otherwise, don't sweat it. Rain on eyeglasses isn't a big problem. A quick wipe with the finger of your glove should be enough of a "windshield wiper". If the rain is hard enough to interfere with your vision through eyeglasses, it is probably hard enough to interfere with the vision of those without glasses too. I ride in Portland with glasses.

daihard 

I experienced some serious rain this evening - probably for the first time since i started riding. It didn't rain through the afternoon despite the weather forecast, so I took my bike out after dinner for a quick ride on the trail. As luck would have it, it started coming down pretty hard as soon as I got to the trail, so I ended up riding back home right away. It was a mere 20 minutes, but enough to show me what it's like to ride with the glasses on in the rain.

In a nutshell, you guys were right. It did bother me, but I was able to see fairly well through the raindrops on the lenses. I did have my rain jacket on, which sure helped. I think I'll need a pair of full-finger gloves. Mine is fingerless so I can't wipe the rain off my glasses!

JoeyBike

+1 for visor to minimize drops. Dense fog is a bigger issue for me. I use a microfiber cloth as a windshield wiper. If the fog is thick or rain is blowing I just keep the cloth under my hand on the bars and wipe as needed. Same with my flight recorder. When my glasses need wiping I assume the video camera lens needs it too (I can't see the front of the camera while riding).

2_i 

You only know one side. Taiga grabs the helmet with a mesh finished with an adjustable elastic cord - it cannot be blown off or otherwise much affected by a gust. Its outline extends beyond the helmet's outline everywhere, including sides. Personally I need impact protection even during the rain: what am I going to do with the Grundens hat in combination with a helmet? If I were not using a helmet, I'd favor raincape's hood over Grundens - less bother. The latter might be useful, though, for someone riding in a rainjacket and without a helmet.

Taiga is Canadian, but is having a tradition of covers with long flaps a bad thing??!

arsprod 

I didn't get transitional lenses from Zenni - for about $6 you can get a polarized sun clip. So, for pair of glasses (no line bifocal actually) and 2 sun clips I spent about $60.

fietsbob

got one from MEC, just not a helmet wearer . I am old and not adventurous any more .

Slow and sticking to the local area .

you go across to Ontario to buy those?

Showers pass has something like it , but still the water drips off the front of the visor.

that fold in the brim is functionally a gutter .. I need to fix the Gutter on my house.


Taiga is the far northern Forest type around the Globe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga only part of it is Canadian

daihard 

I'm debating whether to get progressive (i.e. no-line bifocal) lenses for my bike rides. That's what my regular pair of glasses has, but I'm wondering if the "near" portion is really needed when riding. If I can get away with monofocal lenses, I can probably save quite a bit of money.

arsprod 

Well, I tried it without (pair of cool Zenni sport glasses with no bifocal) and it drove me nuts. My vision's not that bad but try adjusting a brake pad, change a tube, or make a phone call (when stopped of course).

daihard 

I know what you mean. I have IOLs (as the result of cataract removal). Since my IOLs are adjusted for distance, I can see far relatively well (20/40 without correction) but can't see near at all. You have a good point. I was merely thinking about riding, but I will need to stop and do things, at which time I need to be able to see near, and I sure don't want to have to carry another pair of glasses with me just for those purposes.

niuoka

On my motorcycle I have the glove squeegees, but on my bike, the speed and condensation don't build up that fast. On my bike, if light drizzle and it gets past my visor, then I have a handy microfiber towel, then if its raining too hard, I just go without my glasses, lucky for me I can see far distance pretty well. without my glasses, cant read the computer on my bicycle but if raining that hard, my computer is in one of the pannier.

I do have two pair of zenni's bifocal that I use for working around the house, riding, twisting wrenches etc, so if they get broken, not a big loss.
Nice things, around the house, wear my $250 perscriptions

tsl

I agree with the others.

When actually riding along? Meh. Not a biggie.

But stop to change a tube, go into a store, or read a map? That's when I need them.

In case you didn't know, there are differences between each make and model of progressive lens. On the bike, I really, really like Carl Zeiss GT2 lenses. Mine are polarized too. The sharpness and clarity in the upper part of the lens is fantastic, even when looking off to the side. Very little astigmatic distortion, so much less point-your-nose for distance.

If expense is an issue, just get lined.

alan s 

Best solution is to wear contact lenses, and change to glasses when you get to your destination. Better peripheral vision is a bonus. Sunglasses or clear glasses protect the eyes from wind.

2_i 

Sure, I am fully aware that the term stems from Russian and most of that type of forest is in Siberia. But some of it ventures into our Michigan too. Anyway, while the company that adopted the name is Canadian, those helmet covers are sold on Amazon (in black now though only) and the company also ships them directly to the US.

I was thinking about the brim fold and the fact that its nominal lack in Taiga never bothered me. It could that the practical situation is more complicated - for one the cloth certainly adopts more positions than in the standard product photo.

fietsbob

Im 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean when it rains it can be a heavy Squall storm front.

you chose different.

daihard 

Unfortunately, I can't wear contact lenses. My right eye flares up with a contact lens in, for some weird reason. At least that's what happened when I first tried them back in high school.

It's okay though. I'm completely used to wearing glasses.