Helmet Visor

"scituatejohn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn't work for
me. It was obscuring my vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of
it. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or because the visors have a bad design?

Maybe it wasn't designed for riding in the drops. It may have changed now, but last time I bought a
helmet, helmets with visors were MTB models.

David said:

"scituatejohn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn't work for me. It was obscuring my
vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of it. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or
because the visors have a bad design?

Maybe it wasn't designed for riding in the drops. It may have changed now, but last time I bought
a helmet, helmets with visors were MTB models.

More or less. The visors are mainly used for off road riding. Mý Giro Pneumo with the Lance logo is
definitely a Roadie helmet, but it came with a visor that I've never seen anybody on the road use. I
just think they wan't to sell the same helmet to as many groups as possible.

--
Perre

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David said:

"scituatejohn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn't work for
me. It was obscuring my vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of
it. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or because the visors have a bad design?

Maybe it wasn't designed for riding in the drops. It may have changed now, but last time I bought
a helmet, helmets with visors were MTB

models.

This is true, but I find a visor to be useful on the road as well, especially near sundown. I
haven't had any problems seeing around the visor; it's no more of an obstruction than the
bill of a cap.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and _`\(,_ | Excellence. (_)/ (_) |

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

David said:

"scituatejohn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn't work for
me. It was obscuring my vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of
it. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or because the visors have a bad design?

Maybe it wasn't designed for riding in the drops. It may have changed now, but last time I
bought a helmet, helmets with visors were MTB

models.

This is true, but I find a visor to be useful on the road as well, especially near sundown. I
haven't had any problems seeing around the visor; it's no more of an obstruction than the bill
of a cap.

Yeah, and like the bill of a cap, it's good at deflecting rain from your glasses and shading your
eyes from oncoming headlights at night.

I think visors are a hazard off-road, at least if you're riding in the woods. I've gotten clobbered
several times by low branches I didn't see.

Why "road" helmets don't have visors and "MTB" helmets do is beyond me. I think the styles should
be reversed.

scit-<< I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn’t work for
me. It was obscuring my vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of
mf. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or because the visors have a bad design? >><BR><BR>

Visors are for promarily MTB guys altho I question it's utility even for those. Kinda like trying to
make bag mounted water bags the answer to something for road riders. Not necessary, just chuck it.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Visors are for promarily MTB guys altho I question it's utility even for

those.

Quoted message said:

Kinda like trying to make bag mounted water bags the answer to something

for

Quoted message said:

road riders. Not necessary, just chuck it.

Peter Chisholm

To wit, I was MTB'ing with a friend who was wearing a visor helmet..he had his head down a bit
(technical trail..) and he was unable to see the approaching fallen tree across the trail... Me
being behind (as is usually the case..), I didn't see the need to warn him as he was clearly in the
lead (and letting me know he was in the lead!). I looked down to negotiate a serious bit of
root-work and when I looked up I saw my helmeted friend wedged under the fallen tree, head askew,
helmet working wonderfully to protect his head..his neck, welll.... In any event, I'm sure he would
have seen the tree if not for the stylish visor!!

Cheers,

Scott..

Quoted message said:

To wit, I was MTB'ing with a friend who was wearing a visor helmet..he had his head down a bit
(technical trail..) and he was unable to see the approaching fallen tree across the trail... Me
being behind (as is usually the case..), I didn't see the need to warn him as he was clearly in
the lead (and letting me know he was in the lead!). I looked down to negotiate a serious bit of
root-work and when I looked up I saw my helmeted friend wedged under the fallen tree, head askew,
helmet working wonderfully to protect his head..his neck, welll.... In any event, I'm sure he
would have seen the tree if not for the stylish visor!!

Cheers,

Scott..

Right! And if you are riding in the woods why do you need to shield your eyes anyway? My guess this
design comes from the West coast where there is more sunshine an fewer trees. Here on the East coast
I can't even wear sunglasses when mt biking and I only go in Winter. Even then, the contrast is too
great to make dark glasses usefull. As for visors, mine came off after one trial run. I went under a
downed tree and thought I had enough clearence. At the last sec. I dropped my head but the tip on my
Blackburn pump caught a vine on the tree and brought me to a stop. Bent the pump back semi straight,
visor ripped off, on with the ride.

Tim McTeague

Peter Cole said:

Yeah, and like the bill of a cap, it's good at deflecting rain from your glasses and shading your
eyes from oncoming headlights at night.

I agree.

I use a visor from a motorcycle helmet. They are economical and work better than what I've
seen for bike helmets. I take the snaps off and use double-sticky foam to attach it to the
helmet. I then wrap a couple of loops of tape all the way around both helmet and visor. I
use a smoke-colored one--which is somewhat translucent. I paint or tape the upper half to
shade me from the sun. The lower half lets me look through it and get some protection from
extreme glare, auto headlights, or low sun.

Peter

Tim McTeague said:

Right! And if you are riding in the woods why do you need to shield your eyes anyway? My guess
this design comes from the West coast where there is more sunshine an fewer trees. Here on the
East coast I can't even wear sunglasses when mt biking and I only go in Winter. Even then, the
contrast is too great to make dark glasses usefull. As for visors, mine came off after one trial
run. I went under a downed tree and thought I had enough clearence. At the last sec. I dropped my
head but the tip on my Blackburn pump caught a vine on the tree and brought me to a stop. Bent the
pump back semi straight, visor ripped off, on with the ride.

