Originally Posted by mcours2006

I guess I should have asked my fellow commuters before going ahead and ordering a pair of snowboarding/ski goggles for commuting in really, really cold and windy days. I found last year when I just wore clear glasses it was not sufficient protection for my eyes against the blowing cold. My concern with the goggles is that they may fog up easily and that my peripheral vision might be limited.

Has anyone tried using goggles for winter commutes? What's been your experience with them? Are some types better than others?

Or have I just wasted my money?

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

I've used ski goggles with clear lenses. They're hard to find, but Scott makes them. They don't fog up, but I wear them over glasses, and my glasses fog up. I can ride OK without my glasses on, so that's what I do when it's really bitter cold (below zero). I am going to mess around with the vents on the goggles this winter to see if I can improve matters.

One important thing is to arrange your muffler so your breath doesn't enter your goggles. I'm thinking of getting a neoprene balaklava.

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

I'm thinking of getting a neoprene balaklava.

Originally Posted by mcours2006

.... I found last year when I just wore clear glasses it was not sufficient protection for my eyes against the blowing cold. My concern with the goggles is that they may fog up easily and that my peripheral vision might be limited.

Has anyone tried using goggles for winter commutes? What's been your experience with them? Are some types better than others?

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

I perennially post about my winter eyewear for my 14 mile year-round commute, from about 35° down to as low as 0°. I must wear my prescription eyeglasses, and fogging is one of the worst dangers of winter riding. I am entirely satisfied with my system:

I have also often suggested that any recommendations for winter riding include description of the conditions in which they are employed, i.e. lowest temperature and distance.

Addendum:
This morning (12/14/13) I did my 14 mile commute at 11° F with no fogging problems. After about one mile I was comfortable with lowering my face mask below my lower lip. When going fast on windswept downhill runs of about a few hundred yards, I raised my face mask to below my nose. The warm, moist exhaled air kept my exposed nose and cheeks warm, and the onrushing air dissipated the moisture before it could fog up the goggles. With a slightly forced exhalation, I could even warm my eyebrows, with no fogging.

I realize now that my goggles and face mask are actually an integrated system of heating and ventilation that keeps my face warm and my vision unencumbered by fogging. The windscreen of the goggles is so effective in keeping my eyes warm that my eyelids actually perspired because my central core body was so warm, and my eyes never got cold, even on those fast windswept downhill runs.

Sometimes brief fogging does occur, literally with each breath but is then immediately swept away. One has to be careful though, that condensation does not linger at particularly cold temperatures less than about 15°, or it can quickly turn to frost and will not go away unless scraped off. This happened on a ride at about 0° at about mile 11 as shown below. Nonetheless it only occurred on the lateral half of the right-hand lens, and I still had enough forward vision, and left-hand peripheral vision so I could use my rearview mirror, and I felt comfortable riding the last 3 miles.

Finally, last Monday I rode in a sleety, wintry mix, and wore a billed baseball cap under my helmet. My prescription eyeglasses stayed dry and clear, and my vision was good with occasional swipes of the goggles with a gloved finger.

Originally Posted by erig007

Hope you're not talking about the diving type one. I have 2 of them and they are too warm for anything but Antarctica or Mars. Waiting for the next ice age

Originally Posted by Gresp15C

Thanks for that pointer. Right now I have a fleece muffler, the problem is that my breath goes up into my glasses. So I'm thinking of one of those things with the little beak for my nose, to direct my breath downward.

Originally Posted by chefisaac

LISTEN to @Jim from Boston

he knows his $hit!

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

This is my first posting this year of my perennial post about the fogging problem:

Originally Posted by erig007

Except that the facemask on his pics is not the best against fog. I have had one like this for a while before throwing it away (doesn't allow a good seal around the nose)

Originally Posted by TuckamoreDew

Last year was my first year cycling through the winter and at very low temperatures I constantly struggled with problem of fogging glasses. This year I'm using a combination of a neoprene mask and a half-mask respirator and so far I've been able to ride at -32C with zero fogging. On the first test runs, on the coldest days, I experienced a slight fogging of my glasses inside my goggles but the dishwashing soap trick has taken care of that. It is such a relief to not have to worry about losing visibility during my commute.

I have posted more details here if anyone is interested.

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

IME, and from reading numerous posts on the subject, there are three basic methods for preventing fogging, caused by exhaled moist air onto the cold surface of the eyeglasses and goggles:

1. Provide ventilation for the exhaled air, as described in my post; an advantage to the exhaled air is that it keeps the face warm.
2. Prevent the exhaled air from reaching the goggles:
   
   
   I have tried typical, and expensive, double-paned ski goggles, and it seems difficult to keep that exhaled air from entering the seal, especially when forcefully exhaling as when riding uphill. If moisture does get into the tightly sealeld goggles, it can’t get out.
   
   It seems a tight headband would also be uncomfortable. An added benefit to safety glasses is I can mount my Take-a-Look mirror on the rigid earpieces.
3. Antifogging agents, like Cat Crap, soap, spit etc.: I find that when exhaling forcefully, and colder temperatures, say under 20° F, those agents can be overcome. That’s why I suggest

I’m not trying to be contrarian about any methods used, but I am zealous because fogging is a difficult and dangerous challenge to winter riding, and would keep me off the bike for about 3 to 4 months during the year. Every year there are many threads on about the problem.

FYA, I was most impressed by this system by @TuckamoreDew of Edmonton, AB:

Originally Posted by franswa

I have these and they work pretty well. Not entirely 100% free from fogging up, but the best I have found so far. Inexpensive, to boot!

Oregon Cycling ? Kroop's