sunglasses versus full facial helmets

[dangerman]

A silly little question
What the do's and don't for buying sunglasses to wear will full facial helmets??

[wkid_one]

DON'T

Buy a tinted visor instead!

[Hitcher]

A silly little question
What the do's and don't for buying sunglasses to wear will full facial helmets??

I presume you mean "full face" helmets (otherwise the mind boggles!!)

Dos
Always put your helmet on first, and take if off last (happiness involves correct sequencing).
Try before you buy. The temples on sunglasses differ in both length and angle of attack. If you get this wrong the pressure of your helmet against the temples will push your sunnies off your nose and face. If the temples are too long they will push back into your helmet's lining.

Don'ts
Wear them at night (as opposed to the words of the song)

[Zed]

A silly little question
What the do's and don't for buying sunglasses to wear will full facial helmets??
I wear my sunglasses (driving glasses actually) during the day, especially on sunny mornings & evenings to work & back home because of the sun strike. One of my helmets has a tinted visor so I have no need for sunglasses when I'm wearing that. Apart from protection from the glare of the sun, they are also good for riding with your visor up and protecting your eyes from the wind, bugs, etc.

Btw, just make sure that you put your sunglasses on AFTER your helmet is on your head and not before! A mistake that I have made in the past.:blink:


Zed

[Deano]

If you bin it there is a chance you could get glass in your eyes, whereas much less chance of your visor smashing into little bits.

I suppose a visor could break with potential for a shard to enter your eye but never heard of it happening. I have a tinted visor, but have to be careful so as not riding at night with it on.

[scumdog]

Use sun-glasses as well as visor, most visors get scratched pretty quick and riding into the sun your better off with sun-glasses imho

[wkid_one]

Disagree entirely. By having two layers you can completely fuck the optics of visor. Having glasses on provides something else to get in the way of you field of vision, it is something else to distract you, they can fog up worse than visors can, you have FOUR surfaces to worry about being clean - etc etc etc.

Having ridden with both glasses (vision) and with a tinted visor - once you have the visor you will never look back. You get a clear one with your helmet purchase - so you shouldn't have a problem riding at night (just store it under your seat if you are worried).

[Deano]

You get a clear one with your helmet purchase - so you shouldn't have a problem riding at night (just store it under your seat if you are worried).

Not enough room under my seat unfortunately.

[wkid_one]

Yes but Deano - we all know you are a fair weather rider only riding if it is fine, dry and sunny!!

[Mongoose]

Disagree entirely. By having two layers you can completely fuck the optics of visor. Having glasses on provides something else to get in the way of you field of vision, it is something else to distract you, they can fog up worse than visors can, you have FOUR surfaces to worry about being clean - etc etc etc.

).

Well, sorry wkid_one, but I will disagree with you this time. Keeping both your glasses and visor clean is very important bt visors do tend to scratch up more than glasses. This causes bad *staring* when you get sun strike and it is easier to rely on your sunnies to get a clearer picture of whats happening.If your sunnies are going to fog up there is an equal chance your visor will to, same remedy for both.
Yellow tinted sunnies are the best have used, get rid of the glare with out cutting out to much light.

[wkid_one]

Well, sorry wkid_one, but I will disagree with you this time. Keeping both your glasses and visor clean is very important bt visors do tend to scratch up more than glasses. Ummm - you talking presciption glasses or sunnies here - as this is about sunnies. I think you will find that people are less careful with sunnies than visors - and that sun glass lenses scratch just as easily as visors. I disagree entirely with the comment visors scratch up more than glasses.....it depends on the user.

Starring is only ann issue at night too by the way - when you would neither be wearing sunnies or tinted visors - sort it out

Best visor I had was a yellow iridum visor - worked a treat.

[scumdog]

Disagree entirely. By having two layers you can completely fuck the optics of visor. Having glasses on provides something else to get in the way of you field of vision, it is something else to distract you, they can fog up worse than visors can, you have FOUR surfaces to worry about being clean - etc etc etc.

Having ridden with both glasses (vision) and with a tinted visor - once you have the visor you will never look back. You get a clear one with your helmet purchase - so you shouldn't have a problem riding at night (just store it under your seat if you are worried).

