my eyeballs are cold....

In article said:

So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, and I'm pretty well equipped for my 2nd
winter of commuting, but as it's dipping into the teens (F) I'm realizing that the only exposed
'skin', my eyes, are starting to get really freaking cold, especially with these pleasant
headwinds. I don't know what people normally do, but I'm just going to get out my old ski goggles
and pop them on. Should keep me nice and toasty.

Sounds good to me. I considered picking up some ski goggles when faced with the same problem, but
then figured I'd see if I could find something cheaper at the local hardware store to try first.
And I've been happy enough with a pair of sub-$10 safety googles ever since. The only problems I've
had so far:

1. The height of the goggles makes them a snug fit between my nose and the front of my helmet; I
have to push the helmet back a bit, and they still push down harder than I'd like on my nose.
2. They decrease visibility to the side. Shoulder checks require me to turn my neck around farther
than before.

I haven't had any problems with fogging, but then I don't think I've ever used them for more than 15
minutes at a time. Anyway, between the goggles and balklava I'm pretty comfortable (though my nose
still sticks out a bit...).

Oh, and I may well look completely ridiculous. I wouldn't know. It'd all be part of the fun
in any case.

Quoted message said:

I'm curious to hear from other winter riders out there.Everything else I've pretty much got
covered. feet: toasty; fingers: toasty; I don't know how much colder it's going to get,but I 'd
like to stick it out the whole winter.

I'm still having thumb problems. I have some pretty heavy mittens that keep my fingers warm, but the
only way to keep my thumbs warm is to periodically curl them up inside my fists in the main part of
the mittens. I alternate sides and ride one-handed while I'm doing this. Kind of awkward.

-Bruce F.

superslacker said:

So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, and I'm

pretty

Quoted message said:

well equipped for my 2nd winter of commuting, but as it's dipping

into the

Quoted message said:

teens (F) I'm realizing that the only exposed 'skin', my eyes, are

starting

Quoted message said:

to get really freaking cold,

[...]

Quoted message said:

-Stephane in balmy Chicago

Hi Stephane,

I'm about 40 miles west of you, cycling between Aurora and Batavia. I use safety glasses, these, in
fact keysan.comzcbt8688.jpgOpen ↗ and a lightweight, open mesh, two layer balaclava.
The balaclava has a small panel for breathing which helps a little, but i get condensation too.

I find it helps to pull the opening below my nose and breath out thru my nose which directs most of
the moisture away from the glasses. Still, if i'm not careful about breathing i get fogged up. I
would recommmend you stay away from a full goggle, I think you'd be even more likely to fog up.

I wait until my core temp is up and my peripheral circulation is increased before pulling down the
balaclava to expose my snoot.

I think there's probably nothing you can do that will eliminate condensation, but exposing your
nose and breathing out thru it will go a long way towards making things better. Until your nose
freezes off...

Good luck!

.max

superslacker said:

So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, and I'm pretty well equipped for my 2nd
winter of commuting, but as it's dipping into the teens (F) I'm realizing that the only exposed
'skin', my eyes, are starting to get really freaking cold, especially with these pleasant
headwinds. I don't know what people normally do, but I'm just going to get out my old ski goggles
and pop them on. Should keep me nice and toasty. Is that pretty much my only option? How about
old-style aviator goggles? My waterbottle is a slushee by the time i get to work/home; I'd hate to
have that happen to my eyeballs.

Quoted message said:

I've tried my sunglasses during the day, but the problem is with my balaclava thing I fog the
glasses up each time I exhale. Said fog promptly freezes on lenses. Not practical. Also, maybe I
don't use this thing right, but breathing through it just sucks. So my second question is, are
there any better face/nose things out there that I should check out? Or just cut a mouth hole in
this one, so I don't fog up my sunglasses? And will sunglasses really make a difference anyway, or
should I just stick with the goggles?

Quoted message said:

I'm curious to hear from other winter riders out there.Everything else I've pretty much got
covered. feet: toasty; fingers: toasty; I don't know how much colder it's going to get,but I 'd
like to stick it out the whole winter.

