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#1
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
Hi,
Went out on an hour long road ride today in what is probably the chilliest ride of the year for me so far. As I'm fairly new to new england, I'm having trouble keeping my head warm when its below 25f. Feet, fingers and body all OK but wearing a helmet (which I feel is essential for as accident prone as I am) with the straps done up correctly is really difficult if I want to pile on the gear under it. I'm currently using a large helmet to accomodate the extra layers while in the summer I normally have a medium. Its a good fit and is snug and I feel safe but I really need something warmer. Here's what I currently wear: Gortex helmet cover Bell Helmet Thinsilate Hat (normal ski type cap, kinda thick) Specialised Skull cap (about the thickness of armwarmers) Clear glasses Scarf wrapped around neck, tucked into collar of jacket I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. I have some great hats when I'm out sking and such but I get nervous without a helmet. Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? What about ski goggles. Anyone ever ride with them? My Oakley M-frames do a good job but tend to fog up quite a bit when I tuck my face down into my scarf. Any advice from any cold weather warriors? Surely someone from Alaska or Nebraska or other chilly climes must wear a helmet and still be able to stay warm... |
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#2
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
DOOH wrote:
I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. I get by with a poly balaclava I picked up at a sporting goods store; it's got a built-in neck gaiter (so no scarf needed), and covers the face well. The top is thin, as it's intended as a helmet liner, so I put a wool toque on top of that (I picked it up at Marshall Field's a year or so ago, and paid far too much in the process), and then my helmet, with the straps loosened up for fit. That's been enough to keep me warm into the high single digits, which is the coldest I've ridden in thus far. What about ski goggles. Anyone ever ride with them? My Oakley M-frames do a good job but tend to fog up quite a bit when I tuck my face down into my scarf. I was eyeing up* a cheap pair the other day at a discount store (just enough to keep cold air off the eyes), but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I just throw in my contact lenses and go; I haven't worn my sunglasses much thus far, but I usually pull the balaclava down off the nose slightly to prevent fogging when I do. *Pun fully intended. -- __o Kristian Zoerhoff _'\(,_ (_)/ (_) |
#3
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
"DOOH" wrote ...
Hi, Went out on an hour long road ride today in what is probably the chilliest ride of the year for me so far. As I'm fairly new to new england, I'm having trouble keeping my head warm when its below 25f. Feet, fingers and body all OK but wearing a helmet (which I feel is essential for as accident prone as I am) with the straps done up correctly is really difficult if I want to pile on the gear under it. I'm currently using a large helmet to accomodate the extra layers while in the summer I normally have a medium. Its a good fit and is snug and I feel safe but I really need something warmer. Here's what I currently wear: Gortex helmet cover Bell Helmet Thinsilate Hat (normal ski type cap, kinda thick) Specialised Skull cap (about the thickness of armwarmers) Clear glasses Scarf wrapped around neck, tucked into collar of jacket I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. I have some great hats when I'm out sking and such but I get nervous without a helmet. Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? What about ski goggles. Anyone ever ride with them? My Oakley M-frames do a good job but tend to fog up quite a bit when I tuck my face down into my scarf. Any advice from any cold weather warriors? Surely someone from Alaska or Nebraska or other chilly climes must wear a helmet and still be able to stay warm... I wear a thin balaclava with my helmet, either a Pearl Izumi or a slightly thicker Turtle Fur model that looks like it was meant to go under a ski helmet. I think the continuous coverage of a balaclava is warmer than the hat/scarf combo. I also have a thin wool hat that I sometimes wear under the cycle helmet. I wear a Bell Metro helmet with the rain cover (not Gore-Tex) and the winter add-ons (ear muffs and vent plugs). Is it possible that you're cramming so many layers under your helmet that you're crushing the insulation, losing the dead air space? I try to keep my whole body protected, instead of focussing on one part.Windproof tops and bottoms are crucial, as is a pair of neoprene shoe covers. I found a pair of SportHill tights that are cut a little looser than standard Lycra tights, leaving room for long underwear underneath. I also find that wool long underwear, socks, jersey tend to insulate a touch better than even the best synthetics. HTH, -- mark |
#4
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 22:41:42 -0500, "DOOH" wrote:
Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? Compare Snell's bicycle helmet standard: http://www.smf.org/standards/b/b95std.html to their ski helmet standard, http://www.smf.org/standards/ski/s98std.html What little difference there is is in the sight lines. They're both designed to be replace after one impact. -- zk |
#5
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
"DOOH" wrote in
: Hi, Went out on an hour long road ride today in what is probably the chilliest ride of the year for me so far. As I'm fairly new to new england, I'm having trouble keeping my head warm when its below 25f. Feet, fingers and body all OK but wearing a helmet (which I feel is essential for as accident prone as I am) with the straps done up correctly is really difficult if I want to pile on the gear under it. I'm currently using a large helmet to accomodate the extra layers while in the summer I normally have a medium. Its a good fit and is snug and I feel safe but I really need something warmer. Here's what I currently wear: Gortex helmet cover Bell Helmet Thinsilate Hat (normal ski type cap, kinda thick) Specialised Skull cap (about the thickness of armwarmers) Clear glasses Scarf wrapped around neck, tucked into collar of jacket I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. I have some great hats when I'm out sking and such but I get nervous without a helmet. Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? What about ski goggles. Anyone ever ride with them? My Oakley M-frames do a good job but tend to fog up quite a bit when I tuck my face down into my scarf. Any advice from any cold weather warriors? Surely someone from Alaska or Nebraska or other chilly climes must wear a helmet and still be able to stay warm... I'm not one for all the cycling-specific gear. Instead, I bought a simple balaclava from Walmart. Fits under my helmet ok, and covers my head, neck and face. I wear goggles in the winter months (I think they're called VisorGogs). They only fog up when I stop, but, if I pull them away from my face a little during the stops, they're ok. This combo has worked for me in 0F temps (-7F wind chill), with no problems of being cold at all. YMMV, -- Eric Babula Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA |
#6
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
DOOH wrote:
Hi, Went out on an hour long road ride today in what is probably the chilliest ride of the year for me so far. As I'm fairly new to new england, I'm having trouble keeping my head warm when its below 25f. Feet, fingers and body all OK but wearing a helmet (which I feel is essential for as accident prone as I am) with the straps done up correctly is really difficult if I want to pile on the gear under it. I'm currently using a large helmet to accomodate the extra layers while in the summer I normally have a medium. Its a good fit and is snug and I feel safe but I really need something warmer. Here's what I currently wear: Gortex helmet cover Bell Helmet Thinsilate Hat (normal ski type cap, kinda thick) Specialised Skull cap (about the thickness of armwarmers) Clear glasses Scarf wrapped around neck, tucked into collar of jacket I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. Any advice from any cold weather warriors? Surely someone from Alaska or Nebraska or other chilly climes must wear a helmet and still be able to stay warm... First, check out the icebike site (www.icebike.org) for more hints. On to the rest. I use a thin balaclava, probably like your skull cap. It fits comfortably under my helmet. That's all I need on my head and neck; face exposure depends on wind and speed, as I can raise or lower the bottom of the face opening. I go to my heaviest tights below about 30 -- are yours thick enough? Add in a pile layer and a wind layer on the torso, shoe covers, and lobster claw gloves, and I'm good to go. It's hard to recommend what else to change without knowing the rest of your kit. Pat |
#7
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
"DOOH" wrote in message ... Hi, Went out on an hour long road ride today in what is probably the chilliest ride of the year for me so far. As I'm fairly new to new england, I'm having trouble keeping my head warm when its below 25f. Feet, fingers and body all OK but wearing a helmet (which I feel is essential for as accident prone as I am) with the straps done up correctly is really difficult if I want to pile on the gear under it. I'm currently using a large helmet to accomodate the extra layers while in the summer I normally have a medium. Its a good fit and is snug and I feel safe but I really need something warmer. Here's what I currently wear: Gortex helmet cover Bell Helmet Thinsilate Hat (normal ski type cap, kinda thick) Specialised Skull cap (about the thickness of armwarmers) Clear glasses Scarf wrapped around neck, tucked into collar of jacket I can put all that on but it only feels warm down to about 25f. I was out today in temps cooler with a bit of wind and just standing around was chilly let alone riding downhill at 30mph. I have some great hats when I'm out sking and such but I get nervous without a helmet. Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? What about ski goggles. Anyone ever ride with them? My Oakley M-frames do a good job but tend to fog up quite a bit when I tuck my face down into my scarf. Any advice from any cold weather warriors? Surely someone from Alaska or Nebraska or other chilly climes must wear a helmet and still be able to stay warm... Here's another vote for the "thin balaclava" solution, I use it below 15 degrees F. I bought mine at my LBS; it carries a TREK brand. |
#8
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
I've got two balaclavas, one light-weight and one medium-weight, both
some kind of poly, I guess, not fleece. A friend wears a silk balaclava. We've been out in temperatures as low as 7 degrees and we routinely ride in the teens with no need for additional headgear here in SE Pennsylvania. There are a number of reasonably-priced catalog sources, so there's no need to pay for cycling-specific (and over-priced) names. Try Sierra Trading, Cabela's, Campmor... Regards, Roy Zipris |
#9
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
In article .com,
"Roy Zipris" wrote: I've got two balaclavas, one light-weight and one medium-weight, both some kind of poly, I guess, not fleece. A friend wears a silk balaclava. We've been out in temperatures as low as 7 degrees and we routinely ride in the teens with no need for additional headgear here in SE Pennsylvania. There are a number of reasonably-priced catalog sources, so there's no need to pay for cycling-specific (and over-priced) names. Try Sierra Trading, Cabela's, Campmor... Regards, Roy Zipris Here in SE Pennsylvania ther are more Hummers and cadillac Escalede ESVs than almost anywhere. Who say GM is in bankruptcy??? I have a PI balaclava that goes under the H**mut and a gore tex cover over the H. I may look like a fully gorged tick in my winter get up, but I am warm. The older I get, the warmer I like it! HAND |
#10
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Cold weather riding and keeping head warm while wearing a helmet
DOOH wrote:
I have some great hats when I'm out sking and such but I get nervous without a helmet. Anyone ever ride with a ski helmet on, they look like they have closed vents and cover the back a bit more and have built in ear muffs. Are they just overbuilt bike hemets or are they designed for ski-specific crashes? You can compare the Snell standards for bicycle helmets versus ski helmets. The peak acceleration to the headform appears to be the same for both. However there are a lot of other aspects of helmets other than just the protection from impact. See http://www.smf.org/standards/ski/s98std.html and http://www.smf.org/standards/b/b90astd.html Bottom line is that it should be just fine. The important thing is that at least you're protecting your head, as all the experts advise. |
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