Disagree with your disagree entirely, if visibility is a problem lift the visor (sun-strike, fogging) and use a pale tint or clear visor that way when it gets dark you can whip off the 'glasses and still see, I too don't have space under my Sporty seat for frivolities like a second visor (and I'd forget to put it back anyway.) :yes:

And the reason that most 'bike riders use "wraps" is they give better peripheral vision, not JUST because they are cool (well maybe some buy them for the "cool" factor and don't give a rats-arse about vision etc) :cool:

[jrandom]

I went through a few pairs of bent and broken sunglasses due to absent-mindedly failing to follow helmet removal/application precedence rules, after which I went out and bought a tinted visor for my Shoei. $80 at Motomail.

Since the visor-swap procedure takes 10 seconds I just carry whichever one I'm not using in my bungee bag and swap them when the sun goes down or comes up. Sorted.

[Mongoose]

I went through a few pairs of bent and broken sunglasses due to absent-mindedly failing to follow helmet removal/application precedence rules, after which I went out and bought a tinted visor for my Shoei. $80 at Motomail.

Since the visor-swap procedure takes 10 seconds I just carry whichever one I'm not using in my bungee bag and swap them when the sun goes down or comes up. Sorted.

Ahh well, back to different strokes for different folks, try both and decide for yourself is the best bet.

[Wonko]

I wear shades under my helmet, clear visor. I don't have the storage space for a second visor on the bike, and don't want the hassle of having to change them at night when I'm out and again when I'm going to work the next morning.

I find that the visor will almost complettly fog up before my glasses start to fog up on cold mornings. I can then flip up the top, and still have the advantage of the shades which won't fog up if the visor is up.

Another advantage is that in summer you can have the top up for added ventialation.

You only try to put your helmet on once with glasses on, and for me I can take my helmet off with them still on, wrap arounds do look cool.

[dss3]

On the subjuct of visors... anyone know where to get 'em for a good price? Got told $160 for a blue chromium for my shoei, seems pretty dear?/

[MacD]

If you bin it there is a chance you could get glass in your eyes, whereas much less chance of your visor smashing into little bits.

I suppose a visor could break with potential for a shard to enter your eye but never heard of it happening. I have a tinted visor, but have to be careful so as not riding at night with it on.

If you are going to wear either normal sunglasses or prescription sunglasses under a helmet make sure you get plastic lenses, preferably polycarbonate (sometimes called Airwear lenses). I would strongly recommend against wearing glass spectacle/sunglass lenses when riding. Even toughened glass lenses will cause cuts to and around the eye if they break (think of the old-style car windscreens and the little bits of glass you get when they break).

Also consider whether the frame is likely to break in an impact. Wrap-around shades with a solid plastic frame are probably safest.
:cool2:

[Slim]

On the subjuct of visors... anyone know where to get 'em for a good price? Got told $160 for a blue chromium for my shoei, seems pretty dear?/
That's the recommended retail price in NZ I'm afraid.

You could surf the net & think about getting one in from overseas I s'pose. Or wait until Motomail has it's yearly sale & see if they've got the Shoei visors on sale.




On the issue at hand: I wear Ray Bans and have done for many years. They use glass lenses which are less likely to scratch, unlike The Man's Dirty Dogs. I've even had a couple of accidents whilst wearing glasses under my visor & have never had a problem. If your helmet fits properly and the visor does it's job, there's no reason why you should have a problem.

As to finding the right pair - take your helmet to the sunny shop, explain that you're looking for glasses to wear whilst riding, so they don't freak when you put your helmet on and start trying on sunnies. :)

[vifferman]

Good to see all kinds of bollocks and misinformation being freely dispensed.;)

