Helmets with a face shield

[CNY rider]

I would like to get a helmet for winter riding with some sort of face shield.
I ride to work, and start by going straight downhill for almost 2 miles.
I wear eyeglasses so I can't just slap on a pair of wrap around glasses to protect my eyes.
When the temperature is less than 40F I get to work and have big puffy eyes and swollen cheeks. I look like an elderly man with bad allergies.

I wear ski goggles most of the winter. They are OK but limit visibility and I think that there must be a better way.
Are there any helmets with a half visor? I am thinking something like a half-face clear shield like hockey players wear.
Or how about the downhill helmets I see for the MTB crowd? Anyone wear those? Are they practical to wear on a road bike in the winter? I don't have an LBS so any input greatly appreciated.

[Admiral Ackbar]

giro air attack maybe, or bell star? they only cover the eye area down to the nose tho.

wearing a mtb full face seems a bit ridiculous, if you're gonna that route maybe go full on crazy and look at a motorcycle helmet? i feel like they might have better peripheral vison.

personally id just wear a balaclava and glasses(or goggles). i rode all last winter (recreationally) and never needed more than that.

[vqdriver]

balaclava and a giro air attack?

[Ssalmon]

http://coldavenger.com I wear sun glasses with mine.

[AngryScientist]

as long as you are not concerned with looking a little odd on the bike, i would think a ski helmet would be ideal for what you describe. essentially made for blasting down a mountain FAST in cold cold weather, sounds like a winner. maybe?

[AngryScientist]

something like this looks nice and warm, and i bet that tint is a welcome perk when there is snow on the ground...

http://www.stefankaelin.com/images/products/cp83991-94.jpg

[54ny77]

nothin' wrong with full face coverage.

works just fine for darth.

http://www.describetheruckus.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/4696317117_0d92decc6c_b.jpg

[SpeedyChix]

Eye-glass wearing friend commutes all year. She uses a full-face mountain bike helmet and ski goggles. Has her light mounted on it as well.

[cetuximab]

I found a cheap baraclava for ~$12.
I also have a ski helmet for single digit and below mornings. It is warmer than my bike helmet.

[ceolwulf]

The balaclava is the key to the whole operation here.


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[CNY rider]

Thanks everyone.
In the winter I do the balaclava and goggles with my ski helmet.
It's OK but I want a better system. The peripheral vision with ski goggles is not optimal and not that comfortable either.
My ski helmet does not have an eye shield and I did not realize they came with one.
That may indeed be the route to go. I'll check em out.

[saf-t]

Without question, the most dorky looking thing I've ever worn, but they are terrific for winter riding. Discovered them in a safety products catalog 15 years ago, and they've been part of my winter commute gear ever since. They fit over both my regular glasses and sunglasses, and protect against wind while allowing enough ventilation to avoid fogging.

link (http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail_10652_692733__-1_0)

[odin99]

i use ski goggles cycling in the winter and i love them. i hate wind in my eyes though.

[Nooch]

Here you go (http://www.giro.com/us_en/giro-sport-design-collaborates-with-philippe-starck/)

http://www.giro.com/giro/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Stark_1_633x357.jpg

[EDS]

Casco has a few models with an integrated visor, but they are not cheap. Also plenty of aero helmets with visors, and maybe on of the ones with the shortened tails which are more common these days would be an option.

[carpediemracing]

I was thinking of the below helmet for use in cold spring races. Kask commuting helmet.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TbmplkIYLx8/Sr5GMd0GzlI/AAAAAAAACKw/-zIpaKALEgA/s800/100_5800.JPG
Some minor thoughts on it here (http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2009/09/interbike-2009-track-stuff.html).

[rain dogs]

Catlike Rapid is about the only one that looks like something I would wear, but all black. I bet it'd be pretty sweet in the cold actually.

http://www.fiets.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/catlike-rapid.jpg

[Admiral Ackbar]

whoa that Kask commuter thing is awesome lookin

[CNY rider]

I must agree those are the dorkiest looking thing I have ever seen.
They're just right for me!

Without question, the most dorky looking thing I've ever worn, but they are terrific for winter riding. Discovered them in a safety products catalog 15 years ago, and they've been part of my winter commute gear ever since. They fit over both my regular glasses and sunglasses, and protect against wind while allowing enough ventilation to avoid fogging.

link (http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/fsproductdetail_10652_692733__-1_0)

[CNY rider]

Agree, another great suggestion.
Looks hard to come by in the US though.

whoa that Kask commuter thing is awesome lookin

[dogdriver]

+1 ski helmet/goggles.

If you have a bad impression of peripheral vision with goggles, go to a shop and check out some of the new models. I've been using an Anon. goggle for a couple years that I can't see the sides of. My primary ski goggle, but have used them on the bike and they work well.

