Eyewear for rain and snow?

[MCL1981]

What are you guys wearing over your eyes in the rain and snow? Last week I realized I neglected that when I was getting gear. I tried my ski goggles in the rain… terrible. For the snow, I had nothing. Really slow going with the snow or rain blowing in your eyes.

[DSalovesh]

RainX helps some. Don’t try it on your favorite pair as it may damage the coating, but a spare lens set (I always seem to have clears left over) or a cheap pair of shades should work fine.

A helmet visor also keeps some of the precip off too. My go-to, high-zoot helmet doesn’t offer a visor so I got a cheap-o one just for bad weather – it’s also a “universal” size that fits over a hat or headband better.

The combo gets me though all the cold bad weather pretty well.

[PotomacCyclist]

I think I wore a running cap under my helmet a couple times last year. Some of the “commuter” bike helmets include an insert with a visor.

[dbb]

As a glasses wearer, I think a see through visor like hockey players wear would be pretty useful.

http://www.oakley.com/technology/hockey-visor

While I am sure it would decrease my aerodynamic efficiency, the impact would be minimal.

I’ve not seen any bike helmets that include this feature.

[PotomacCyclist]

I have a visor on my Louis Garneau aero helmet. There are different colors available, including smoke, amber and clear. I don’t know if there are visors available for standard bike helmets.

http://www.louisgarneau.com/in-en/product/305547/1405956/Helmets/VORTTICE_HELMET (I have an older LG model, not the Vorttice.)

[CCrew]

@PotomacCyclist 13144 wrote:

I have a visor on my Louis Garneau aero helmet. There are different colors available, including smoke, amber and clear. I don’t know if there are visors available for standard bike helmets.

http://www.louisgarneau.com/in-en/product/305547/1405956/Helmets/VORTTICE_HELMET (I have an older LG model, not the Vorttice.)

Is it just me, or is anyone else expecting to soon see a video of Dirt commuting with one of these?

If not I have a Spiuk one he can borrow:)

[5555624]

While I don’t normally wear glasses, I either wear clear lenses or sunglasses whenever I am riding. I probably ride two miles a year without then.

[Dirt]

I’m weird with eye-wear when it is cold and wet. I’ve got a few good pairs of well-ventilated glasses that I often start out with. There’s a wax-based lens treatment called “Cat Crap” that helps in some conditions. When I pull up to stop lights I slide the glasses down my nose so they fog less. I carry a cleaning cloth easily accessible. In some conditions, I switch over to really good quality snowboarding goggles. There are different lens treatments for those too, though you need to make sure they’re compatible with the plastic or polycarbonate of the lens. Human saliva is a fairly good lens treatment for goggles.

Visors are a mixed bag. Some keep rain and snow off the lenses, but also limit ventilation which causes fogging.

Even with all that, there are still conditions where nothing helps visibility and all eye-wear ends up on the back of my head.

Rock and roll.

Pete

[dasgeh]

I bike in my glasses and throw on a cycling cap with a visor when I remember to. Seems to work fine.

I haven’t figured out a solution to the balaclava problem – when I pull the balaclava or scarf over my mouth, it steams up my glasses. If I don’t, I’m cold. Suggestions?

[Greenbelt]

Paintball players also have problems with fogged safety goggles. I wonder if there are any decent anti-fog sprays marketed for use on paintball goggles that could be safely used on clear sunglass lenses? I remember we had a thread on this a few months ago, I’ll see if I can find it. I wanted to try some of that anti-fog stuff on an old pair of lenses, but never got around to it.

[pfunkallstar]

I’ve gone through a couple of different options for lens treatments and have not had much success with any, especially when it is cold and damp. Sometimes I just forgo the glass altogether and just deal with the red-contact-lens-eye-abrasion.

[americancyclo]

@dasgeh 13162 wrote:

when I pull the balaclava or scarf over my mouth, it steams up my glasses. If I don’t, I’m cold. Suggestions?

I use a balaclava over my head, but leave my mouth exposed. over that, i wear a half-face neoprene mask. it’s vented under the nose and had holes around the mouth. my glasses fog up, but only when standing still. once i start moving on the bike, they defog in a matter of seconds. this works for me at any temps under 40. over that i find i don’t need the neoprene mask.

[vvill]

I have motocross goggles which do seem to work for the coldest days without fogging up, but this winter hasn’t really co-operated enough to test them in cold rain/snow conditions. The only caveat is that you do have to turn your head more to see behind you. I wear them with a neoprene balaclava.

[rcannon100]

I go to the hardware store and by cheap safety glasses. Work great and cost a fraction of glasses sold in a bike store.

When I biked home in the snow the other day, I took off my helmet and put on a baseball cap (I bike 95% on bike path – not in traffic)

[Arlingtonrider]

I just wear a waterproof baseball type cap or hood that has a visor under my helmet. (Both designed for under helmet use.) So far, that has worked fine for me, although one day I had to occasionally swipe my glasses with a finger. I use the half-face masks too, but I don’t have a neoprene one. I have one that is something like slightly stretchy soft gore-tex (made by Gore) and one that is fleece. Both work well.

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