What Do You Wear Over Your Eyes When Biking At Night (Especially During Cold Weather)?

[Jim1348]

When the temperatures dropped in Minnesota some weeks back, I started wearing googles because my face got cold. I have pretty much been wearing them, day or night, since then.

Tonight, however, I started without them. A minute into the ride I was going to turn back to get them, but decided to go without them. I was wearing a helmet liner under my helmet, so my face didn't get cold. I had almost forgotten how much I am affected by "tunnel vision" when wearing goggles.

I am now looking for a solution of what to wear while riding at night, especially during cold weather. IT has been mile in the Twin Cities Minnesota lately, but that won't last forever. I am thinking maybe clear lens glasses that fit close to the eyes. I don't think something like that would give the "tunnel vision" effect quite as bad as traditional goggles.

For those that ride during the darkness, especially when it is freezing out or below, what do you wear and like?

 

[indianajo]

I wear Uvex clear safety glasses, the kind you buy at the welding supply. Wrap around but not enclosing eyes. If they are too closed up they fog up. Same earpiece as fits the tint 5 welding glasses. I do wrap saran wrap around the mouth vent in my helmet, which keeps the wind off the lower part of my face. Fox Rampage helmet. I've been on grocery runs down to 6 F and 10 mph headwind. May be worse than that in Minnesota. If I start getting ice crystals on the lenses, I take them off. I don't like covering my nose because I blow it a lot in that weather, but that is what people in the Army did. Division during blizzards made us fold the windshields of the trucks up and driver around with naked eyes. Scarves, jacket liners etc were permitted but nothing on eyes. That was Kansas & West Germany. Alaska and Greenland the Army may have different practices.

 

[fooferdoggie]

these work well and are cheap mine are prescription but they keep the wind and rain out of my eyes. but stye do block side vision. cycling glasses can be pretty big but allow some venting. also can be frameless most of the way around.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

What tunnel vision?

100% Accuri 2 OTG

 

[PDoz]

Jim, by goggles - what are you referring to?

A well fitted wide view set of ski or MX goggles should offer reasonable peripheral vision and clarity - the difficulty is finding a set that fits your face AND helmet. Stephan demonstrates the results of a poor choice - sitting too high on his nose , likely restricting his lower outer visual field.

Perhaps visit a ski shop and mx shop, but be prepared to pay for quality. I'd strongly encourage you to include cost of replacement lenses in the value calculation , and keep in mind that a decent scratch resistant lens will significantly outlast fog resistant ( I change lenses depending on expected conditions, it saves a fortune over time , but my riding involves mud and I demand good vision on the trails )

 

[mcfizzlestag]

i have two things i use: Ski goggles for a regular helmet. I use these for warmer weather or quick trips
For long cold or wet commutes, i have an ILM offroad motorcycle helmet that the visor can come up. It will fog up since its meant for highspeeds, so i often have it partially open. Your breath will warm you up a bit with it, and keeps the ears nice n toasty

 

[mrgold35]

I use motorcycle eye wear that is polarized (day) or clear lens (night) eyewear with the foam cushion around the eye pieces to limit wind, bugs, dust, or dirt into my eyes. I had issues in freezing temps with these types of eye protection would fog up too much or the freezing cold air would cause my eyes to water too much. Switched to clear ski googles and that seemed to work keeping my eyes from watering and reducing fog build up (don't need to wear contacts or glasses for normal vision).

3 season eye wear:

Winter eye wear when temp are below 35 degrees F:

 

[Jim1348]

i have two things i use: Ski goggles for a regular helmet. I use these for warmer weather or quick trips
For long cold or wet commutes, i have an ILM offroad motorcycle helmet that the visor can come up. It will fog up since its meant for highspeeds, so i often have it partially open. Your breath will warm you up a bit with it, and keeps the ears nice n toasty

I have a helmet that I wear while ATVing. I haven't worn it, yet, while on my e-bike, but I might just try that.

 

[BlackHand]

I have a helmet with a removable face shield. Keeps my glasses lens clear and the shield is a lot easier to wipe while riding if it gets too much water on it.

The helmet also has a cover for winter use, but I don't use it too much as the cover plus a hood under the helmet is usually too warm above 30F. Pretty rare to get more than a couple degrees below freezing around here so visibility and moisture control are more important than warmth.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stephan demonstrates the results of a poor choice - sitting too high on his nose , likely restricting his lower outer visual field.

No issues on long winter rides, such as 60 km during the frost. It is not too easy to find a good OTG goggles. I also own two extra pairs of Accuri 1 goggles, these have more space in the bottom part.

