helmets designed for catching bugs
 

I was having a great afternoon ride, speeding along, when I lowered my head to "check my stem." A large flying insect of some type or another seized this opportunity to fly directly into one of the holes in my helmet and begin creating mischief. First I tried to dig into my helmet to scoop the offensive creature out w/out terribly disrupting my groove. This was a miserable failure, and only succeeded in encouraging the hellspawn to crawl deeper under my helmet to safety, infuriating me. I had to actually unstrap my helmet mid-ride and remove it to get the wicked demon off my sweat-soaked head.

This isn't the 1st time this has happened, but it was definitely the most obnoxious due to the size of the insect. I assume this is a common occurrence, and I guess I should thank the Lord that it wasn't a wasp. Is there a way to avoid this that I'm not aware of? I never see Sagan careening through the peloton trying to get a critter out of HIS helmet. :/

I’ve had it happen a few times, no fun at all. Each time I’ve tried shaking my head around to no avail. Stopping, taking the helmet off, and maybe smacking it against something feels better.

it’s really fairly dangerous to keep riding with bees in the bonnet 🙄😆

Nats are really annoying too. I usually wear a buff under my helmet to wick sweat away and this helps hide any sensation of small bugs crawling around.

large bugs like a bee or wasp is another matter however.

Evidently, others have experienced bugs also-https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bicycle-hel...wAAOSwrklVDJjJ

What is kind of funny is the fact that people that are sold on really expensive helmets with more holes in them suffer this problem the most. Simply put, pay more for more bugs.

I really can’t see how other than a solid helmet this can be avoided ? Dangers inherent?

Forget getting them in the helmet. It's worse in the mouth or an unzipped jersey.

I suppose if really trying to solve for this issue, a helmet like the Smith options could help, with that liner you see

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...62f8bfebab.png

Just another source of protein. I know on a ride not too long ago it seemed like every bug I came close to aimed right for my mouth.

Smith helmets with Koroyd and Trek/Bontrager WaveCel helmets will keep out most bugs while allowing normal ventilation. Several friends wear those and are happy with them.

In years of riding I've trapped a bug in my helmet only once, a week ago -- a June bug. No big deal but could have been unpleasant if it had been a wasp or bee. Fortunately a friend who rides the same routes I do seems to be the bee and wasp magnet so he clears the road for me.

This issue was part of my motivation for getting a Smith helmet with Koroyd. (That, and I think it looks pretty darned cool.) It won't keep out the lil' suckers, gnats and such, but nothing major is going to get in.

I ride near a lot of bug magnets - farms, apple orchards, rivers. Getting stung by a bee that decided to hitch a ride on my arm was enough fun for me. I've seen them get trapped in helmets on group rides as well; not a good time.

There is no direct correlation between cost and helmet vents. A $70 helmet can have 22 vents and a $200 helmet can have 15 vents, or even fewer.

Read more and post less.

Nonsense. My $50 helmet as many vent holes as my $250 helmet.

Years ago, I used helmets from a German company called Uvex… In the front vents, they had very fine screens… Kind of a mesh. Did a great job keeping bugs out. I wish more helmets were designed that way.

Umm, a week ago was the end of August. I believe what you encountered was a September bug.;)

back at the start of COVID we were trying a socially distanced pace line, and the guy at the front got a bug in his mouth. Rather than spit, he swallowed. What a mensch!😂

I can't tell you how hard it was to resist making a spit vs. swallow joke...

Here is a solution you might try.
At $13 per 100..... YES, one hundred. It's a cheap fix.


All the best

Barry

ha! Well I certainly wasn’t going there 😬
One time I was chewing gum on the bike. A large bug - bluebottle or something - flew in and I got a couple of “chews” in before it dawned on me that the wad on my mouth wasn’t all gum. Much spitting/rinsing, never again chewing and riding🤢

I had a similar thing happen to me. I was cruising down a steep downhill section (road) and I see an insect flying along and headed straight for me. I tried to dodge it but it flew right into one of the holes in my helmet and landed directly on my head. The next thing I know I feel a sharp pain where this thing had landed. Turns out it was a yellowjacket and it had just stung me on my scalp. I stopped my bike and took off my helmet to get the thing off my head. I then realized that I am allergic to bees and had some good sized hills ahead of me to get home. I figured that continuing my ride would only serve to spread the venom faster so I called my wife to come get me. Once home I took some Benedryl. It hurt for a while but I lived.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...223de37272.jpg

make a helmet cover of the bed nets fabric used to keep Malaria carrying mosquitoes from biting you while you sleep..

I just strap a hungry frog on my head.

Adjunct to this is tooth paste for cyclist. The best brand is Bugout!!!!!! :)

The avid off-road cyclists in the town where I used to live did a lot of their riding in swampy forest areas where bugs are terrible in the Spring and Early Summer. All of them would buy a bug net (Like this one: https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5047-4...raNet-Head-Net ) and cut/modify it to be a snug fitting helmet cover.

And now I think I jinxed myself by starting this thread. Or it's 2020. I was happily whizzing along on a freshly paved and very smooth section of road today when some type of stinging insect (Murder Hornet?) hit me in the face and stung me instantly.

I want to use this opportunity to remind all the young riders out there... always wear eye protection! In this case the fiend got me in the exposed flesh between the top of my Oakleys and the rim of my helmet. I shudder to imagine what might have been. As it was, I'm sure passing motorists were wondering what in the 9 Hells was going on with me in that moment.

It's evening now, and it still hurts.