OK - here's my spin on things. I almost always wear sunglasses, apart from when it is too dim, because I like to ride with my visor up. The aerodynamics of my helmet are such that it is fine up to 120km/h.
My sunglasses are Bolles, with shatterproof polycarbonate lenses, neutral (grey) tint, near enough to optically correct (apart from a few scratches - see below), and they DON'T interact with my visor optically (polaroid lenses will though). My sunglasses are also curved, fit very close to my face, and keep all wind and most dust out. They have thin, slightly bendy metal frames, which fit very comfortably inside my AGV helmet, so much so, that I've had to check several times if I actually had them on! (I have a second pair which have the same lenses, but slightly different frames, and they aren't so comfy. I've also been forbidden to wear them on my bike due to the number of times I've dropped my 'bike' pair on the road. I've also ridden over them once in the gargre at work [D'Oh!] so they have the odd scratch or ding, which are so close to my eyes that they don't cause a problem.)
I have NO problems with "starring" because although my 4 year old visor has some scratches, I ALWAYS clean it with Plexus plastic polish, which eliminates starring, distortion etc. which are a result of fine scratches. (Plexus also helps prevent fogging and makes it easier to remove road film, bugs, etc. I use it on my sunglasses too.)
I prefer to wear sunnies to a tinted visor because they are very easy to put on / take off in a hurry - I can do it one-handed at the traffic lights. Can you do that with a visor? My sunnies also fit in my jacket pocket, and cut out so much glare that I can ride straight into the sun in the morning/at dusk and not be dazzled.

[Deano]

Yes but Deano - we all know you are a fair weather rider only riding if it is fine, dry and sunny!!

Fin'ish' weather yes, dry and sunny, not necessarily. But then I have a car as well :blah:

I was actually out on Sat night at 11.30pm (yes very cold), but had gone home prior to chuck on the clear visor.

Incidentally, a tinted visor with pro grip anti fog gives better vision than a clear visor without pro grip at night time because of the condensation obscuring vision.

[Lou Girardin]

A top pair of optically correct sunnies, like Serengeti, will always be better than a tinted visor. Especially for aged eyes like mine. They're just a little inconvienient to put on and off, one good reason why I use a flip front Nolan.

[moko]

Best of both worlds?I wear prescription glasses with "Reactions" lenses that change their level of tint depending on the sunlight.Cost me a fortune but they`re very good,part of the cost was that I insisted on plastic lenses and they came from one of the firms that make camera lenses but I forget which ones off-hand,they`re also designed to cut down on headlight glare at night as are my normal-lensed specs which I carry with me and wear if the start of my journey is after dark,these too are anti-glare,anti-scratch and plastic.Frames are lightweight metal and will just collapse on impact.I still have a scar over one eye where years ago I came off and one of the arms of my spec actually stabbed me,12 stitches,luckily along the line of my eyebrow but it could easily have cost me an eye.I believe that in Norway it`s mandatory to carry a spare pair of glasses if you wear them,not here but it makes sense,my eyes are so bad that if I did have an accident I`d be even more stuffed if I couldn`t see anything.
you can get reactions lenses anywhere in Britain so probably in N.Z. as well,also you can get Visor inserts now that do the same thing.

[NordieBoy]

Damn duplicate posts...

[NordieBoy]

also you can get Visor inserts now that do the same thing.

I have an Iridium insert and it's been brilliant for the last 2.5 years.
Photo sensitive and 'cause of the double glazing effect it never fogged up.

A bugger to install properly but one it's on it's great.

[Holy Roller]

I usually wear an open face helmet and use my work saftey glasses, cause they get supplied and I,m too tight to buy anything decent since I lost my expensive vernnet(sp) set. I put them down while putting on my lid then rode off forgetting them, back again in a few minutes when I remembered but they had gone to a more deserving home.
I must admit to looking at the bikers glasses that have a padded surround around the frame to stop the wind getting in,less of a prob with wrap arounds.
Check out the saftey shops for some great looking specs like the Glacier range. The ones I have are mirror tinted lenses and the other pair are yellow/ orange tint which seem ok at night. If it is really cold and I have to go some distance then the moptorcross goggles work a treat.

[Big Dog]

I prefer the conveniece (daily rider) of sunnys. I want a visor for W/E rides but they are not common enough to justify yet.

Buying sunnys?
Do:
Take your helmet! Try them on with your helmet on. If your helmet fits properly your cheeks will be a different shape with your helmet on.

Check how much of a blind spot the frames create?

Check do the glasses interfere with vents nose curtains etc?

Check whether the tint is affected by your visor. eg both polarised makes you feel like you are tripping!