Normally, I wear a polartech balaclava and a polartech headband under my helmet (tight fit!) and
wrap a long scarf around. This leaves a little slit between the scarf covering my mouth, nose, and
chin and the polartech stuff on my head/forehead. That's what I see through. It reduces peripheral
vision, and I can't wear my glasses because of the fogging effect of exhaled air. The exhale from
my mouth wafts up over my eyes and keeps them warm enough, I guess. I have the luxury of living
west of where I work, so the ride in the morning when it's coldest is with the wind. Not sure how
this would work into the wind. Haven't had a super cold ride home yet. I'm not sure what you could
do if you were blind without your glasses. Maybe the goggles would work, although I'd think they'd
fog up as well.

Scott in Madison

superslacker said:

I'm curious to hear from other winter riders out there.Everything else I've pretty much got
covered. feet: toasty; fingers: toasty; I don't know how much colder it's going to get,but I 'd
like to stick it out the whole winter.

I'm doing OK so far (7 degrees for the morning commute in) with a polartec balaclava and
hat over it.

I have clear (and dark) safety glasses that I bought at the local hardware store for eyewear. They
wrap around the corner of my face so provide good shielding from wind, which has been fairly strong
these past couple days.

So far no problems with fogging though. I leave the glasses on the bike in the barn over night, so
they are as cold as ambient air. The primary factor in no fog has probably been that I have so far
been able to wear the balaclava with lower opening below my nose and mouth, so exhalation goes
pretty much completely away from my face.

If it gets even colder, with attendant wind chills (currently in the -20F range), I may have to
button up even more, perhaps causing more of a fogging problem.

When/if that happens, I'll look into the anti-fog sprays you can buy at many sporting/skiing
centers. They're supposed to work quite well.

But so far so good. Of course I completely fog up as soon as I enter the building to carry my bike
up to my office, but the stairwell is pretty simple, and largely empty, so I haven't gotten lost or
collided with anyone yet during my "blind" final distance to work!

SMH

In article <[email hidden]>, Pete Hickey

Quoted message said:

I wear regular eyeglasses, and maybe that blocks the wind somewhat, but when cold, I just blink
more frequently. It warms up the eyes.

I see people wearing goggles, but I never have. For me, it isn't worth it.

I remembering seeing other people say the same thing. Are our eyes really that different, or can
they get acclimated to cold, or what? For me, riding at over about 10 mph when it's down to around
10F becomes intensely painful after only a few moments. It's not a subtle thing, and neither
blinking nor regular eyeglasses help.

--Bruce F.

Yeah. What triggered my whole question was a day last week it was in the low teens (F), and I rode
home in a 14mph headwind with no goggles or anything. I blinked alot, but by the time I got home my
eyes were really red, and for the next few days they were just super crusty in the mornings, like
grape nuts almost.(Slight exaggeration...maybe...) So, I started wearing the old ski goggles, and
while I'm sure I look like I'm going scuba diving or something, I'm really rather comfortable. I'm
also surprised at all the people saying simple clear safety lenses or that sort of thing work
well... I'll probably look into that.

I suppose maybe I'll get acclimated to cooler stuff... Unfortunately, it looks like we're about to
get a 'heat wave' in the next few days... ohwell...

"J. Bruce Fields" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Pete Hickey

Quoted message said:

I wear regular eyeglasses, and maybe that blocks the wind somewhat, but when cold, I just blink
more frequently. It warms up the eyes.

I see people wearing goggles, but I never have. For me, it isn't worth it.

I remembering seeing other people say the same thing. Are our eyes really that different, or can
they get acclimated to cold, or what? For me, riding at over about 10 mph when it's down to around
10F becomes intensely painful after only a few moments. It's not a subtle thing, and neither
blinking nor regular eyeglasses help.

--Bruce F.

So...barring the wind in your eyes, you have two probs:

Bright sunlight making ya squint

Heavy exhale making sunglasses (see point 1) fog up...

hmmm...

...this is gonna sound a little nutso, but what about those cheap "louver" sunshades they sell at
the 1$ stores? You know, the kind that don't have any lenses, but instead are like venetian
blinds...they shade your eyes from direct sunlight, but have no lenses to fog up...whadaya think?

