Buy giant "granny glasses" as I call them. My gramma uses them, they're big enough to fit over glasses, they just make you look like a space bug.

Wouldn't that be eye cancer in your eye, not skin cancer? You can get clip-ons that go on your glasses, but they'll be polarized (makes it harder to see puddles). There are sunglasses that fit over normal glasses that aren't huge; I considered some at Walmart. My insurance covered all but ~$65 for prescription sunglasses, so I ended up getting those. You can get them even cheaper if you don't care about polycarbonate lenses or a scratch-resistant coating.

As a followup to this thread, here is additional information regarding UV, sunscreen and cancer:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=5541

Highly informative.

I do a lot of cycling with my 3 small kids in tow and since they are all fair skinned and red haired to one degree or another, we are very protective of their skin. Plus I am one of those rare people that burns and peels, burns and peels, yet never gets even the slightest hint of a tan. So again very protective of my skin.

For my small kids, which start riding on front mounted bike seats and trail a bikes really young (currently 16 months, 3 years and just turned 6) cycling jerseys are hard to find. So we have purchased long sleeve "Rash guards" for everyone. (from here and landsend.com http://www.rashguardshirtco.com/page/R/CTGY/longrash) They normally have an SPF of 50 and have nice stand up collars, which greatly reduce the need for sunscreen and reapplication. With 3 little ones in tow, it is really difficult to get the proper amount of sunscreen on everyone at the right times. I also try to keep shorts on them that come down over the top of the knees since that is the most exposed to the sun.

So now I really only have to deal with sunscreen on the face and tops of the hands, which is much easier! I have found that I really love my rash guard shirts for cycling. They dry very quickly, so I never feel damp and they seem to breath nicely. Plus the SPF factor makes cycling a much more enjoyable experience for me.

Another concern about eyes and UV radiation is cataract formation. Quoting from http://www.optometry.com/cataracts.html

Regular clear, colorless prescription eyeglasses can be coated to protect against 98+% UV for a relatively modest price.

With sunglasses, darker or polarization doesn't necessarily mean better UV protection. It depends on the color and coating. The degree of UV protection is generally listed on sun glasses. You can also bring sunglasses in to an optometrist and have them checked.

I think nowadays it's pretty much the default for prescription glasses to come with the UV coating. I feel that being a glasses-wearer is actually a benefit to your eye health (UV-wise) since you're always protected, vs non-glasses-wearers who only put on sunglasses when it is bright out.

It's an inherent properties of essentially all optical plastics. Glass needs a coating.

I protect by wearing a bandana on my head to protect my balding pate from the sun coming through my helmet holes. Other than that I slather on sunscreen in the morning to every exposed part. I barely tan.

Your outfit looks very effective, but it also looks as if it would cut down on peripheral vision. Comments?

I'm fairer skinned than you but grew up in an era before UV protectants. I'm 55 and in the last ten years I've seen the moles and suspicious skin anomalies develop. Had a friend die at age 41 from skin cancer.

ditto, lots easier than slimy lotion. I save that stuff for back of hands, ears and neck.

Up until about 40 years ago no one wore sun screen. Were skin cancer rates higher then?
Getting sunlight is very important (and the best way) for your body to make vitamin D. I don't think it's a good idea to cover up too much. I don't wear any sun screen for most of the spring/summer/fall. I build up my exposure gradually until I'm confident I won't burn. Right now I can spend the whole day in fairly intense sun light. I've heard that the southern U.S. states has the lowest cancer rates compared to the northern states, which have less sun.

Jesse,

Back in 1999 or 2000 I had a case of sun poisoning (at least that's what the doctor called it). I worse shorter shorts than usual and the band of skin that wasn't used to seeing the sun got really sun burnt. It was painful but the next day it was rock hard and numb. My question is, do I have a greater risk than other people because I was sun poisoned?

How common is skin cancer on the shin (leg)?

My friend had a cancerous spot on his shin, the most bony part of the leg. It turned into a huge issue because of it's proximity to the bone (just a few mm of skin/flesh to the bone). His doctor said it would have been easier if the spot was on a meatier part of his body.

