snow on glasses blocking vision
 

today was my first time riding home with a lot of snow falling.

studded tires performed well enough; problem was I couldn't see where I was going.

snow kept sticking to my prescription glasses (without which I can't see anything). it was much worse than rain. of course I tried wiping them off, with only meager success, and they coated again quickly.

any tips on handling this predicament? it was bad enough I almost admitted defeat and called my wife to come get me.

(search function was unhelpful finding tips)

try some over the glasses type goggles.
they don't work with all glasses, unfortunately.

I'd go with some goggles that fit over the glasses. I ended up with some $12 Raider brand ATV goggles, which work pretty well. Snow doesn't stick to the lens, and they resist fogging pretty well (not perfect, but I'll drill some vent holes to help). Does your helmet have a visor?

thanks jag410. helmet does have a visor, which helps to block rain but less so for snow, as the snow tends to swirl around and hit you from the front.

googles are a good suggestion, will check around for some.

I had the same problem. I went to the local hardware shop and picked up a pair of eye glass protectors. They are "over glasses" and don't have a strap(which works well for me). They also do a good job of cutting down on the wind that make the eyes tear. Good Luck hope it works out for you.

Hi mtalinm,

I saw your recent post about your ride on the Commuter Forum, with that complaint. I've touted safety goggles for years for eye protection with the least fogging, and IMO I have a system that is the best, after reading repeated threads about that problem. My latest post, with pictures is:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sing-your-eyes post #19

For any precipitation, I find that just wiping the lenses with a finger is sufficient, but needs to be repeated as often as the situation demands. For precipitation, I also wear a baseball cap with a visor longer than the usual cycling cap.

Happy Holidays, or if you prefer, Merry Christmas, and good winter riding. :D

You can try wearing a fleece winter baseball cap under your helmet so the visor will block some of the snow from getting on your glasses. REI sells them. Or use a mountain bike helmet with a visor. But it will probably not work as well. The visor needs to be long enough and ride close to the top of your glasses. Then I would suggest you try the safety glasses approach described by "Jim from Boston" above. I think it works best if you get the kind of safety glasses that have a flat lens. Since the cheap curved plastic kind can add a lot of optical distortion when combined with prescription glasses.

Here's a nice cap from lands end that may work.

http://www.landsend.com/pp/FleeceCap...7&origin=index

You want a hat that is thin and does not have the traditional button on top. The only complication with this method is that your glasses will not unfog as fast if they become fogged since the visor blocks some of the airflow. But together with the safety glasses it might work well.

Ah, so safety glasses not ski goggles. Like the idea a lot. Can I just grab a pair ay Home Depot or is there some special brand? I didn't see onrpe in your post.

And does the snow really not stick to the safety glasses? I wouldn't imagine they would be designed that way, but it sounds like they work for you

What type of snow was this? I get snow and rain on my glasses. I just normally use my index finger windshield wiper fashion. One wipe is good for 3-5 minutes. But maybe you had some unusual snow.

The stickiness of the snow depends a lot on the area and humidity and the air temperature. Ski goggles can work for some people but it can get expensive to make them work with glasses and a cycling helmet. I'd try the safety glasses and cap approach first. If the snow is sticking to your glasses it will stick to most other things. But the safety glasses can be wiped off really easy and they will defog quickly. Goggles take a long time to defog and work better for those who ride fast and their head does not get very hot. When your head gets hot nearly anything you wear on your eyes will get fogged up if it doesn't have a steady stream of fresh air across it's surface. The safety glasses usually will defog faster. I prefer to use a single pair of prescription safety glasses that stay defogged even better. But when the snow sticks to them it is not so good. If the snow is falling hard the visor will keep about half of the snow off your glasses. This can help. But if your head gets too hot it will make it hard to keep any kind of eye cover unfogged. You will have to experiment to find out what works the best for you and your conditions.

I ride in the snow a lot and I use...fleece ball cap with ear flaps, you can find all over, and then clear ski googles over my perscription glasses. Go try some on and see what fits over your personal glasses, ski goggles are made to fit over ski helmets so they go over bike helmet fine. I like clear but I have purple ones also that work ok. Also, get an anti fog cloth for both goggles and perscription glasses as it helps keep the fogging down.
Your other option is sports goggles with your perscrption in them, expensive but if you ride in snow a good portion of the time it might be worth it.

Hi mtalinm

I was enroute to Michigan for a family visit, so this is my first chance to post. Home Depot had two brands or types if I recall, both about $ 5.00. I don't remember the name; it was about two years ago and they still are fine. I took a picture on my above referenced post. They have pretty wide lenses with clear side panels and rigid earpieces, that allow me to attach my Take-a-Look rearview mirror. They are roomy enough for my eyeglasses and I use my previously described suspension system to keep my helmet from pressing them down on my face. My cut-off for wearing them is about 35 degrees F. Any warmer and the precipitation is rain, and I can keep my eyglasses reasonably clear with a baseball cap and wiping.

I've ridden in about 5 to 10 active snowfalls with them and don't recall a problem by just wiping off with a finger, with no streaking. This week, on Monday if I recall, there was a light but wet snowfall, and on 14 miles, I think I had to wipe maybe twice.

Jim

Sweet, thanks! I just picked up a pair at sears fir three bucks that seem to fit fine. Now if it would just snow again...

So if you're in Michigan then that wasn't you I saw pedaling across the 1a bridge around lunchtime...

Maybe try Rain-X on your glasses. I've had great success with it on ski goggles.