In article said:

So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, and I'm pretty well equipped for my 2nd
winter of commuting, but as it's dipping into the teens (F) I'm realizing that the only exposed
'skin', my eyes, are starting to get really freaking cold, especially with these pleasant
headwinds.

I wear regular eyeglasses, and maybe that blocks the wind somewhat, but when cold, I just blink more
frequently. It warms up the eyes.

I see people wearing goggles, but I never have. For me, it isn't worth it.

Quoted message said:

How about old-style aviator goggles? My waterbottle is a slushee by the time i get to work/home;
I'd hate to have that happen to my eyeballs.

You'll have much worse problems with other parts before your eyeballs freeze. What may happen, is
that a bit of moisture on the eyelashes will freeze two eyelashes together when you blink, keeping
the eye closed. But this doesn't happen in temperatures as warm as you are talking about.

Quoted message said:

balaclava thing I fog the glasses up each time I exhale. Said fog promptly freezes on lenses.

Are you sure it is your breathing that foggs the lenses? Check if it is on the inside or uotside.
The body releases heat around the eyes, and moist air from the skin hits the inside of lenses,
condenses and freezes. Many people mistake this for their breath.

Quoted message said:

I'm curious to hear from other winter riders out there.Everything else I've pretty much got
covered. feet: toasty; fingers: toasty; I don't know how much colder it's going to get,but I 'd
like to stick it out the whole winter.

If you are too warm everywhere else, your body will release a lot of heat on teh face, fogging up
everything. I prefer to ride comfortably cold.

--
--
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Did you know that 90% of North Americans cannot taste the difference between
fried dog and fried cat?

Brian Sanderson said:

So...barring the wind in your eyes, you have two probs:

Quoted message said:

Bright sunlight making ya squint

Quoted message said:

Heavy exhale making sunglasses (see point 1) fog up...

Quoted message said:

hmmm...

Quoted message said:

...this is gonna sound a little nutso, but what about those cheap "louver" sunshades they sell at
the 1$ stores? You know, the kind that don't have any lenses, but instead are like venetian
blinds...they shade your eyes from direct sunlight, but have no lenses to fog up...whadaya think?

If you exhale onto the lenses, I think the buildup of ice crystals would eventually fill up the
louvers. If it's sub-zero, that is (F). I normally don't have problems with fogging glasses 'til
it's below around 10 or so, as that's when I wrap a scarf around my head. Above 10, I don't think
covering a nose/chin is necessary.

Scott (-8F this morning)

In article <[email hidden]>,

J. Bruce Fields said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Pete Hickey
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I see people wearing goggles, but I never have. For me, it isn't worth it.

I remembering seeing other people say the same thing. Are our eyes really that different, or can
they get acclimated to cold, or what?

I couldn't say. I've never used anyone elses.

Quoted message said:

For me, riding at over about 10 mph when it's down to around 10F becomes intensely painful after
only a few moments. It's not a subtle thing, and neither blinking nor regular eyeglasses help.

For me, I have ridden down to -35F, just with regular glasses. A bit of a sting when the wind blows,
but not enough to stop me from riding.

--
The following address is not valid: [email hidden] It is there as an experiment to see
if email spammers scan content as well as headers.

--
Pete Hickey | [email hidden] | "If a vegetarian eats Communication Services | or (if
desperate) | vegatables, then what University of Ottawa | | does a humanitarian Ottawa,Ont. Canada
K1N 6N5| (613) 562-5800 x 1008 | eat?"

superslacker <[email hidden]> wrote:
: So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, and I'm pretty well equipped for my 2nd
: winter of commuting, but as it's dipping into the teens (F) I'm realizing that the only exposed
: 'skin', my eyes, are starting to get really freaking cold, especially with these pleasant
: headwinds.

Yah. Me too. Though I must say it's not the cold per se that bothers me but the precip. On my
Wednesday commute there was a driving snow, not a light fluffy snow, but a more icey form. I found
that that stung my eyes. I tried glasses too but they fogged as they did with you.

But I suppose that doesn't help you though.

