hawkijohn

I always wear eye protection but lately I'm considering covering my mouth and nose. It's knat season in the midwest (along with other species) and on a late in the day ride, working hard and breathing heavy, on more than one accasion, I've sucked in the little ufo's!

DnvrFox

A park ranger naturalist told me that one of the little bugs has more protein than a power bar.

Bring some catsup.

I eat them all the time.

stapfam

Protein helps to build muscle. Only problem is if they have a bite or a sting.

FarHorizon

Avon "Skin-So-Soft" repels gnats. Unfortunately, it won't keep them out of your mouth at speed!

jcm

Air krill. If they have a bite or a sting, make sure you get the first chomp.

cyclezealot

Just like eye protection does not always work. Not much can be done about flying insects. I some times think different bugs taste different.
Can try keeping your mouth closed. When I really get some heavy respiration going on, it is difficult to keep my mouth closed.

Artkansas 

You gotta quit using that nose hair trimmer. Then they can't get in. One of the few benefits of aging.

cheeseflavor

LOL!

Somehow, Dnvr, I don't think that's the answer the OP was looking for. Really though, I don't think there is a solution other than a full face mask or simply not breathing when you hit one of the bug "clouds". We're starting to get them now too. Those, and dragonflies and junebugs too which really smart when you take one in the face.

Steve

NOS88

I run into the same thing, and it is especially annoying when they sting on the way in or out (sometimes I'm successful at spitting the little buggers out.) But you know the old joke; "How do you tell the happiest motorcyclist? The one with the most bugs on his teeth." So, I just grin and bear it.

pastorbobnlnh 

35-40 years ago I taught myself how to ride a bike by sitting on my handlebars while facing backwards. I could ride all over the place. Of course the back of the head would be covered with bug splat after a 20 mile ride.

Digital Gee

Wait just a gol-darn minute. You rode TWENTY MILES backwards????

jppe

I was zooming down the Blue Ridge Parkway doing about 45 mph and a huge, pretty hard bug hit my glasses. If I didn't have my glasses on I'd probably be wearing a patch over that eye right now......

I've had bees fly into my mouth and also down my jersey.....neither incident was too much fun!!

NeilM

I'll leave the helmet behind before the eye protection. Never have had a head-knocking fall, but have had plenty of face-fulls of road grit, bugs, etc etc etc...

Louis

Bees and wasps going into helmet vents or into open jersey zipper will cause me to stop abruptly when riding alone.
However, in a tight group or paceline one must tough it out or consequences could be much worse than a mere sting.

Aside from swallowing part of a grasshopper once, I've been lucky enough to keep most bugs out of my mouth.

I read somewhere recently that there are 1 billion insects for every human on the planet.

guybierhaus

Well first of all I'm usually not going fast enough to actually suck in bugs, more a case of bug flying into mouth. I was thinking a paint ball mask or hockey goldie mask, inside lined with thin filter material. If you color coordinate with helmet, shouldn't look any more wierd than the helmet. But then a cowboy driving cattle flashes before me, and I would think their use of a bandana to keep out trail dust would also keep out the bugs. Again another item for a fashion statement. Now if I just knew what to do with the spurs...

DnvrFox

Yes, and they are all on the northern portion of the Platte River Trail in Denver.

Louis

I'd love to ride in that area someday, bugs or no bugs.

DnvrFox

When I worked in northern Denver, I would do an after-work ride in the area each day of about 20 miles. I would go through swarms of literally millions of the critters during the hatch. So dense, it was hard at times to see the trail.

You do learn to keep your mouth closed.

- no

- yes

Louis

If you do use the cowboy bandana method...be sure to remove the bandana before entering a convenience store for your mid-ride snack.

Carusoswi

Well, it could be my imagination, but, it seems around here the bugs are really worse this year. As some of you have mentioned, I come upon and have to ride through thick clouds of bugs. I wear glasses, and what I have right now are just plain glasses, no wrap around and not very large lenses. I really need to do something to better protect my eyes.

On some early evenings the bugs are so bad it really starts to ruin my ride.

I have yet to be stung, however, so I guess I'm lucky.

Caruso

NOS88

The more thought I give to this (usually a bad thing) the more I'm inclined to think that the only real solutions is to ride in a pace line and avoid pulling at the front... but then you've got a whole set of different problems.

DnvrFox

Don't you love it when the bugs start climbing up the inside of your sun glasses, and you see this dark moving blur.

Then you start blowing out your mouth, trying to direct the air stream up inside your glasses to blow the bug away.

Then, you feel this strange sensation inside your helmet. It doesn't go away until you take a good long shower after your ride!

edp773

If you come up with a sensable solution let me know. The gnats have been bad on the Illinois side of the Mississippi too. Last night, while attemptimg to ride half my age, I ran into numerous clouds of the little bugs. I have a visor on my helmet and tilt my head down when entering their flying pacelines, but still managed to get one under my glasses and into my left eye.

I must close my mouth by reflex action because I get more in my nose than in my mouth. I breathe mostly through my mouth when when riding at or near 80%. Doesn't everybody?

The bugs are a pain, but I would rather deal with them than inhalimg a bumper or a face plant.

roccobike

+1