winter sun woe

[Cosmik de Bris]

hi all, just back from a short ride but the sun at this time of year is truly awful. i think i may be a little bit more sensitive to this because of my 75 year old eyes that have had cataracts fixed and then both retinas detached (thank you sean). to cap it off i have to wear glasses since my 75th a month ago.

i bought an adventure type helmet with a peak. this helps quite a bit for some sun angles. the problem is in the corner of the eye. sunglasses don't seem to help unless there are some fancy ones that solve all the problems, i think there probably are, they'd have to have a prescription.

I'd really like some advice on which way to go on this.

Cheers

[pete376403]

A strip of tape across the top of the face shield, bit like a car sunvisor can help. I dont like tinted shlelds because they make everything dark. I have also worn tinted safety wrap around glasses over the top of my regular glasses. Have tried many thing for this problem as coming back from the Brass Monkeys saw a lot of sun strike

[BMWST?]

for sunglasses can only suggest a swing down shade. Glasses will always be a problem in sunstrike,another potentially smeary surface. On a 4wd trip the other day the sunstrike/slighly smeary screen was horrendous

[Berries]

Move to Auckland.

[jellywrestler]

Move to Auckland.

that's like fucking a goat and two dwarves in an elevator, it's wrong on every level....

[SaferRides]

I use a light tinted visor, Light Smoke in Shoei speak. It takes the edge off the sun but I can still see the road. I also make sure my glasses and visor are clean.

It is partly an age thing, as it is definitely more difficult now than back in my youth.

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[F5 Dave]

My black tinted visor (because I'm a rebel and like to buck the trend), has two velcro patches at the top sides just out of veiw.

I always carry a mx google strap. This has two fluffy velcro bits sewn at either end. Mx goggle straps often have rubber straps impregnated along them to stop them sliding.

In a simple procedure I can fit the strap much like tape at the top of a helmet but removable.
You can adjust it so it is aggressively down blocking the sun completely. But not the road. Anything else is a compromise.

[Blackbird]

I had a similar problem and have tried both tinted and mirror visors. I found the mirror visor better for me as it works partially on reflection as opposed to blocking light. This meant that it wasn't so dark as a tinted visor and I could ride later into the day. Sunstrike off the Firth of Thames was atrocious and specs plus eye surgery made it worse. Incidentally, I bought a cheap gold mirror visor for my Shoei GT and it was a great purchase. Excellent fit and resisted scratching really well. A worthwhile experiment.
Cheers,
Geoff

[BMWST?]

My black tinted visor (because I'm a rebel and like to buck the trend), has two velcro patches at the top sides just out of veiw.

I always carry a mx google strap. This has two fluffy velcro bits sewn at either end. Mx goggle straps often have rubber straps impregnated along them to stop them sliding.

In a simple procedure I can fit the strap much like tape at the top of a helmet but removable.
You can adjust it so it is aggressively down blocking the sun completely. But not the road. Anything else is a compromise.
I like it!

[Cosmik de Bris]

old eyes are a hinderance for sure. i'll try some of your suggestions.

thanks.

[caseye]

Wife and I both have had photochromatic lenses on our Bells for the last 2 helmets, not to dark and lightens up when needed, there is no compromise required when you do this.
Put simply, they work.
Bloody well.
:beer:

[SaferRides]

Wife and I both have had photochromatic lenses on our Bells for the last 2 helmets, not to dark and lightens up when needed, there is no compromise required when you do this.
Put simply, they work.
Bloody well.
[emoji481]I've just ordered one for the Shoei after a very unpleasant experience riding through the hills from Maramarua to Bombay at the weekend.

They generally have very good reviews, thanks for your comments .

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[BMWST?]

Wife and I both have had photochromatic lenses on our Bells for the last 2 helmets, not to dark and lightens up when needed, there is no compromise required when you do this.
Put simply, they work.
Bloody well.
:beer:
I didnt even know that was a thing!

[caseye]

I didnt even know that was a thing!

You are entirely welcome.
They used to be a bit dodgy, took a while to change, didn't always darken enough, but since about 2010, they've got em right, not to expensive either, saves the hassle of glasses or another visor.:first:

[roogazza]

Because I have old eyes that are a bit fucked, I don't use sunglasses at all ! Just Specs.