Winter riding in 100% Accuri Tornado.

 

[fooferdoggie]

Just got these today see how well they do in the cold. though mostly I got them for sun rides. went to sportrx.com man so many choices of frames and lens colors and types. I had to call them and watch a few vides to learn. what one would work for me. but man when you need progressive lens the price sure jumps up from regular ones.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have a helmet with a removable face shield. Keeps my glasses lens clear and the shield is a lot easier to wipe while riding if it gets too much water on it.

The helmet also has a cover for winter use, but I don't use it too much as the cover plus a hood under the helmet is usually too warm above 30F. Pretty rare to get more than a couple degrees below freezing around here so visibility and moisture control are more important than warmth.
View attachment 168113

I tried a visor in the rain and and it seem to make things worse at night really bad the glair was really bad. but maybe me since I am not used to looking through a windshield. plus I could not keep it clean and looking through smudges always bothers me on my glasses its worse on a visor.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Stephan demonstrates the results of a poor choice - sitting too high on his nose , likely restricting his lower outer visual field.

I was paying an attention to that point on my hard ride in the rain and against a massive headwind yesterday.
My goggles do not restrict the view at all: I could see the road in the front of my front wheel all the time without moving my head at all.

I wonder how I could have survived my 10,700 km in the saddle YTD otherwise

 

[PDoz]

I was paying an attention to that point on my hard ride in the rain and against a massive headwind yesterday.
My goggles do not restrict the view at all: I could see the road in the front of my front wheel all the time without moving my head at all.

I wonder how I could have survived my 10,700 km in the saddle YTD otherwise

You are used to wearing glasses with thick rims that obstruct your peripheral vision, so are used to JUST looking at the road in front of your wheel ? I'm surprised you don"t feel the need to move your head and check beyond the road in front of your wheel, but I have normal vision so am used to unimpaired peripheral fields. Perhaps you have a pituitary prolactinoma and it's compressing your optic chiasm , resulting in loss of peripheral vision? Or perhaps other road users have learnt to give you a wide berth over the past 10,700 km ?

Either way, I wonder how you survive as well.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You are used to wearing glasses with thick rims that obstruct your peripheral vision, so are used to JUST looking at the road in front of your wheel ? I'm surprised you don"t feel the need to move your head and check beyond the road in front of your wheel, but I have normal vision so am used to unimpaired peripheral fields. Perhaps you have a pituitary prolactinoma and it's compressing your optic chiasm , resulting in loss of peripheral vision? Or perhaps other road users have learnt to give you a wide berth over the past 10,700 km ?

Either way, I wonder how you survive as well.

What are implying?! The goggles ensure a broad angle of view for me (almost as if I were riding without the goggles). What I said was the bottom part of the goggles does not impair my vision at all. The brand name "100%" implies full view through the goggles and I can assure you Kilian Bron (the winner of the Mountain of Hell) wears 100% goggles, too

I just dream you had to ride during a real Central European winter...

You are used to wearing glasses with thick rims that obstruct your peripheral vision,

"Thick rims". I hope the name Ray-Ban is known in Australia, too

 

[PDoz]

Stefan, 100% is a brand signifying the effort put in - not the field of view. They also make clothing and armor which I'm sure isn't transparent.

Some of their goggles offer wide field of view IF they fit your face. They fit my son, but not me

 

[fooferdoggie]

something like this may be the way to go I wanted something like this but yo cant get them in the prescription I need.

https://www.oakley.com/en-us/product/W0OO9406?variant=888392404817

 

[Mango1234]

Ski Goggles work great. I got these to go over my wide (137mm) glasses. I didn't like the way the goggles pressed the glasses' arms into my temples, so I got an old pair of glasses with a broken hinge and removed the other arm as well. The armless glasses float loose inside the goggles. They snug up to my face pretty good when the goggles are worn.

Amazon.com

 

[Mr. Coffee]

These glasses are about $30:

Amazon.com

These goggles are awesome but are about $180 depending on the lens you get:

Amazon.com

Both fit under my bike helmet (although the nice flip-up feature on the goggles doesn't have room to flip-up when I'm wearing a helmet but is fine on the ski).

 

[scottsdalecommuter]

Ive had really good luck using a clear pair of cheap safety glasses that are the athletic style. Block plenty of wind and keep any snow/rain off my eyes. I wear them at night in the summer to keep bugs out of my eyes. Great visibility even with car lights coming at me. They do fog up at stop lights but if I pull my balaclava down over my mouth it’s not an issue. I have a pair of ski goggles but I’m yet to try them out. If it’s snowing so much I need ski goggles, I’ll just drive or work from home.