Polarized Lenses and the Aventure Display

[Katzenjammer]

When I was in the bike shop buying my Aventure I was impressed by the color display and looked forward to using all that information during my upcoming rides. When I got out in the sun and got ready to ride it I wondered why I could barely see it and checked the settings for brightness to no avail. Checking this forum and elsewhere on the web I realized the problem was that my prescription sunglasses have polarized lenses and the only way to see the display was to angle my head to an uncomfortable degree. Checking further I saw several references to using various films to mitigate the problem. Digging through a drawer I found an old sample pack of 3M transparency film for laser printers (CG3300), and holding a sheet over the display made it much more visible. I cut out a piece (2 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches). There is an area around the display screen that isn't illuminated of about 1/3 inch, so I made a frame of double-sided tape around the edges of the display and attached the piece of film. I trimmed it up with a razor knife and, while it's not a thing of beauty, I can now see the display while I'm wearing my sunglasses, which is all the time here in Arizona. The display is bright enough to see as is and if I tilt my head even slightly it becomes very bright. We'll see how it holds up in this climate and I have the rest of the sheet to make replacements if I need to in the future.

 

[6zfshdb]

Polarized lenses can cause issues with many displays including those in cars. As a result, I had a pair of prescription non polarized glasses made to use while biking & driving.

Thanks for the tip on the 3M film but it would be difficult to use in a vehicle.

 

[KimR]

When I was in the bike shop buying my Aventure I was impressed by the color display and looked forward to using all that information during my upcoming rides. When I got out in the sun and got ready to ride it I wondered why I could barely see it and checked the settings for brightness to no avail. Checking this forum and elsewhere on the web I realized the problem was that my prescription sunglasses have polarized lenses and the only way to see the display was to angle my head to an uncomfortable degree. Checking further I saw several references to using various films to mitigate the problem. Digging through a drawer I found an old sample pack of 3M transparency film for laser printers (CG3300), and holding a sheet over the display made it much more visible. I cut out a piece (2 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches). There is an area around the display screen that isn't illuminated of about 1/3 inch, so I made a frame of double-sided tape around the edges of the display and attached the piece of film. I trimmed it up with a razor knife and, while it's not a thing of beauty, I can now see the display while I'm wearing my sunglasses, which is all the time here in Arizona. The display is bright enough to see as is and if I tilt my head even slightly it becomes very bright. We'll see how it holds up in this climate and I have the rest of the sheet to make replacements if I need to in the future.

Thank you so much for your creative solution to this problem! I don't know what 3M transparency film is right now but I'm sure going to find some and do my best to install it. I'm in Colorado and the high-altitude sun is intense. Riding without sunglasses is not an option. I'm going to look into nonpolarized lenses too. Thanks again!