I wear long sleeves jersey but haven't gotten used to the long pants yet (just so darn hot).

It may help to try synthetics.
 

Have had some problems with skin cancer, now I have to be very careful. If it helps, I wear SPF 50 button up long sleeve shirts and long pant/shorts, being made of a light weight synthetic material they are not that hot. Shirt is well vented and pants are loose fitting. Not as cool as the "just shorts" I wore on the beaches of south Florida many years ago, but not that bad. This is what I ride and mow in, otherwise I'm lookin' for shade.

Same here. I use the clip-ons, which offer a degree of UV protection, although I don't know how much. There are different sizes to fit your lenses. I have had no issues with seeing puddles and the like due to them being polarized. Available at Walmart for about $10, among other places.

I just spoke with my Doctor about this issue a couple of weeks ago. She recommended I use a sunscreen containing zinc oxide, which she said would provide better protection against different kinds of UV light, and said anything above SPF 30 is just marketing hype and not really more effective. She is a GP, not a dermatologist. The OP says the higher the SPF the better. So now I'm confused.

Night riding is sounding more appealing

And here I thought I was the rarest of creatures in the cycling world. The 'covered as much as possible' sort. I might be the one of the only ones in Sweden. :P

had a couple proto melanomas removed , now, where I live,

I live under high SPF raingear most of the year..

Wow, Iraqi bike clothing FTL.

Hi.
Thanks for alerting us all about this danger. I normally apply sun protection to my face, ears, neck and arms, but never to my legs or hands and don't own leg/arm "warmers" or long cycling gear. I guess I will have to step up. Even on a cloudy day, protection is needed

I've been using a long sleeve Jersey for years as well as long pants of some sort. I don't feel that much warmer dressed this way than if I wore short sleeve shirts, and shorts.

Has anyone tried out the dabrim visor? http://www.dabrim.com

I've been looking for something like this. Thanks! This looks like it would also help when cycling in the rain.

There a numerous reviews online for the Da Brim. I found the following most informative:

http://lovethefold.blogspot.com/2012...ng-report.html
http://pathlesspedaled.com/2012/12/r...m-rezzo-visor/

I try to do most of my summer training mileage in late evenings or early mornings as the midday UV really works a number on me. On tours and all day rides I have tried several methods, none of which work well. I have a Coolmax Buff that works pretty good until the temperatures exceed 80F, after that it's just too hot to wear something around my neck and ears.

Do you have any suggestions for a long sleeve jersey suitable for hot humid weather?

Yes! I've been beating my head against the wall, trying to figure out how to make something like this since shoving a wide brimmed hat under a helmet wouldn't work! :D

Thank you!!

Could your sunscreen be causing cancer?

http://www.ecoevaluator.com/lifestyl...-sunblock.html

Excellent link! Everyone should be aware of the carcinogens in regular sunscreens.

No.

For years I used a cheap cotton bandana tucked under helmet and shirt collar. Plus sunblock.

Last couple years, recognizing the bandana is simply too thin and lacks adequate opacity/sunproofness, I took an old white hand towel, cut off some corners to reduce fabric bunching up under helmet, and wear it as a sun cape. It wraps clear around to my face, and fully covers neck, part of back, ears, and some of face. I place it on my head, secure it with a coolmax Headsweats dew-rag thingy, then put on shirts, which keep it tucked into place up to 30mph. I wear 2 long sleeve shirts (polypropylene lightweight thermal underwear with OSHA yellow UV-dyed "safety" tee shirt on outside. It is hot in 100F weather, but you can get used to it. Of course, you look like a nut doing this, but it's a safe assumption that you already look like a nut to most people from simply riding a bike in the first place.

Have you thought of something like this (the pictures are over a decade old, come from an on-line journal of two people cycling around Australia, and I don't have the source information):

Gee, if the sun doesn't give you cancer then the lack of sun will. You need Vitamin D to prevent cancer. The source of Vitamin D is the sun. I don't ever put on suntan lotion. I'll take my chance of getting skin cancer versus all the other kinds of cancer that I could get by not getting enough Vitamin D.