As you surely recognized in the northern hemisphere of the world, it’s getting colder outside. As velominati rule #5 – harden the fuck up – suggests, I will be still riding in fresh air. So the question of clothing arises. Especially clothing in the face, since there is skin, that will be exposed to the cold.
What I experienced in the last winters is, that cold wind around my eyes is very nasty. It’s like my eyelids freeze up and my eyeballs get irritated, meaning they are turning a little bit red. This year I wanted to adress this issue and tried out “motorcycle glasses”.
The good news:
– The foam around the glas actually protects from cold air.
– sight is good in this ones
– and the band presses the glasses on tight. Almost sealing it up.
The bad news:
– after twenty minutes of riding it fogs up. That’s why I cut out a little bit of foam over the nose to get a small ventilation going again. And it works 😉
– It doesn’t look so cool on my face.
– and it molds it’s shape in my face for at least one hour after the ride 😉
How do you protect your face from the cold winter?
The Bike Escape 
Can’t risk slipping on ice so I choose to not ride once the temperature drops below 0 celsius. Having said that, what is amazing about cycling in a hilly area when the temperature gets near zero is the noticeable temperature variations as one climbs or drops into a valley.
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Yeah, very cold up there 😉
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We ride down to about 15 degrees, or -9 C. I wear a balaclava for my head and face and that seems to keep that little bit of real estate around my eyes warm enough of don’t have to wear anything more than sunglasses or clear safety glasses if it’s cold.
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Wish this would work for me 😉
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You mean the cycling season doesn’t end in September and start again in May?
Just kidding. Last year I maintained my cycling (and fitness) through Winter only to get a calf injury that stopped me cycling in February and March. I hope for better luck this year.
I use a balaclava. It makes the local shopkeepers nervous if I stop at a red traffic light outside their store but keeps me warm and eases the embarrassment when overtaken by older or chunkier riders.
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Haha 😉
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I go for cycling Ninja look with a snood to keep my ears and lower face warm and a skull cap or cycling cap beneath my helmet.
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I use a buff if very cold, clear glasses to protect my eyes. I tend to find covering the top of my head is most effective to maintain decent body temperature
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Last year was fairly mild where I live but on the cold days I used clear safety glasses from the hardware store. I have some that seal with vents like your motorcycle glasses but the airflow isn’t enough to keep them from fogging up once I get warm. The clear ones did a good job diverting the wind and i guess my own heat kept my eyes in good shape.
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😉
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ordinary specs for me
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