Helmet Visor

[rdp_au]

Does anyone else use a helmet visor? I wear glasses and use prescription sunglasses which are multifocal and quite expensive. Unfortunately, they both made my eyes water furiously on the bike. It was worse in cold weather – travelling at any speed on early morning commutes rendered me virtually blind. As I’ve been riding motorcycles for many years with glasses, I knew a visor would solve the problem, but I’d never seen a cycling helmet with a visor, except for those swoopy time trial helmets. Very expensive, and not exactly something to wear on the way to work.

I thought about making my own using some clear polypropylene sheet but was a bit concerned about safety in an accident as it can shatter into very sharp shards. I was looking at my motorbike helmet one day and thought why not use the visor from one of those? They are designed to meet safety standards and are already almost the right shape. A spare visor I had matched the shape of my helmet perfectly, so it was easy to simply tape it in place using clear weatherproof tape. The first test ride wasn’t a complete success – it solved the eye watering problem, but fogged up quickly when I slowed down. Took me a little while to realise that I had got into the habit of breathing out through my mouth, especially when working hard and the air was being trapped behind the visor. Once I learned to direct my breathe down, it worked quite well. I used it to commute over winter and it made the trip much more pleasant. I had expected that it would be too hot to use when the weather warmed up, and I would have to go back to watery eyes in summer. I’d got to really like it though, and wanted to use it during the ‘Gong ride in November, but the forecast was for hot weather. As an experiment, I drilled some vent holes in the top of the visor to get some airflow, and decided to give it a go. This worked really well. The helmet felt almost the same as it did without a visor, there was enough airflow to keep cool, but no problems at all with watery eyes.

I now intend to use it all the time. I do get the occasional strange look, but as I ride a recumbent as well, I’m used to that.

David P

[lethoso]

those swoopy time trial helmets
...
as I ride a recumbent as well, I’m used to that.

Come on, do it!

As an alternative you could put a fairing on your 'bent

[Andrew09]

I though Helmet Visor was the name of a German racing car driver!

[il padrone]

As an alternative you could put a fairing on your 'bent

[Chris249]

I've got one of those swoopy time trial helmets with a visor and I also have some minor eye issues, and I can empathise - I'd love to be able to ride to work in it without silly comments!

The TT fairing does seem to work well, and it's more convenient to tip it back and forth than to take sunnies on and off. My TT helmet was just $150 on special, so something like that could be an option, and you know that you have a standards- approved visor.

The fairing at the back of the TT helmet would also be great in the rain, because it would stop water dripping down the back of your neck- but I'm too scared to cop the laughter

EDIT - I only noted you were a 'bent rider when I re-read the post... ignore my comments about looking "odd".

[Rhubarb]

what about one of these ....

http://pjotr320.blogspot.com/2010/01/my ... elmet.html

[Mugglechops]

I typed bicycle helmet visor in google and this was the first thing that came up.

[gorilla monsoon]

A good idea. I can't see why helmet makers have not adopted it long ago, especially for those among us who are spectacle wearers.

[AUbicycles]

If you are on a recumbent - could it be that your head is tilted back a little (or rests at the back) so compared with a urban bicycle let along road bike - there is more air coming from below and underneath your glasses? If this is an issue, I wonder how big the visor has to be to solve this.




On a side note, if you are riding regularly, what about prescription sports glasses that specifically will keep wind out of your eyes? For a road racing position the glasses may work better - though if you found a frame that sits on the top of your cheeks and keeps wind from coming in from below and the side (while open up the top to release moisture), it could be a simpler alternative that a DIY.

[trailgumby]

On a side note, if you are riding regularly, what about prescription sports glasses that specifically will keep wind out of your eyes? For a road racing position the glasses may work better - though if you found a frame that sits on the top of your cheeks and keeps wind from coming in from below and the side (while open up the top to release moisture), it could be a simpler alternative that a DIY.

Yep, this is what I've done.

After my mtb stack in early October I formed the view that my rather ordinary distance vision and the knock-on impairment of depth perception may have been one contributing factor (among several) to not reacting to the sudden change in track direction in time.

So I've bought a pair of Oakley Flak prescription riding glasses with Transitions lenses.

It's taken me some time to get used to them - the first couple of days of walking around it consistently felt like someone kept moving the ground away just as I was about to put my foot down

I've had a pair of Flaks for a couple of years and have been very happy with them as riding glasses. Excellent protection from the wind, from crud getting flicked up off the trail and wet roads, and they ventilate well with little tendency to fog up in the rain. When they do fog up, they clear pretty much immediately I start moving.

The presciption Transitions lense I've chosen goes from clear to mid-brown, and the change is pretty quick - great for riding in a wide range of conditions on the road, and they also handle the change from bright light to dim shadow that you often get on forest trails better than I expected. The improvement in detail vision from 6m to infinity is impressive.