In winter esspecially, I run two strips of tape on the upper edge of the Shoei.
It works for me, a slight tilt of the head if sun appears and I'm good.(but thats not often ).
Looks a bit F1'ish but hey ! :laugh: :msn-wink:

I need all the advantage I can get, to see gravel or shit/damp on the road surface.

[jellywrestler]

i often wear kiddies sunglasses on a bike, pairs that the hooks are too short to hook over my ears, when i come into a dark corner and need them gone a nod of the head gets them off my eyes and when i'm out of the risky area wear sunnies aren't that good i can flip my visor and get them back on my eyes. might sound silly but it works very well. I had on my last jacket pipe cleaners through my pocket zips, that way if i rode off and suddenly was not sure i'd closed my pocket i could grab them with gloves on, causing less distraction, or see them in my mirror, there were times i'd stop, check my phone, cigarettes of get sunnies in or out of my pockets and weren't sure of pocket flap status so this worked real well. new jacket has velcro tops so not workable with pipe cleaners

[Laava]

Jeez Cosmik, you were very unlucky to be having the cataract ops and then have detachment! My wife had it the other way around and that was bad enough!

[1/32 man]

I rode from Napier to Gisborne a few weeks ago.....sun was in my eyes going up and the sun was in my eyes coming back.
Combine that with the road going into shadow and coming out into full sun many many times and a broken road surface I lost my bottle and slowed right down. Didn't enoy the experience at all.

[F5 Dave]

50mm mx strap would have been pretty good right then. Sun can't go through that like they can sunnies.

[BMWST?]

Because I have old eyes that are a bit fucked, I don't use sunglasses at all ! Just Specs.

In winter esspecially, I run two strips of tape on the upper edge of the Shoei.
It works for me, a slight tilt of the head if sun appears and I'm good.(but thats not often ).
Looks a bit F1'ish but hey ! :laugh: :msn-wink:

I need all the advantage I can get, to see gravel or shit/damp on the road surface.
Two strips for the width or do you have em layered so you have different transparency?

[F5 Dave]

Tape is about 18mm thick so slightly edged over is 30mm. Not really big enough let alone if one wasn't fully non transparent.

[roogazza]

Two strips for the width or do you have em layered so you have different transparency?
Just two strips for the width bud. Seems crazy simple but for me its works like a peak.Jjust a slight tilt of the head.
Realised yesterday I use the sun visor in the car the same way,my eyes hate any sort of glare.:weird:

[Cosmik de Bris]

Jeez Cosmik, you were very unlucky to be having the cataract ops and then have detachment! My wife had it the other way around and that was bad enough!

yes, it's pretty scary. you go blind in a matter of minutes. fortunately ER were very responsive and i was in a hospital bed within a couple of hours, both times. i'm very grateful to sean every, he is a great surgeon.

cheers

[Cosmik de Bris]

Wife and I both have had photochromatic lenses on our Bells for the last 2 helmets, not to dark and lightens up when needed, there is no compromise required when you do this.
Put simply, they work.
Bloody well.
:beer:

I have one of those on my shoei but it does not help my particular situation. the glare, even reduced, shuts down the vision in both my eyes. i don't think darkening works, the sun needs to be blocked.

cheers'

[BMWST?]

Just two strips for the width bud. Seems crazy simple but for me its works like a peak.Jjust a slight tilt of the head.
Realised yesterday I use the sun visor in the car the same way,my eyes hate any sort of glare.:weird:
thats a good idea though,not new of course, but exactly like a sun visor in a car

[SaferRides]

Just two strips for the width bud. Seems crazy simple but for me its works like a peak.Jjust a slight tilt of the head.
Realised yesterday I use the sun visor in the car the same way,my eyes hate any sort of glare.:weird:We used to do this back in the day. Two layers of insulating tape almost completely blocked the sun. It worked well then, but my eyes were much younger and not as sensitive to light as they are now.

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[Cosmik de Bris]

Just two strips for the width bud. Seems crazy simple but for me its works like a peak.Jjust a slight tilt of the head.
Realised yesterday I use the sun visor in the car the same way,my eyes hate any sort of glare.:weird:

this sounds like the best idea, thnaks.

[nerrrd]

I have a variation on this, in that I put tape across the top of the visor and across the bottom - means if the top's not working, you can open the visor and adjust it up or down a bit to suit.