--
'People think I'm insane because I am frowning all the time All day long I think of things
but nothing seems to satisfy' 'Make a joke and I will sigh And you will laugh and I will
cry' -Black Sabbath

"superslacker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

So it's getting a bit chilly in Chicago this time of year, .... my eyes,

are starting

Quoted message said:

to get really freaking cold

We had a winter fashion show at the Evanston Bike Club (Chicago area) last week, and the top models
were wearing ....
(a) Safety glasses, the type you would wear if you were, say, sawing wood, purchased at hardware
stores, or
(b) Visorgogs, which is a particular brand of lab glasses you can find in scientific supply catalogs
[big enough so normal eyeglasses fit underneath], or
(c) Ski goggles. The guy who had these had glued a little fringe of Polartec fabric around the
outside, so that the plastic / foam against his face wasn't as cold. His only complaint with ski
goggles was that they cut his peripheral vision a bit.

I don't have a fogging problem as long as I am moving; my Visorgogs will fog up a bit at stoplights,
but the fogging disappears once I'm moving again.

I've heard putting a very, very light coat of Joy dish soap on the lens will prevent fogging.

The choice of no eye covering VS eyeglasses VS goggles of some sort depends on individual
preference and tolerance for cold. Since you already own the ski goggles, you might as well see if
they work for you.

"Mike Kruger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"superslacker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've heard putting a very, very light coat of Joy dish soap on the lens will prevent fogging.

If you do this, then don't lick the lenses later, with the idea that saliva will also prevent
fogging. Voice of experience here.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky ([email hidden]) Home of the meditative cyclist at:
home.earthlink.netWelcome.htmOpen ↗

"superslacker" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I don't know what people normally do, but I'm just going to get out my old

ski goggles and pop them on. Should keep me nice and toasty. Is that pretty much my only option?
How about old-style aviator goggles? -Stephane in balmy Chicago

This is definitely not a normal solution but thought I would let you know about it.

I was at Wally World at the end of summer. They had summer sun bill hats on sale for $1. This is
like a head sweat band with a see thru bill. The bills came in green, blue and yellow. The design is
to keep the sun out of your eyes but to let light thru them.

I bought the yellow one, I had one with a blue visor. This works remarkably well for me. I do not
ride around a lot of cars at night. This could cause a problem at that time. I just put it on my
head, pull it down and look through the bill to see where I am going when I need the protection from
the wind in my eyes. I live in a very hilly area so half the time I need it and when climbing it is
out of the way and only fogs on the very tip of the bill so far. Ridden in 15 F weather. Also keeps
the snow from hitting your eyes. I have used it in the rain and it is great about keeping rain off
your glasses.

Gary

In article <[email hidden]>, Claire Petersky

Quoted message said:

"Mike Kruger" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've heard putting a very, very light coat of Joy dish soap on the lens will prevent fogging.

Quoted message said:

If you do this, then don't lick the lenses later, with the idea that saliva will also prevent
fogging. Voice of experience here.

Then, instead of Joy, use one of those good tasting lemon flavored diswashing detergent.

Just don't use dishwasher detergent. If you think Joy tastes bad, then you should try dishwasher
detergent.

--
--
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Did you know that 90% of North Americans cannot taste the difference between
fried dog and fried cat?

"Gary Truax" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was at Wally World at the end of summer. They had summer sun bill hats on sale for $1. This is
like a head sweat band with a see thru bill. The bills came in green, blue and yellow. The design
is to keep the sun out of your eyes but to let light thru them.

I bought the yellow one, I had one with a blue visor. This works remarkably well for me. I do not
ride around a lot of cars at night. This could cause a problem at that time. I just put it on my
head, pull it down and look through the bill to see where I am going when I need the protection
from the wind in my eyes. I live in a very hilly area so half the time I need it and when climbing
it is out of the way and only fogs on the very tip of the bill so far. Ridden in 15 F weather.
Also keeps the snow from hitting your eyes. I have used it in the rain and it is great about
keeping rain off your glasses.

I find that just a visor equipped helmet works well in the same way. I've never understood why
"road" helmet lack visors, while "mountain bike" helmets all have them, should be the other
way around.

I tried ski goggles (over glasses), worked great for a thermal solution, but cut down too much on
peripheral vision. On really cold/blowing days, I get the "gravel eye" thing. My eyes get completely
bloodshot and feel like they have grit in them.