So I'm hoping at this year's Mont 24 that I won't mistake any more dust piles for solid berms

The only ouch was the price - $675 before medical fund rebate

I think maybe I'd better buy one of those GPS tracker things for them

[rdp_au]

The only ouch was the price - $675 before medical fund rebate

This is why I considered a visor. I already had a pair of glasses, and a pair of subscription sunglasses – at a total cost of more than $1300. The last thing I needed was yet another expensive pair. Here’s a link to a picture of my setup, not a neat, and I’m not as handsome as the chap shown in the link Mugglechops found, but it works well enough. Note compulsory gray beard for recumbent riders.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bentechriders/photos/album/992632928/pic/1260843178/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc

Apologies for sending a link, but access to photosharing sites is banned at work...

David

[AUbicycles]

email me the photo if you can and I can link it up: [email protected]
The link you provided is to a closed yahoo group that requires login.

But you are right about the beard, I have heard that they won't let you on a recumbent if your beard isn't up to scratch.

[Ken Ho]

A good idea. I can't see why helmet makers have not adopted it long ago, especially for those among us who are spectacle wearers.

Cos we already look like complete tools.

[Baalzamon]

If you are on a recumbent - could it be that your head is tilted back a little (or rests at the back) so compared with a urban bicycle let along road bike - there is more air coming from below and underneath your glasses? If this is an issue, I wonder how big the visor has to be to solve this.

I've seen from a member a CF visor for this issue. Must have been 6" long or more and very very light. Fastens on with zip ties from memory. Mind you that recumbent rider looks like he is going to have sore legs the way his left leg is setup... Fully locked leg

[il padrone]

Helmet for the Mango velomobile


http://www.xxcycle.com/citye-city-helme ... a,,en.html


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQB8Jsu-OlI&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]

[trailgumby]

Sorry, off topic:
It occurs to me that is a *very* smick-looking 'bent ... but a tad long for the rider. Surely you'd need a slight bend in the knee at bottom of stroke, just like you would on a DF bike to avoid rocking your hips and sustaining a lower back injury?

[il padrone]

TG, your assessment of the leg-length is correct IMHO. Maybe this photo was posted as an illustration of how NOT to do it?? As for readjustments, this is usually easily accomplished on 'bents by a telescoping boom-tube. This one does seem to have that - you can make out what looks like two pinch-bolts underneath the front deraileur mount.

[Baalzamon]

This is a becumbent visor using carbon spider but it's no longer made. I'm thinking to see if I can get it made again. I'll make some inquiries next year when things start opening up again.

[Cheesewheel]

Just thought I would throw this out there coz these are on special. ($42 incl postage - the manufacturer retails them for $80 US - guess these guys are getting rid of stock that doesn't move)


http://www.afn.com.au/store/advanced_se ... 70b7dd0fdc

Ideally the 1/2 face version would be better suited for recumbent cycling



but since the overseas site that distributes them charges $90 postage for some totally weird reason ( ) I can't see me ever getting a pair - maybe try and do a bit of surgery on the 3/4 one

[Pushy]

Take your pick but have you considered goggles. Some sport "goggles"/glasses can have script lens inserts.

[Cheesewheel]

Take your pick but have you considered goggles. Some sport "goggles"/glasses can have script lens inserts.

taken a look at a few different alternative visored helmets (like for tree loppers, marine/fire rescue ops, etc) but they are mostly pretty pricey, don't look particularly well ventilated and on the whole don't look particularly well suited for cycling).

There are a few different visors/goggles that look sort of ok (eg snow skiing or parachuting varieties) (these kroops sky diving goggles came up the best - in terms of price vs quality - in my search - doesn't seem to cut down on peripheral vision too much and maybe wouldn't be so hot and sweaty to wear as ski goggles and the like) ....



or even motorcycle glasses like uglyfish (wrap arounds) but the raygear stuff looks interesting since it covers wide portions of the face that really cop it from the sun in a recumbent riding postion.

Also I think the advantage of having goggles/visor/glasses separately mounted from the helmet is that there is less chance of it getting chipped/scratched as the helmet inevitably gets tossed around when not in use.

[pacra]

Back to the OP. I use prescription glasses outdoors, driving etc (shortsightedness) and have always had a similiar problem to rdp_au, watering eyes especially in winter. Normal prescription glasses get wrecked on a bike, sweat corrodes the frames and the risk of losing them, an expensive episode with multifocals.

I found a helmet visor with wrap around sunglasses minimizes the problem except at dusk when lights flare but even then yellow or rose lenses can cut bad flaring. I had an Adura helmet with a detachable visor (or peak as some call it) which with the sunglasses kept the airstream out of my eyes. At least until the plastic oxidised and crumbled.

Just as good I now wear a pre-helmet cycling cap under the helmet. You do need to iron the peak after washing as it will keep flipping up in a headwind.

I did look on the web and Adura helmets, and others, still come with a detachable visor (peak).

[Riggsbie]

Look up Cratoni Evolution City Helmet....

They have a integrated visor, I bought one from CRC and it's very comfortable but obviously illegal as it does not have a little red & silver AS sticker


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