Bike helmet windscreen (not peek type visor)

[E-wan]

I’ve been trying to look for a large clear or slightly tinted windscreen type visor to attach to the front of my bike helmet to help keep the snow out of my eyes, a bit like the type that flick up and down on a motorbike helmet.  I remember seeing something like this in a bike shop in the 90’s but haven’t seen it recently and Google hasn’t produced any results.

Thought it would be worth a try as I find like this as I find that clear glasses don’t quite offer enough protection and goggles steam up to quickly and overly restrict visibility to the side.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Ewan

[jags]

don't think anything like that exists
what about a long peak baseball cap and a nice pair of shades.

[rualexander]

Depends what brand helmet you have probably, but they do seem to exist, http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bicycle+helmet+visor&hl=en&safe=off&gl=GB&source=android-browser&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=agI-UevKKYrX7AaFuICoBg&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=980&bih=508
You might have to adapt one to fit your particular helmet.

[jags]

great find rual learn something new every day 

[E-wan]

Okay yep they are made for aerodynamic time traile type helmets but wat I am after is one that I can fit or adapt to fit a standard mtb type helmit

something looking a bit like this http://www.instructables.com/id/All-Weather-Bike-Helmet/

Just not sure if anything comercial is made that would fit or could be easialy adapted.

Ewan

[Danneaux]

Hi Ewan!

I was in this exact-same position when commuting in +5°F to -12°F weather in my uni days.

I went to the local plastics shop and got a sheet of 2mm polycarbonate, warmed it in the overn, then took it out and bent it 'round a coffee tin till it cooled. Drilled a hole in each upper corner, and attached a bungee cord. The cord went 'round the helmet and was held in place by the shape of the rear vents. It worked great but for two things:
1) It hit my nose ("dose" when the visor was against it, which didn't help breathing much).
2) As a consequence of 1) it steamed up from my breath.

Giving up on that approach, I found happiness in a downhill ski-racer's goggle-and-mask set, made by Scott and designed to protect the faces of slalom skiers who often hit the fiberglas poles that serve as gates. It even came with different-colored lenses (clear, smoke grey, and amber) and had changeable filters in the vented portion of the mouth shield and worked great. I haven't found them listed for sale in recent years, but a nearly identical product is offered to off-road motorcyclists.

Mine didn't flip up, but it was easy to simply grab the face guard and pull it down and let it hang by the strap ('round my neck, rather than head) when I didn't want/need it, but wanted it ready to hand "justincase".

Except for being white in color, mine looked exactly like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-MX-Scott-face-mask-w-goggles-CR-RM-YZ-KTM-BMX-/190564907921?item=190564907921&vxp=mtr

For motorcyclists: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com.au/category/15_offroad_goggles/subs/20_scott_goggles/products/925_scott_83x_safari_facemask_goggle

Current offering from the snow-machine world: http://www.firstplaceparts.com/Scott-Safari-83X-Facemask-Goggles.html

Very similar mask-and-goggle sets are available to paintball enthusiasts and might be worth looking into. An example: http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Vectra-Airsoft-Paintball-Accessory/dp/B004MAWU20

I'm shocked at the prices, having paid USD$18 back in the day (a "day" longer ago than I remembered, till I saw how prices have increased) for my goggle-mask combo. It really did the trick in heavy rain, severe cold, and snow. I hope something in here helps.

Best,

Dan. (...whose biking-related efforts have made him a poster-child for alternative fashions)

[julk]

Ewan.
I use one of these,
http://www.shadowvisor.co.uk/index.htm.

I had to remove the peak and put velcro around the front of the helmet in order to fasten the Shadow Visor on.
I have melted a couple of holes in the velcro so that I can take the Shadow Visor off and refit the peak for rainy conditions.
Julian.

[E-wan]

Think I might give the SHADOW VISOR a try,

Glad the goggles worked for you Dan but when I've tried my skii goggles I find I can't see out to the side enough for my liking and they are liable to fog (even though they are meant to be anti fog Oakley lenses)  I guess I just perspire more when cycling than skiing .

[Andre Jute]

I tried several pairs of ski goggles and they all fogged up. They fog up when skiing too, though not so badly.

I made a sheild out of polycarbonate (Dan gives bending instructions above -- I used an old helmet as a former) and put a couple of pins in it to hold it in the holes for the visor on my helmet. But the pins made me uneasy -- I didn't fancy them scrambling my brains, such as they are -- and I stopped using it.

I had more success with a lightweight grinders's mask from the hardware store. This is s shield in thin transparent polycarb the full depth of your face, flipping up on a headband. The headband fits under the helmet. Just too inconvenient, and with the helmet on it wouldn't flip up properly. But it was cheap at about a tenner, so I removed the headband, and fitted the screen to a baseball cap, of which I have plenty (I wear them in summer under the helmet as sweat catchers when it is really warm or I'm really exerting myself), gluing it on permanently on a piece of stiff foam to space it out over my spectacles and nose, and this was very successful, until it was stolen off my table at a roadside cafe where a peloton about their exercise passed while I was inside getting a latte so I could pose as a cyclist.

Julian's velcro solution looks reasonable.

While I'm on the subject of baseball caps used as sweatbands...

I also have several woolen hard-visored caps, made in Milan as fashion good for young ladies, and these I wear in winter under  my helmet to keep my head warm. A wonderfully successful solution, much superior to rubbishly and expensive helmet "liners".

Andre Jute