Keep them on for 10 to 15 mins before okaying them. What is comfortable for a few minutes may rub you raw over an hour of riding, but they won't get any more comfortable.

Avoid shiny parts or lenses on your glasses. Otherwise in bright lights the visor reflects them back at you and this is very distracting .

Pick some that have a relatively straight arm otherwise they can be really painful to take off when in a hurry eg entering underground parking.

Check for incidental light leakage (are you happy with the amount of light coming around the side of the lense?).

Check for optical distortion.

Check the label. Some sunglasses are marked "unsuitable for
driving" due to distortion that is only present in strong light.

Oh and when going to a group ride the uglier the better if you want to wear them on the ride home. :)

Don't:
Buy them without trying them and expect them to be perfect just cos the cost more than you make in a week.

Waste more than $20 if you are prone to needing replacements more than 6 monthly (unless you can afford to replacemnt at the drop of the proverbial hat or in this case you glasses onto the road).

Buy gimmicky glasses without trying them for yourself. eg Eagle eye, blue blockers, uv zeros etc.

Forget just because your mate likes them does not mean you will!

[Slim]

Don't:
Waste more than $20 if you are prone to needing replacements more than 6 monthly (unless you can afford to replacemnt at the drop of the proverbial hat or in this case you glasses onto the road).
I used to go through $20 sunnies at a pretty dreadful rate. Dropping them, breaking them, losing them, scratching the f*ck out of the lenses cos they kept falling to the ground, etc.

I brought my first pair of Ray Ban's and they lasted for years - when I spend that sort of money on glasses, I will look after them much better than a $20 pair.

[Big Dog]

I brought my first pair of Ray Ban's and they lasted for years - when I spend that sort of money on glasses, I will look after them much better than a $20 pair.
Totally agree, but I am talking about the terminally clumsy. ie myself when I first startes went through 6 pair of bil bass in 6 months (three in one week). Now that I have the proccess ingrained I have more expensive glasses but you have to get the routine right first.

[jrandom]

I used to go through $20 sunnies at a pretty dreadful rate. Dropping them, breaking them, losing them, scratching the f*ck out of the lenses cos they kept falling to the ground, etc.

I brought my first pair of Ray Ban's and they lasted for years - when I spend that sort of money on glasses, I will look after them much better than a $20 pair.

Well, I dunno. Perhaps blokes are just worse at it. I bought a $350 pair of Persols a few years back. Two months later I lost them, found them again, then stood on them getting into a car. D'oh. I decided that was the last time I was fool enough to spend that kind of money on shades.

I bought Bill Basses at $50 a pop from pharmacy sunnies racks for a while, then I realised that I was just prolonging the agony. Now I buy the $11.95 jobs off the shelf at Pak 'n' Save and replace them every couple of months when they get munted. Job's a good 'un.

[sAsLEX]

tried this today, damn finishing uni in the dark and going in the bright sun. Sunnies are nice close Smith's and the only vision they block is of the inside of the helmet. comfy to for the 15 min ride to unni.
HAve an iridium/.shiny visor for weekends

[Hitcher]

There are many myths and legends promulgated by sunglasses manufacturers, particularly of "name" brands.

Let's consider some facts:
Lenses are made either from glass or polymer material. While glass is hard, polymer can be too. The wear resistance and optical correctness of a lens has little to do with the material from which it is made. Glass should not be worn if there is a risk that it could shatter, but glass can be toughened to reduce this likelihood.
Tints remove things from light -- they cannot add what is not there to start with.
The thing people generally want to remove from normal sunlight is ultraviolet. $20 sunglasses can do this just as well as $200 sunglasses.
Polarising lenses are particularly effective against removing glare, as are umbral lenses. Both come in a range of tints, depending on your preference. Both do their job better than bog-standard UV reducing sunglasses.
The colour of the tint affects the colour of what you observe (surprise, surprise), so choose your tint based on what you prefer to see, not on how you prefer to be seen!
Photochromatic lenses (ones that go darker in UV light) work well when they are directly exposed to UV light. This means they don't make good driving glasses (especially where drivers sit out of the sun). Their effect also diminishes over time -- they increasingly go less dark and less light, eventually stabilising at a mid tint.
You pay a premium for a "name".
A lot of fashion sunglasses (particularly those of the pale pink, pale blue or just plain pale) impart no benefit to the wearer whatsoever, apart from coolness.