[pitonpat]

Check out the Petzl Meteor helmet with the Vizion eye shield accessory. While primarily a climbing helmet, Petzl markets it as appropriate for cycling & watersports (kayaking, etc.) as well. For winter riding a good balaclava worn under the ventilated Meteor should limit the 'breeze' flowing through the helmet.

I have one and the fit, weight, comfort, and ventilation mirror that of my Garneau quartz cycling helmet.

http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/Helmets/VIZION?l=US#.VBrdB2K9KSM

[JAGI410]

Giro snow helmet with Giro OTG goggles. The goggles are made to fit perfect with the helmet, and the OTG Giro's go over glasses quite nice. Paired with a Outdoor Research Ninjaclava, it covers a nice range of temps.

I use this setup at -30F, it'll work just fine for you at +40F!

[carpediemracing]

I'd looked at Giro ski helmets for cycling but one USAC rule is that the helmet needs to pass the CSPC or similar safety standard. I thought that I eliminated ski helmets because of this but I don't remember. And right now I don't have time to check stuff again.

So question - do the ski helmets pass the cycling tests?

[Mark McM]

I'd looked at Giro ski helmets for cycling but one USAC rule is that the helmet needs to pass the CSPC or similar safety standard. I thought that I eliminated ski helmets because of this but I don't remember. And right now I don't have time to check stuff again.

So question - do the ski helmets pass the cycling tests?


It's not so much a matter of if ski helmets can pass the cycling helmet testing standards (I'll bet many can), but whether they have actually been tested to the cycling helmet standards.

Here is the USAC helmet policy:

Part 2. At all times when participating in or preparing for an event held under a USA Cycling permit, including club rides, all licensees who are mounted on a bicycle shall wear a securely fastened helmet that meets either the US DOT helmet standards or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standard for bicycle helmets.

Helmets with the European CEN certification may be worn by riders only while participating in a race inscribed on the UCI calendar.

Riders shall show documentary proof of this, such as a manufacturer's label, upon request by event officials.

This provision does not apply to riders who are riding rollers or any other stationary device.


For the first paragraph, it is unlikely that ski helmet manufacturers test their ski helmets to the US DOT or CPSC helmet standards to begin with.

There is a slight loophole in paragraph two - there are CEN standards for ski helmets (as well as bicycle helmets), and many ski helmets are certified to the CEN ski helmet standard. So if you are racing in a UCI race in the US, you might try to argue that your ski helmet meets the CEN standard - but you'd probably lose that case, if it is ruled that the helmet must be certified specifically to the CEN bicycle helmet standard.

For the 3rd paragraph, since it is unlikely that the helmets have been certified to CEN bicycle helmet standard or any CPSC standard at all, there won't be a sticker or any other documentation.

Paragraph 4 is quite ironic. Falling off of rollers is not unheard of at all. Most bicycle helmet standards test by dropping the helmet from a height of about 6 feet - or about the same energy as a stationary cyclist falling over and hitting their head. The bicycle helmet standards do not even attempt to test for the energies involved in actually moving forward at any serious speed, or being hit by a vehicle. So, the only bike racing discipline in which the helmet tests at all simulate actual riding scenarios is the only discipline in which helmets are not required.

[CNY rider]

I bit the bullet and bought the Kask from the UK.
Just got it, looks pretty cool.
Excited to try it out later this week.

[CNY rider]

I've had about 3 weeks to use the Kask commuter helmet now.
Here's my review: This helmet is very good at filling a specific niche. It is great for use in temperatures under 50F, particularly if you want eye protection with the built in visor.
Background: I am visually challenged and prefer my eyeglasses to contact lenses. I commute to work by bicycle and from my house make a rapid 1.5 mile, steep descent on my way to work. I wear my regular glasses and generally have no problems until the temp gets below 45F in the morning. At that temp and below I get tremendous burning and tearing of my eyes; my face looks puffed up like a beaten boxer by the time I get to work.
I had been wearing my ski helmet with goggles in the winter but was unhappy with that solution for a number of reasons.

The Kask is warm enough to wear down to 30F without any helmet liner. It has limited ventilation. That also means I find it very warm when it's 50F or warmer.
You would NOT want to wear this helmet for a strenuous ride at 50F or above.

What I really like is the visor. When I have it down in the cold I have excellent visual acuity, and no field loss like I did with the ski helmet and goggles. Perhaps best of all, if you get caught in unexpected rain or snow it gives full eye protections well.

So I would say it fills a particular niche well but it is not the helmet you are going to wear as your first choice on most rides, most of the year.

[saf-t]

I

[jpw]

i ride with an mtb helmet with a peak, Assos Zegho glasses, and an Assos neck protector (Assos also makes balaclavas for seriously cold weather). Works well.

The glasses have huge coverage, but no frame, so visibility is fantastic. expensive, but nothing else compares.