Tim McTeague

Do you carry your pump on your helmet? Attached to the visor? BTW what is semi straight ;-)
--
Perre

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I find a visor helpful at night for dealing with oncoming headlights. It's also nice when I'm riding
westward near sunset. If I were a morning person, I imagine it would also be useful riding eastward
in the morning...but I usually get up at the crack of ten, so that's not an issue.

The applicability of a visor depends largely on your riding posture. If your handlebars are low
compared to your saddle, so you lean forward sharply, a visor may obstruct your vision. This can
cause you to tilt your head up excessively to raise the visor, leading to neck discomfort.

If your handlebars are higher, and you ride in a more upright posture, a visor is more likely to
be helpful.

My helmet has a small visor, and had been quite satisfactory for a while. Last fall I went on the
Atkins diet and lost about 40 pounds. As a result, I started using the drops again, and generally
adopted a more aggressive posture, and the visor started to bother me.

However, this spring I shaved my head, and once my pony tail was gone, my helmet could sit farther
back on my noggin, so all is well again.

Sheldon "Nobody Recognizes Me Any More If I Don't Have My Helmet On" Brown
+-------------------------------------------+
| Ah, but I was so much older then, | I'm younger than that now. | -Bob Dylan |
+-------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 harriscyclery.comharriscyclery.comOpen ↗ Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
captainbike.comcaptainbike.comOpen ↗ sheldonbrown.comsheldonbrown.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Do you carry your pump on your helmet?

Duh! The pump was in my CamelBak and pokes out it's pocket a bit. I ducked my head just in the
nick of time but my CamelBak, or at least the pump handle, snagged the vine wrapped around the
downed tree.

Attached to the visor? BTW

Quoted message said:

what is semi straight ;-)

The pump handle was bent about 90 degrees. I managed to bend it back enough so I could at least stow
it mostly out of the way. Tossed in the can when I got home as it was not straight enough to work.

Tim McTeague

Tim McTeague said:

Quoted message said:

Do you carry your pump on your helmet?

Duh! The pump was in my CamelBak and pokes out it's pocket a bit. I ducked my head just in the
nick of time but my CamelBak, or at least the pump handle, snagged the vine wrapped around the
downed tree.

Attached to the visor? BTW

Quoted message said:

what is semi straight ;-)

The pump handle was bent about 90 degrees. I managed to bend it back enough so I could at least
stow it mostly out of the way. Tossed in the can when I got home as it was not straight enough
to work.

Tim McTeague

Hehe. Thanks for replying on such a flame. I just couldn't resist it 😉 Those Camelbaks are mighty
strong eh.

I just bought a Topeak saddlebag that has a pump attachment on the bottom. The pump handle kind of
sticks straight out behind you, but doesn't really do any harm. My SKS pump however didn't really
fit. Maybe I have to get a Topeak pump?

--
Perre

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David' may have said:

"scituatejohn" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got a new helmet recently. It had a visor. The visor didn't work for
me. It was obscuring my vision when I was on the drops, so I got rid of
it. Is this because the helmet did not fit, or because the visors have a bad design?

Maybe it wasn't designed for riding in the drops. It may have changed now, but last time I bought a
helmet, helmets with visors were MTB models.

That seems to be the way the marketing is aimed Is it possible that they think the roadies would
spurn the visor as being not aerodynamic? For me, a visor is far more useful on the road than off.
Most of the unpaved trails around here are shady, and full of overhanging branches; the visor would
not only be superfluous, but maybe a hazard. Of course, since most of the folks on the *paved*
trails (and streets, for that matter) are riding an mtb rather than a road bike, it's probably true
that the visors are designed for an mtb rider who's riding in a sunny spot. The makers might just be
aiming for the biggest market segment. This is just speculation, of course.

Meanwhile, when I want a visor, I use one for tennis players (and such). The helmet goes on over it,
and it can be removed and pocketed easily if not needed.

--
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don't respond to something, it's also possible that I'm busy.

"Werehatrack" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

That seems to be the way the marketing is aimed Is it possible that they think the roadies would
spurn the visor as being not aerodynamic?

<<snip..>>

Nah, in my opinion, it's an image thing. When I indicated to some road-only friends of mine that I
was going to compete in some low-level crit races for fun in the evening, they began commenting on
the "MTB" pedals I have on my road bike and the visor on my helmet. "You can't race like that!". I
mean, the visor doesn't perform much useful purpose as far as I can tell, but still, to occlude the
entry of someone just because of the visor and MTB pedals is a bit much.

Cheers,

Scott..

"S. Anderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Nah, in my opinion, it's an image thing.

Until I read the original post, it had never occured to me that it could be anything but image. I
use the same helmet with visor on & off-road. But I wouldn't criticize the design of an MTB helmet
if the visor was annoying when riding in the drops.

David said:

"S. Anderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Nah, in my opinion, it's an image thing.

Until I read the original post, it had never occured to me that it could be anything but image. I
use the same helmet with visor on & off-road. But I wouldn't criticize the design of an MTB helmet
if the visor was annoying when riding in the drops.

I have one helmet (until I can afford to buy an expensive well-vented racing hardhat), and it came
with a visor. Fortunately, the visor snaps on and off easily, because it most certainly obstructs my
vision on my road bike regardless of riding position. I do appreciate the way it keeps the sun off
my nose/face when on my mtb though.

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