[vifferman]

Now I buy the $11.95 jobs off the shelf at Pak 'n' Save and replace them every couple of months when they get munted. I tried buying cheapies from the gas station or wherever, but couldn't find any that were comfortable enough and/or that fitted under my helmet. It took nearly a day of looking and test-fitting before I found some (the old Bolles) that fitted my face and looked OK, and it was just a happy coincidence (and bonus) that I discovered they fit very well under my helmet. Once I started wearing them, it became such a habit that I wear them even when it's slightly marginal. Mind you, I find going outside even on dull days a bit glary, maybe because of too many years sitting at a PC screen? I dunno.

[Quasievil]

Any one tried those stick on automatic type thingys, look like Fog Sheilds but change ependant on the brightness of the sun, you know photo sensitive

I hate sunglasses or tinted visors in the winterr as you cant tell the road condition as easy ie slippery corners, light gravel etc

[Mongoose]

Any one tried those stick on automatic type thingys, look like Fog Sheilds but change ependant on the brightness of the sun, you know photo sensitive

I hate sunglasses or tinted visors in the winterr as you cant tell the road condition as easy ie slippery corners, light gravel etc

And Quasie, slowing down is just not an option? :killingme

[jrandom]

I tried buying cheapies from the gas station or wherever, but couldn't find any that were comfortable enough and/or that fitted under my helmet.

The $11.95 Pak 'n' Save ones to which I refer are surprisingly comfortable, although rather lightly constructed, and of course offer exactly the same level of UV protection as anything I could buy for $300. Can't remember the brand name; I keep them in the cage.



Mind you, I find going outside even on dull days a bit glary, maybe because of too many years sitting at a PC screen? I dunno.

I've *always* worn sunglasses while driving, even on grey days. It just feels better. Ditto for the tinted helmet visor.

I've been sitting staring at a PC screen all day, every day, more or less, for the last decade and a bit. I've managed to avoid any overuse injuries in my arms, and my vision is still perfect, but I don't like bright light. Even bright artificial light. I tend to be at home most evenings with the lights dimmed, or just desk lamps on, etc. Sarah hates it.

[Zed]

...but I don't like the light...I tend to be at home most evenings with the lights dimmed...
Exposed...a child of the dark! :raghead:

[LB]

The thing people generally want to remove from normal sunlight is ultraviolet. $20 sunglasses can do this just as well as $200 sunglasses.





How about $699 ones?






You pay a premium for a "name".





Tell me (or, more the the point, Hamish) about it!!


:innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:


.

[Firefight]

How about $699 ones?





Tell me (or, more the the point, Hamish) about it!!


:innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent: :innocent:


.

I wondered if anyone would mention those, When I told Mrs F/F about
your NZ$ 699.00 glasses, she said " That womens a Legnd", and then, much to my horror, she went shopping.

F/F :crazy:

[Drunken Monkey]

Still need another hundy to top my mate's $800 serengeti's...

[LB]

Still need another hundy to top my mate's $800 serengeti's...



Holy shit - where'd he buy them from? A girl could do with a spare pair of sunnies to keep in the LV handbag y'know......



.

[Drunken Monkey]

Holy shit - where'd he buy them from? A girl could do with a spare pair of sunnies to keep in the LV handbag y'know......



.

LOL...

I think he paid that premium while working in Boston on contract.

[Holy Roller]

Had a look at the Panoptics sunnys the other day in Rotovegas at Kool Stuff formally USA bikers shop. $270 for a flimsy pair of plastic sunnys with some draft stop stuck arouind the edge of the lenses. They looked cool but :stoogie:
Gave me an idea though I'll get some of that 3mm draft stop from the hardware store and stick it on my saftey glasses and see if it works. may have to put some small vents in the draft stop with a stanley knife to reduce fogging. Worth a try its only a couple of bucks a meter for the draft stop.

