L.L. Zamenhof

I keep reading on here about which balaclava to wear, which is the best, how to wear it, how to prevent glasses from fogging up while wearing, and all sorts of other questions.

Well, it got me thinking. Does everyone in a cold area wear one of these?

I've never worn one, or even thought I needed one, and I've been riding all winter long so far, in temps as low as 11F.

Is this out of the ordinary?

531phile 

For short runs I just were my addias running cap which covers the ears. For longer runs in high 30s/low 40s degrees I were my balaclava. California's mild winters makes me a wuss.

blakcloud

I don't wear one because my glasses would fog up, this I learned from this board, so I have not bought one. If I didn't have glasses, I would definitely have one.

cyclokitty 

My home town enjoys damp winters so I always feel absolutely freezing in the winter. I am envious of those dry cold places where people can get away with a warm sweater and a down vest in the middle of January. I can't do that. Of course, I'm particularly wimpy but I am not comfortable riding in freezing temps without my ski helmet and often with goggles and a neoprene face mask. And those are worn along with winter boots and ski gloves. At least with the gear and the layers I feel like I have a shot for winter bike survival.

DJConspicious

I wear one whenever I'm on the bike right now, my nose gets so cold it hurts. I have two of them, one is just the face part, the other one goes all around the head with a face part that can be put under your chin. I carry them both with me because as you breath, they get wet and when you leave them on your bike in the cold, they never get dry.

CCrew

I dunno about the "everyone" part but I know sub-freezing I have an Under Armour one I wear....I'm pretty good with the cold, but fingers, toes and ears suffer.

DX-MAN

My glasses fog up, too, which is why mine rides just below my lower lip.

Absolutely necessary.

achoo

I wear one when it gets below freezing or thereabouts.

And yeah, they're absolutely necessary because there's no way you can have exposed skin when temperatures get cold enough.

Abneycat

I have severe asthma which has a brutally reliable cold trigger. My asthma is also exercise induced, taking the preventive medication means that i'm able to do heavy exercise without worry, but the cold triggers are so bad for me that i'll have a horrible asthma attack even on plenty of medication if not kept in check.

By the time it is 0 degrees celsius (32 fahrenheit), a bandana or balaclava is pretty much mandatory to avoid having a severe attack - i've personally found that it *really* helps. I usually stick with the bandana until it is cold enough out to be uncomfortable to the face and ears, which is about -20 celsius (-4 fahrenheit)

My ride times are typically 15-45 minutes long.

JanMM

Yes, everyone wears one when it's really cold, or at least I do.
I didn't wear one on a New Year's Day ride in the mid-30's because that's not really cold. A Thermax skull cap worked for that. (covers most of the ears.)

electrik

A balaclava is a great tool, but you don't need to use it every time below freezing. The main issue is keeping your cheeks and nose warm, to prevent frost-nip. Preventing that is hard todo with a scarf as it restricts breathing and becomes saturated with ice. Usually you can just wear a toque, and neck warmer... little heat is lost from your face, but your scalp and neck are very vascular and you loose heat quickly there. Wearing the balaclava is important when temperatures get low enough to worry about frost-bite on a nose or cheek - since there is little heat generated on your cheeks and nose they get cold faster. Incidentally, you should always wear your helmet because if your scalp is badly torn by pavement in a crash you can and people have bleed to death from it(there is little way to stop that bleeding) due to the incredible vascular nature of your scalp. If you've ever cut your scalp before you know what i mean! Removing or adding a toque is a great way to modulate heat loss also, annoying with a helmet on, so i usually remove a bandana or small scarf instead to expose the neck.

1nterceptor

I wear one, I commute 1 hour and a half at those temps.
How long are your rides?

irwin7638

I have one made of Polartec called a "Headsock," it's a little longer in neck to fold upwards for more adjustable facial coverage. I pull it down and never wear it under the helmet, if I do, I get too hot. I adjust it around my neck, ears or face as needed like a double layered gigantic gator.

aggiegrads

I am in the Pacific NW, so take my advice with a grain of salt. The coldest weather I have ridden in is 8°F. I have never used a balaclava or skullcap (toque for you Canadians) under my helmet. As long as I have a helmet cover to block the wind, an earband like the Descente Coldout or Pearl Izumi Transfer is enough to keep my head and ears warm.

For my face, I use a Buff to cover my face. I can pull it up to just go over my chin, mouth, or all the way over my nose. When it drops below 20°F, I add a neoprene facemask. The Buff is actually very versatile. I always take it when I travel, regardless of the weather.

I think that if my head did get cold, a combination of a skullcap and buff would still be more versatile that a balaclava.

unterhausen

my commute is less than 10 miles each way, and it almost never gets below zero here (why do I feel like I just screwed myself royally?). Anyway, I have been happily wearing an ear band and a neck gaiter. There has been one or two occasions where I felt the cold on the top of my head, but it was momentary and not particularly unpleasant. I misplaced my balaclava earlier this year, but I haven't really missed it. When I was commuting in Wisconsin, I wore both an ear band and a balaclava. On edit: I also used to wear the neck gaiter. Triple redundancy is not a bad policy when you are riding a bike in -20F.

