I recently acquired the Da Brim for some sun protection to add to my helmet. This has been really good for mid-day riding on the unicycle. The brim outline adds a good amount of shade and makes for a more comfortable ride. At unicycle speeds the brim seems quite stable. At higher speeds on a bicycle or in very high wind it might be an issue, but I’ve not had any problem with it on the unicycle over the recent months. I admit it looks a bit goofy, but I’ll put up with it for the increased shade and comfort.
I bought it from Adventure Cycling which I like to support, but it is available from other places too. And in other colors.
As a bald person, the air vents are where I need sun protection… I get really dumb tan lines on my scalp!
And more seriously, I always take the visors off my helmets, because they block my upward vision. Every time I’ve run my helmet into an overhead branch, it was because the visor hid it from me. This looks like a super sized visor/vision blocker.
I think a visor on a helmet used for unicycling is a good thing. I wonder how many of those branches would have hit your face or eyes?
Do you not ride with an upright stance on your uni or are you hunched over as you ride?
Now a helmet visor on bicycle does restrict your upward vision because your upper torso is already bent down forward and the visor can restrict your upward view if you don’t tip your head back to get a better line of sight.
I ride looking down at the trail in front of me, so I’m mostly relying on my peripheral vision for dodging overhanging branches. Visors don’t really provide any physical protection to your face; they just block sun and maybe rain (and on a bike, dirt and mud kicked up by folks in front of me), so for my eyes I wear glasses.
On a bike it’s not so much of a problem, because I’m looking much farther ahead instead of down, and because I’m not sitting as high as I do on a unicycle. So I see things better, and there isn’t much that’s low enough to hit me anyway.
I can see the brim being useful for unicycle road rides. No low overhanging branches, more sun to hide from, sitting a little more upright, moving along slowly enough that it probably won’t be flapping around like it would on a bike.
That little bit of Velcro on the front of it is there to allow the angle to be adjusted as desired for upright versus leaning forward. It works well for me for the riding that I do, but certainly it won’t be enough for everyone. And considering I’ve never seen anyone else riding with one, it’s probably never going to be that popular. Just thought I’d mention it as I’m really happy with it. Perfect for my unicycling and lower speed bike riding, but definitely not good for bombing down some of the hills near me.
Thanks for sharing. It looks like an interesting way to increase the sun protection compare to a basic baseball cap. Personally, I would try and get another color (as the HiViz seems priced like all the other choices).
This shape reminds me of Unigeezer’s setup with the larger edges and the neck flap (so even more extensive).
I’ve had mine (gray) for about 2 years. Mostly use it for MUni. Never had visibility problems at all. In Arizona, where the sun can be pretty intense, you will see a few mountain bikers using them out on the trail. I use mine all summer long and love it. As far as looking silly…sure, but I’m on a unicycle. Does anyone really think that I care all that much about fitting in?