[festus]

I wear sunnies all the time under my helmet, day & night. At night I change the lenses to an orange set. Reason being lately especially is my visor is scratched to hell, and I've been slack getting it replaced. I did the Brass with my visor up, 2500kms!.
Although in saying that, my face looked like it had done it, was a bit weather/wind blasted.
Also like the visor up when in mono mode, like to see everything around me nice and clearly when on the rear wheel....... :niceone:

[dhunt]

Any one tried those stick on automatic type thingys, look like Fog Sheilds but change ependant on the brightness of the sun, you know photo sensitive

One of my mates just got one, he's not 100% sure he likes it. A bit dark at night and not dark enough in the day and makes your face look real red. We'll see if it gets any better as they apparently take sometime to settle down.

David

[Al]

I usually ride with sunnies on, I have a pair of Ray Bans for the bike and a pair in the cage too.
I don't really like steel framed sunnies, summertime under a helmet tends to get a tad sweaty and not good for the metal. So saying, I also have a pair of CK stainless frames somewhere....

Al

[loosebruce]

I only use visor's, putting glasses on is to fiddly for me, and plus my mate sat on my pair of $350 nike glasses, 150kg of person vs glasses :bye: to the glasses. $50 for a black tint only takes a few seconds to change over, i do commuting during the week, leave for work late afternoon come home early in the morning, there is generally enough light on the m/way and around town to ride at night without a problem with a black visor i find. But going open road riding at night nah back to the clear visor.

[Motu]

Wrap rounds are part of the image - I look a right dork without them,who cares if I can't see...use the Force Motu,use the Force.

[Holy Roller]

Had a look at the Panoptics sunnys the other day in Rotovegas at Kool Stuff formally USA bikers shop. $270 for a flimsy pair of plastic sunnys with some draft stop stuck arouind the edge of the lenses. They looked cool but :stoogie:
Gave me an idea though I'll get some of that 3mm draft stop from the hardware store and stick it on my saftey glasses and see if it works. may have to put some small vents in the draft stop with a stanley knife to reduce fogging. Worth a try its only a couple of bucks a meter for the draft stop.


I managed to score a part roll of draftstop from the the local glassman. Stuck it on my work safety glasses. Just been for a ride after closing up the shop. It works reasonably well, no tears even at 160kph with the open face. At the higher speed the glasses seemed to fit better as the wind pushed them on harder. They did not seem to slip as they normally do requireing adjusting. There was a small bit of air movement under the glasses maybe enough to stop them fogging, time will tell. I'll put some on my tinted pair for daytime riding

[Mongoose]

Another 2/6 worth from the Mongoose. For years I believed the eyslashes were there to filter objects out of the air and not allow it to penetrate the eyes. Seemed to work as a young fella but as i got balder the eye lashes must have thinned as well.
In the passing of time I have tried all sorts of things. Safety glasses, which in years gone by were only so good, better than nothing but not that much so.
Then worked on the wraps, these seem to work OK, but them big porky moths sure hurt the eyes at night.
Plan two, tinted wraps for daytime and clear safety glasses for night, newer more modern safetys worked better.
And one day,
Olan three light up. light bulb like in the head.
A visor!!!
Best method yet, still like a clear one with wraps on underneath, yellow for this kid, bugger the look, they do the bestest at cutting ther glare.
Lesson over, go back to wearing what you like.

[Big Dog]

One of my mates just got one, he's not 100% sure he likes it. A bit dark at night and not dark enough in the day and makes your face look real red. We'll see if it gets any better as they apparently take sometime to settle down.

David
Thourghouly reccommend them. got one last summer absolutely brilliant as long as you are smart enough to realise there will be some incidental light (I fitted a sun strip like racers wear to remedy this). Must add though, use of visor cleaner will neutralise and remove the tint, as will letting water inside the insert (eg not sealing the gasket properly or ignoring the line that states "Do not use for 48 hours").
Will be buying another this month, if for no other reason than it is the best antifog product I have ever tried and makes helmet warmer in winter (double glazed effect) cooler in summer (cuts out a lot ov uv less sun burn on the long ones less heat).
Best $30 I ever spent on biking, but it is odd until you get used to it and it gets better at adjusting.