dcb23

After many, many, many years I am back to wearing contact lenses. My old winter setup was glasses + over-the-glasses ski goggles.

I'm looking for your recommendations on goggles that sit closer to the face or other eyewear that shields your eyes from wind and perhaps provides some level of warmth.

I am commuting in the VA-DC area so not the coldest winters but come January-February we tend to dip into the 20's.

Thanks for any and all advice!

rumrunn6

this works for me but I don't wear contacts



I tried goggles last year, but they fogged, & then the fog froze! couldn't even wipe that stuff off! my face is warm & moist & with extreme cold outside the goggles, w not enough ventilation, that's a poor plan. maybe with less temperature differentiation like in warmer temps the goggles would work. or maybe having more ventilation would let the goggles work. might try modifying them this winter (take out the foam inserts from the vents). but really the safety glasses work just fine. how long is your commute?

Abe_Froman

This is what I use down into the upper 20s. I wear a balaclava that I can pull over my nose when it gets cold....upper 20s lower 30s. The problem with this is that the glass fog up with the balaclava pulled up high.

Ski goggles work a bit better with the balaclava...but only so much. Lower 20s I still have fogging issues. I'm not sure there is a good solution short of doing something drastic. There is a guy on these forums...I think from one of the dakotas. He rigged up a really cool setup using a gasmask to expel his breath out the side of the mask, through one of the filter intakes, eliminating fogging. Very cool setup...I'm actually considering giving it a go, as I've got a science surplus store a mile from my house, and they've got old WW2 gas masks for sale.

I'm looking forward to scaring the crap out of my 3 yr old with it

rumrunn6

my breath isn't the problem, it's my wet face

Abe_Froman

Yea it's not ideal. But really...even a wet, frozen balaclava does a decent job of keeping your face warm, at least relative to a 20mph 15F wind straight into it. Anything to keep the wind off is generally enough, at least for a reasonable commute of under an hour.

If it's under 15 or so...I have serious concerns about frostbite on my exposed face/nose. Not so with even a sheet of ice over it...

rumrunn6

right there with you. this is how I started a blizzard ride last year. I prefer the ones that cover the bridge of my nose





after it got soaked & I warmed up, I swapped it out for another w a little less coverage but it still fogged

jrickards

The way I see it (and it might be skewed because of my lack of success so far) is that skiers/snowboarders generally travel down a hill much faster than cyclists ride in snowy conditions but cyclists generate more heat and sweat than skiers/snowboarders. Therefore, ski/snowboard goggles have more air passing across them and less moist air being generated inside them. This is why I believe that I can't get ski goggles to work for me.

However, I have just realized that cross-country (nordic) skiers are more like cyclists than downhill skiers/snowboarders because they do work much harder. Their goggles/glasses do not have foam all around but just across the forehead and are open on the bottom. These may be more suited to cyclists' needs. However, unlike downhill goggles that can be found at quite cheap prices (as low as $20), all I can find for cross-country/nordic goggles are the expensive brand names ($100+).

If anyone knows of a source of inexpensive nordic glasses, I'd like to hear.

dcb23

11 miles inbound, 10 miles on the return route. Headwinds can be a problem in the winter.

rumrunn6

ha! makes perfect sense! let the hacking begin!

revcp 

Experiment to find what works for you. Probably start with a pair of $5 protective glasses to see whether you need something more like goggles. I've never worn goggles, even at -23F. I typically don't were a balaclava till it gets down to around 0. Between 15 and 0 I'll sometimes wear a buff over the top of my thin merino skullcap, pulled down over my chin. I'm mostly wearing eyeglasses these days, but I've worn my contacts a few times, once as low as 5F, and there didn't seem to be any issue without glasses or goggles.

PatrickGSR94

I used to never be able to ride in sub-freezing temps with a balaclava fully covering my nose and mouth, and glasses, without major fogging problems. My commute is pretty hilly and I'm not fast, so I was always huffing and puffing and breathing super hard, such that wearing glasses with balaclava was impossible. Even my ski goggles I purchased a couple years ago would fog up.

But today I tried my glasses with balaclava on my e-bike, so I wasn't breathing as hard AND doing 16-20 MPH, and it worked great! No fogging at all unless I stopped. It was about 26°F when I left the house this morning.

InTheRain

I've tried goggles. They do fog when I stop. Also, my helmet seems to push the goggles down so far that the notch for the nose is down to far... almost near the tip of my nose - it's not natural or comfortable. I can't imagine they fit this way with a ski helmet.

acidfast7

Everywhere I've lived, including Sweden and mountainous Germany never had a reason for anything over the eyes. Even in the middle of winter.

Gresp15C

For me, the problem with goggles is that my glasses fog under the goggles. I'm going to look for some of those nordic goggles.

salcedo

Those are the same glasses I use. Here is an old pic

This years I'm considering an upgrade to a covered helmet with mountain cycling goggles

mcours2006

When it gets really cold, like below -10*C I need to use goggles that are sealed. The added warmth is very much welcome. I feel that even with glasses/visors that are really close to the face the skin is still exposed and could lead to some problems. Having the eyes and surrounding skin covered makes a huge difference. Add to it a balaclava that covers up the mouth and the cheek, even the hose sometimes, and you're good to go down to -20*C. Colder than that I'd just drive.

PaulH

I've never felt the need for goggles except when skiing at -30 F in Canada. I've been riding in winter for over 60 years and it never occurred to me that I should shield my eyes. Why not just try riding without anything and see if it works for you?

salcedo

Maybe I am more sensitive than you are. I ride without anything most of the time, but sometimes I've found that glasses really help me.

My eyes get very dry I ride my bike under 10F or if I'm going on a really fast descent. And I find crossing without glasses very annoying when its raining or snowing.

lax

Off topic, but just letting you know that many old gas masks contain asbestos in the filter, so if you buy one I recommend disposing of the filter carefully and not even trying to breathe through it.

HerrKaLeun

Very good point. For summer night riding I just used some clear construction site glasses. Main reason to not have insects hit my eyes in summer. now it is getting colder and they work OK as long as i ride fast (forced ventilation). but once i stop or slow down they fog.

I looked for some cross-country ski goggles, but most are called "snowboard". but many talk baotu antifogging.

I also realized I need 2 pairs. One tinted for daytime, one clear for the (longer) winter nights or cloudy days. It seems most ski-goggles have around 20% VLT (visible light transmittance). I don't want to lose 80% of the light at night or in depressing foggy winter days. I guess skiing is not a night activity. so ski goggles may not be very appropriate for bikes?

I have a pair of old cheap ski goggles I used when walking to work back then in winter and remember it fogged a lot when walking.

Edit: I may try these safety goggles, have good reviews for winter biking

InTheRain

My eyes water like crazy at anything below 65 degrees... the colder, the more they water... add a breeze to that, and it's almost like I'm crying on the entire ride without eye protection. However, the most important reason for me to wear eye protection is to physically protect them. I've had several branches hit my riding glasses as well as falling leaves (we have a lot of trees everywhere here in the pacific northwest), plenty of bugs, and even had my glasses cracked by a small rock launched from the rear tire of a moving vehicle. I figure if I'm not going to wear eye protection, there would be no reason to wear a helmet.

acidfast7

I agree.

Sullalto

Because I'm blind and need to wear glasses anyway.

Darth Lefty 

If it's cold enough to wear the ski helmet, the goggles come with

dcb23

Thanks everyone!