As we roll into the center of fall, decrease solar angles and shorter daylight make helmet visors extra vital than ever. Realistically, they’re an vital characteristic to have on a regular basis, however their effectiveness — or ineffectiveness — actually turns into obvious when the solar is shining straight into your eyes in any respect hours of the day. As somebody who rides outdoor most days and sometimes close to sundown, having a helmet visor that truly performs the first perform of a visor — shielding the eyes from the solar — is essential to me.
I’ve been testing biking gear for almost a decade at this level. I’ve ridden in nicely over fifty completely different mountain bike and street/gravel helmets in that point, and just lately, I’ve observed an odd pattern. Just like the hairline on my head, the visors on some helmets maintain creeping increased onto the highest of the shell. Now, we are able to purchase helmets with visors that don’t do something aside from look goofy, yay! Each time I see certainly one of these curiously designed helmets, I get so confused. What’s the level of placing a visor on a helmet if it doesn’t serve its major objective? Am I lacking one thing?
Likewise, I’ve spent fairly a little bit of time using and racing gravel in my life, and I genuinely need to know one factor. Are street and gravel riders not bothered by the solar shining straight of their eyes? I definitely am. Having the ability to see clearly when using at ~20 mph down a tough gravel street is simply as vital to me as having the ability to see on a mountain bike path. I’m not making an attempt to say that street and gravel helmets ought to have MTB-style visors, however the place are the choices outdoors of sporting a biking cap?
Mountain Bike Helmets
Past elevated head protection, one of many important issues that units mountain bike helmets aside from street or gravel helmets is a visor. For me, visors have served a few capabilities: to maintain the solar out of my eyes and to supply a point of safety from getting slapped within the face by low-hanging branches or bushes. Some folks will let you know that they defend the eyes/glasses from the rain, however I’ve by no means discovered them to be very efficient at that.
I argue {that a} visor’s capacity to maintain the solar out of my eyes is its most vital perform. When the solar is shining straight into my eyes or onto the lens of my glasses, it negatively impacts my capacity to see the path in entrance of me, forcing me to decelerate or threat using into one thing that I’m unable to see. Sure, I acknowledge that I can simply decelerate, however with a well-designed visor, I shouldn’t should. Maintaining the solar out of my eyes isn’t solely extra comfy on my eyes, however safer as nicely.
For my part, the very best visors are adjustable and have a low place that sits low sufficient to dam the solar even on the most excessive angles. In some instances, I can see the sting of the visor when it’s in its lowest place, however that’s a tradeoff I’m keen to make for not being blinded by the solar. When the solar angles aren’t as excessive, the adjustability of the visor permits me to shift it up and out of sight and even increased to retailer glasses or goggles on the helmet. I journey with the visor on my Smith Forefront 3 within the center place, most likely round 90% of the time. For that 10% of the time that I’ve it down, I’m very grateful to have the choice.
Which is why I used to be greatly surprised the primary time I rode within the Specialised Ambush 2 helmet a pair years in the past. It was actually a extremely nice helmet with a great deal of head protection, good air flow, a cushty match, surprisingly low weight, and priced decrease than different manufacturers’ top-tier fashions. However I couldn’t get previous the visor. Not solely was it non-adjustable, nevertheless it was hooked up means up on high of the shell. Sure, the visor nonetheless made it appear to be a mountain bike helmet and supplied ample house to stash glasses within the entrance, however in any other case, it was basically ineffective. To dam the solar at low angles, it required tipping my head ahead to the purpose the place I couldn’t actually see the place I used to be going anymore.
Now, that’s only one instance, and I’m not making an attempt to single out Specialised for its visor design, even when I don’t agree with it. The Specialised Ambush 2, Tactic, and Camber fashions are in any other case all strong, protecting, and competitively priced helmets. Different manufacturers, like MET and Scott, are additionally producing helmets with visors which are equally ineffective at performing the first perform of a visor. A number of different manufacturers are proper on the cusp, as nicely.