L.L. Zamenhof

My longest ride is the one to work: 20-25 minutes one way. Other rides vary between 11 and 20 minutes.

carlotta

It's not super cold here, and my commute is about an hour each way, but I really prefer having separate pieces that reconstitute the balaclava so I can regulate temp better. So far (I think my coldest commute was around 20F) I've been good with just a fleece ear band, I added a skullcap one day and was too hot, and I've yet to wear the neck gaiter but my jacket has a pretty tall collar and I really don't like covering my mouth when I ride so that's part of it.

gecho

Riding with any of my face exposed isn't an option around here when it gets cold and windy. I tried two balaclavas that I thought might work with glasses, but neither was satisfactory. From the winter forum I got the idea of using a half-mask respirator, looks odd but works great. As an added bonus the air you breathe in gets pre-heated.

In addition to the mask I wear either a stretch balaclava that leaves my face open, or a beanie depending on the temperature. I cut a hole in a Polartec fleece gaiter to cover the lower part of my face, while allowing the respirator to stick out. Topped off with ski goggles I have no exposed skin.

While going with the wind or stopped there can be minor fogging, so I need to raise the goggles which aren't needed in those situations.

The down side is having to stop whenever I need to clear my nose. Which means raising the goggles, lowering the gaiter, then lowering the mask. The 3M mask I bought redirects the exhaust downward, which on my Trek 520 drips water onto my top bar. When riding my moutain bike it drips water onto my jacket. I could probably add a drain tube, but haven't got around to it.

CCrew

My hat's off to you gecho. If I had to dress like that to ride I'm not sure I would. I'm time tested good to 0F but that get-up you have looks like it belongs in Antarctica.

gerv 

You can also get some pretty light balaclavas. I have a Louis Garneau product that's a very thin fleece layer, to which I add either a scarf when it gets super cold. But yes... I wear a balaclava.

nashcommguy

www.psolar.com/id5.html When I move to Chicago later this year I'm getting one of these. The HX Helmet Balaclava will be the model for me. Having lived there before I know how brutal the combination of wind and cold can be when cycling. One looks as if they may have criminal intent, but from what I've read from people who own them they're great.

Scheherezade 

It all depends on the weather. If the windchill is above 0F, I can generally get by fine without it for my 15-20 minute rides to school/work. But, if it's colder than that, I will use one. I've tried the goggles, but every pair I've used fogs up like mad. If I pull my balaclava up to the bottom of my eyes, and my cap down to the top of my eyes, I can get by fine without goggles in -20F windchill or worse.

Alan@TreeFort

Burly men like myself grow awesome man-beards in the winter for the very reason of not needing a balaclava. However, when temps got below 15 degrees here, I ended up getting one and trying it out. Wow, it makes a huge difference, and the material itself is a lot thinner than most winter caps. From my experience and body chemistry, the covering of the neck and connection of fabric from the base of the neck to the top of the head greatly helps circulate and keep in heat.

I won't use it all the time, but for any temps under 20 degrees I'll have it on.

tjspiel

There are other ways to accomplish the same thing. I used to wear a thin cap under my helmet and a neoprene facemask that velcroed behind my head. I only wore the face mask when it was single digits or colder. Never found it very comfortable to use or easy to put on with a helmet and goggles though.

A balaclava is much simpler. I have two. A basic one that I can pull down under my chin or over my mouth as the weather dictates and a heavier duty one that has a neoprene facemask built in.

People react differently to cold. I've ridden when it's as cold as -21 F but my face is not a resistant to cold as other people I know. I can get by without a balaclava until it gets down to the lower teens but I'm much more comfortable with one. I generally wear one all winter but in the mid 20s and warmer I wouldn't miss it much if I didn't have it unless it's pretty windy.

GriddleCakes

No, many people cease cycling before the point that one is necessary, where uncovered skin will result in frostbite. Depending on your temperature cutoff, you might never need one. And depending on your comfort level in terms of cold exposure, you might want one long before you need one. Some cyclists, myself included, are more comfortable riding without facial covering in near-frostbite conditions than others. It's largely a matter of personal preference, and while I personally won't put on a neck gaitor until around 0F and won't pull it up over my face until around -15F, I wear a wool beanie starting at 32F.

20 minutes at 11F isn't cold enough to require a balaclava, IMO. I went for a little over an hour at -10F earlier this winter and didn't feel the need to cover my face. Of the half dozen cyclists I saw that day, I was the only one with an uncovered face. Saw several skiers skating around uncovered, though.

Yes, cycling at 11F/-12C without a 'clava or facemask is out of the ordinary; welcome to the far end of the bell curve. Tolerance to cold and vulnerability to frostbite varies from person to person, and you just might be at the extreme end of that range. Based on what I see locally, at 11F almost every cyclist has a 'clava or something similar, as do about half of the XC skiers (most of whom travel more slowly and generate more body heat than the average winter cyclist).

Still, if you're riding in cold enough temps where a rise in wind speed is likely to push you over into frostbite territory, it might be wise to carry some protection for your face, be it bandana or balaclava. Winds can change and bikes can break, and I'd feel pretty sheepish suffering frostbite for the lack of a couple of ounces of fabric folded up in a pocket. Heck, when the temps start to drop really low I carry a spare down jacket, in case the bike breaks down and I end up walking in -20F while dressed for cycling (and probably sweaty, to boot).