Means your eyes get a blast of air, not such a problem for we bespectacled types, however if your visor hinges are a bit shit it might not work so well.

I use reflective tape usually, adds a bit of sparkle to the helmet at night.

[1/32 man]

Thanks for the tip regarding the tape across the top of the visor.
I tried it on yesterdays ride....worked great....so thanks once more from my 71 year old eyes.

[rastuscat]

On a tangent, with the sun being so low in the sky, it's the perfect time for people to pull out of intersections in front of us, and having sun strike to blame.

If it's hard for us to see, it's even harder for people to see us.

Whether they should or not is moot. They won't. Being aware of sun strike and how it impacts drivers view of us is a key riding skill.

If you can see your own shadow on the road ahead of you, watch out for people pulling out of side roads ahead of you too.

For other riding tips likely to put the fear of dog into you.

[F5 Dave]

Good call on the last point.

I had a big black one come up and sniff me when I was walking home from school in the fog. I heard something. Turned around. Face to face with a Labrador. I Turned and ran as fast as my little schoolboy legs would take me and didn't look back.:sweatdrop

It's OK David. He can't hurt you now. Deep breath. He can't hurt you now.

[R650R]

I adjust ride times and plan to avoid it. Stop somewhere for feed or beer and ride in dark instead bonus being lot of traffic gone too.
Try doing fav loop in opposite direction.

[SaferRides]

Yes, doing the Coromandel loop from Auckland in winter can be problematic because of sunstrike returning from Thames to Auckland. The drawback to waiting for the sun to go down is how quickly it gets cold.

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[BMWST?]

On a tangent, with the sun being so low in the sky, it's the perfect time for people to pull out of intersections in front of us, and having sun strike to blame.

If it's hard for us to see, it's even harder for people to see us.

Whether they should or not is moot. They won't. Being aware of sun strike and how it impacts drivers view of us is a key riding skill.

If you can see your own shadow on the road ahead of you, watch out for people pulling out of side roads ahead of you too.

For other riding tips likely to put the fear of dog into you.

should we be riding with our headlights on high beam when the sun is at low angles?? I do not normally use high beam as a default daytime setting

[Berries]

should we be riding with our headlights on high beam when the sun is at low angles?? I do not normally use high beam as a default daytime setting
Anybody who rides with high beam day or night when there is oncoming traffic should be shot. In my humble opinion.

[BMWST?]

Anybody who rides with high beam day or night when there is oncoming traffic should be shot. In my humble opinion.
I agree wholeheartedly. But is it a strategy to counter invisiblty cos of sunstrike(and only sunstrike.)

[F5 Dave]

By adding Lightstrike?

[rastuscat]

Anybody who rides with high beam day or night when there is oncoming traffic should be shot. In my humble opinion.

Chuckle.

Back when I was in a blue suit on a troll bike I found a young woman on an SV650 on the Motukarara Straights with her headlight on hi beam.

Having stopped her with red and blues, I walked up to her and said "We have had a call from the International Space Station, can we get that bike headlight turned down please".

Followed a rant about how nobody had ever pulled out in front of her when she had hi beam on, contrasted to regular failed to give way situations when she used low beam.

Kind of felt sympathetic with her point, but her light was bizarre bright and dazzling, so had to be switched down.

The relevant legislation

Use of motor vehicle lighting equipment on road
(1) A person must not use vehicle lighting equipment in such a way that it dazzles, confuses, or distracts so as to endanger the safety of other road users.
(2) If a vehicle’s headlamps are in use, a driver must dip those headlamps—
[INDENT](a)whenever they would be likely to interfere adversely with the vision of another driver in motion on a road; or

[jellywrestler]

Chuckle.

Back when I was in a blue suit on a troll bike I found a young woman on an SV650 on the Motukarara Straights with her headlight on hi beam.


dazzling on coming vehicles is not very smart, yeah lets fuck up their ability to see everything including the road and see who wins

[Berries]

I agree wholeheartedly. But is it a strategy to counter invisiblty cos of sunstrike(and only sunstrike.)
If we are talking proper sunstrike then I don't think the headlight being on full beam would make any difference at all.

If the driver is squinting in your direction and your dash is in shadow then I would suggest you want to be covering the brakes and taking control of the situation, not praying that the driver reacts to headlights that may be just slightly overpowered by the sun.

[F5 Dave]

Phasers set to STUN.