For instance, my Candy Safety Bushwhacker 2Vi Mips helmet. Sure, it has a three-position visor, however I feel the bottom place remains to be just a bit too excessive. I get that they had been most likely making an attempt to make sure the visor was by no means within the rider’s discipline of view, however that limits its effectiveness at blocking the solar. Plus, it’s adjustable, so the rider finally has management of the place it’s positioned. Why not no less than present the choice? In any other case, I actually love the helmet and I put on it very often when the solar is increased within the sky.
I suppose I’m simply genuinely curious why any helmet model is making helmets with visors that don’t do something. What’s the thought course of behind designing a visor that appears oddly positioned on high of a helmet, and it doesn’t stand an opportunity of truly shielding one’s eyes from the solar? Do these folks solely journey in the summertime, in the course of the day, or in a deep, darkish forest the place the solar by no means shines? Assist me perceive…
Happily, there are many mountain bike helmet choices available on the market to swimsuit everybody’s wants and preferences. And for those who’ve by no means even thought of the visor in your helmet, then I’m sorry for bringing it up. And don’t get me fallacious, Specialised, MET, Scott, and Candy Safety make nice helmets; they need to simply seek the advice of me on their visor designs.
Gravel and Highway Bike Helmets
Highway bike helmets and, by default, gravel bike helmets, have historically been extra targeted on aerodynamics, air flow, and low weight, in comparison with these made for mountain biking. Moreover, because the story goes, the decrease, extra aerodynamic physique place whereas using drop bars would lead to a visor obstructing your imaginative and prescient. As such, the brief brims on biking caps have turn into the default “visor” for a lot of cyclists when worn beneath a helmet. Whereas pretty brief, biking cap brims are literally fairly efficient at blocking the solar.
I don’t disagree {that a} mountain-bike-style visor might and would add weight, negatively impression aerodynamics, and doubtless additionally intervene with one’s imaginative and prescient in some extra aggressive physique positions. Nonetheless, the solar shines straight into my eyes simply as a lot on gravel rides because it does on the mountain bike. And as of now, the one actual choices to forestall which are to journey in a mountain bike helmet or put on a biking cap beneath your street/gravel helmet. The biking cap route works, in fact, however sporting a biking cap beneath a helmet considerably impacts its air flow, and isn’t the answer that I’m searching for.
I began using gravel regularly again in 2016-ish, and shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon the Smith Community helmet (which got here out in 2017, I feel). It wasn’t essentially the most thrilling helmet at first look, however then I observed that it got here with a detachable stick-on brim. This brim is principally the identical dimension and form as a normal biking cap brim, nevertheless it attaches on to the shell, so that you don’t have a cap trapping warmth and moisture or limiting airflow to the top.
This brim has confirmed to be extremely efficient at blocking the solar when wanted, in comparison with not having any form of brim in any respect. I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal resolution; the adhesive holding it on the helmet finally wears out, the material will get discolored by sweat, and it fades over time. That stated, it’s the very best resolution that I’ve discovered.
And it acquired me questioning, why aren’t there extra street and gravel helmets that present choices like this for shielding your eyes from the solar? Am I the one one who’s bothered by the solar in my eyes and is in search of a greater resolution than a biking cap? I can’t be alone right here, or am I? I don’t assume the stick-on brim is the final word resolution, however why aren’t there extra helmets with detachable clip-on brims? One thing simple to put in and take away, so you’ll be able to have it once you want it and take it off once you don’t? Looks as if a missed alternative. I do know no less than one one that desires one.
Thanks For Listening
I’ve opinions, and I’m positive you may have your personal. In the end, I’m simply hoping that manufacturers maintain making helmets with adjustable visors that truly maintain the solar out of my eyes. I do know it’s slightly extra of a protracted shot, however I’d additionally like to see some extra street/gravel helmets with built-in and/or detachable brims, too. Time will inform, however within the meantime, I’ll be on the market using straight into the setting solar.