I use a balaclava stretched so that it is not ocvering my moth or nose. Then I wear a loose-weave
scarf around my face, adjusted so that the scarf is a couple of inches from both my nose and mouth,
with the top angled out so that any breath coming out of the top angles away. This seems to work
well protecting my face and in preheating the cold air before I breath it without fogging my
glasses. Worked so far down into the high single digits. Only hassle is that you have to rotate the
scarf 45 degrees every 15 minutes as it becomes saturated with moisture. However, I find I don't
need it after I'm warmed up.

I do know about the cold eyeball problem. In the past, my prescription glasses weren't always enough
to keep my eyes warm. But now I'm wearing the new style of tiny prescription glasses. They seem to
work much better. I guess becase they are closer to my face and eyes, keeping more wind out.

-Pete

In article <[email hidden]>, "Peter Cole"

Quoted message said:

"Gary Truax" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was at Wally World at the end of summer. They had summer sun bill hats on sale for $1. This is
like a head sweat band with a see thru bill. The bills came in green, blue and yellow. The
design is to keep the sun out of your eyes but to let light thru them.

I bought the yellow one, I had one with a blue visor. This works remarkably well for me. I do
not ride around a lot of cars at night. This could cause a problem at that time. I just put it
on my head, pull it down and look through the bill to see where I am going when I need the
protection from the wind in my eyes. I live in a very hilly area so half the time I need it and
when climbing it is out of the way and only fogs on the very tip of the bill so far. Ridden in
15 F weather. Also keeps the snow from hitting your eyes. I have used it in the rain and it is
great about keeping rain off your glasses.

I find that just a visor equipped helmet works well in the same way. I've never understood why
"road" helmet lack visors, while "mountain bike" helmets all have them, should be the other
way around.

I do, since I removed the visor from my "mountain bike" helmet. I found it partly blocked my forward
vision when I was riding on my drop-bar bike. The worst was on a steep descent on my route home,
where I found myself in full-aero position, looking through the vent-holes in the visor. Visor came
off pretty quick after that ride. Maybe other visors are less obtrusive or other riders sit on their
bikes differently. My helmet is a Bell Paradox.

Mountain bikers like visors because (speculating wildly) they help stop branches from hitting your
face, they don't block your vision because you're already sitting upright, and they work better than
sunglasses when you're going in and out of the shadows on your favourite trail.

Quoted message said:

I tried ski goggles (over glasses), worked great for a thermal solution, but cut down too much on
peripheral vision. On really cold/blowing days, I get the "gravel eye" thing. My eyes get
completely bloodshot and feel like they have grit in them.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

"Ryan Cousineau" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "Peter Cole"

Quoted message said:

I find that just a visor equipped helmet works well in the same way. I've never understood why
"road" helmet lack visors, while "mountain bike"

helmets

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

all have them, should be the other way around.

I do, since I removed the visor from my "mountain bike" helmet. I found it partly blocked my
forward vision when I was riding on my drop-bar bike. The worst was on a steep descent on my route
home, where I found myself in full-aero position, looking through the vent-holes in the visor.
Visor came off pretty quick after that ride. Maybe other visors are less obtrusive or other riders
sit on their bikes differently. My helmet is a Bell Paradox.

My Bell helmet (and the one I had before) allow the visor to be flipped up. I not only ride with
drop bars on the road, but also often use aerobars, the visor design allows it to be set at a range
of angles, helpful in reducing sun and headlight glare and keeping rain off my glasses. You do have
to block the silly vent holes on newer models, though.

Quoted message said:

Mountain bikers like visors because (speculating wildly) they help stop branches from hitting your
face, they don't block your vision because you're already sitting upright, and they work better
than sunglasses when you're going in and out of the shadows on your favourite trail.

The helmet I retired also had a visor, I had to discard it after being dismounted by a low branch
with enough force to split the helmet. The visor blocked my overhead peripheral vision and was the
cause of the mishap. I can't see any reason for visors on off-road helmets, they seem to just copy
similar visors on motocross helmets. Typically, mountain bikers don't sit any more upright than road
bikers, at least I don't anyway.