This has been a problem for me while riding (MUni) during early am rides and in humid conditions. I’ve tried Rain-x and it works, but only for a short while, and the watery liquid is hard to apply, and leaves a streaky film if not applied correctly. It also states on the label that it should not be used on plastic, although it didn’t seem to harm my plastic lenses.
They are dry so you just wipe them on the inside of the lens and they can be reused several times. One application is supposed to last for several hours. REI carries Nikon brand, so I’m going to try them. I HATE when my sunglasses fog up while I’m riding, so hopefully this will do the trick!
I don’t wear any glasses when I unicycle because sweat drips all over them and it drives me nuts. I can’t wear contacts because I see double vision when working hard. When I snowboard, I use Cat Crap for the fogging issues and that works well.
Yeah I’ve heard of “Cat crap”–haha, funny name for it, which sprays on and then is wiped off. I like the dry towelettes better since their is so liquid or spray and quick and easy to apply.
The main reason I wear (sun) glasses is to protect my eyes not only from sun/uv rays, but also as a literal protective “shield”, against branches and other obstacles that might otherwise hit me in the eyes. I would not have been able to do last Sunday’s 11 mile MUni ride without my sunglasses, since the trail was terrible overgrown, and literally hundreds of mostly unavoidable branch strikes [mostly to the head] were/was the order of the day!
My sunglasses used to fog up but since I lost them I can’t tell if they still do. I “want” some new ones but never like them. 10-4 on the eye protection.
When I ride with my contacts in, I’ll occasionally use sunglasses. I have two pairs, one which sits closer to my eyes and wraps around touching my face. Both pairs steam up, but the one that sits closer does it far more.
The Cat Crap I used was a paste. It was a pain to apply, but I only needed it once/day. You are right about the branches. I don’t ride as fast as most while descending so I’ve never had a problem with face slaps. Mountain biking is a different story, but I don’t sweat as much so I don’t mind using glasses. The worst for me is the UV protection that I’m not getting. I know it’s not the best for my eyes.
In scuba diving you always spit into your mask and wipe it around in order to prevent fogging. It seems that would work for normal glasses or sunglasses as well.
the best thing I’ve found is to get oakley lenses that have a hydrophobic coating on them.
it’s a permanent rain-x
this is the pricy, but best solution I’ve ever found. Since I wear my glasses 100% of the day, I have sorta invested into a few pair over the years : ) Their frames are tough as nails too, most of them are Ti.
the only thing that henders the protection is sweat. unfortunately nothing I’ve found will make sweat bead up, but this pic is after a full 2 hour practice session (heavy sweating) and I ran them under the faucet. I’ve never had them fog unless you do a rapid temperature change, and then it clears up in a few seconds.
I’ve heard rain-x can do bad things to lenses, like wear off any anti-glare coating, or scratch protection, but I can’t say I’ve ever been brave enough to try it. It may not apply to the higher level polycarbonate lenses that are common now, but I certainly wouldn’t take the risk on my nice pair : O
The key is to have ventilation. Oakley make several styles that can be Rx’d. They also make a no fog solution that works well. As an eye Dr and a unicyclist, I can’t imagine riding with out eye protection, both mechanical and UV. My Oakleys have never bothered me.
Sometimes if the humidity is really high, even riding into the wind won’t be enough to evaporate the condensation off the inside of my sunglasses! So while riding, I’ll take them off and wave them around and that sometimes will clear them up, but once I put them back on, they fog up again soon after.
Same happens with my camera on occasion. The inside of the lens, which is sealed, will fog up and take a while to clear. Usually only happens at dawn, before it warms up.
One of the problems with RX (IME) is that in cold, wet weather they tend to mist up between the inner and outer lenses. No amount of airflow will then demist them - the insert has to be removed and the lenses wiped.
Even if it’s not sunny I wear sunglasses because I am taller than most riders, especially bikers, and I am always finding branches that get in my way. They have saved me countless times and I strongly believe in them. As for fogging up, I guess I don’t wake up early enough to ever have a problem it!
To prevent that I always wear a headband with a material that soaks sweat (I sometime have to take it off and twist it to get liquid off).
I noticed also that I may get fog on my glasses when I wear an additional cap that , though diminishing sun in my eyes, diminish ventilation around my glasses (incredible but true!).
on this image you can spot the headband and “problem” cap:
As an eye Dr and a unicyclist, your advice is important. My glasses don’t get fogged up when I’m cruising along on my geared 36er but I’m a lot slower when I ride MUni. They all (I’ve tried all sorts of cheap sunglasses and clear safety glasses) fog up! I don’t need Rx (yet) but the Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 are $120 so, like the OP (how are your solutions working Terry?) I’m looking for a cheaper (I spent all my money on unicycles) solution. Oakley’s new RadarLock line ($300) looks nice. What’s the difference between Path, Pitch, and Photochromic? I want the amber (orange) lens as it gets dark quick in the woods of Kentucky.
How timely for you to bump this old thread! I just had Jim (univision) make me a pair of the Oakley (“split jacket”) with rx transition lenses. They are fantastic, light and fit great! And yes, they have the notches for ventilation. Thanks Jim!
Spit works ~ 50% of the time I tried it. A drop of dish washing soap always worked, but I hear it can erode the coating on the lense or distort the vision over time.
The only headband I’ve tried that works for me is the Halo band (many styles and colors now). It seemed to work better for me w/ the yellow bit out and on the lower half of the band. W/ the band like that I never noticed sweat driping down from my forhead).
Fine. If I hurriedly put on my helmet it often pushes down the band and when if I do it w/o the band no issues (sometimes even if I do it carefully, so I put the band on ~ 1/2 inch higher).
For eye protection with built-in anti-fog, impact resistance and UV protection, this pair of 3M’s is hard to beat on Amazon for less than $5. I prefer clear glasses because they don’t inhibit your vision in the woods like some darker shades. These are also great safety glasses for projects in rooms that are not very well lit. And, at this price, you can have spares handy if you have a tendency to lose such items. They have never once fogged up on me, and I haven’t had to spit on them yet. Very lightweight and comfortable, and they actually look fairly stylish believe it or not. Even though they are “clear,” they have a partial mirrored finish so that they resemble fashionable sunglasses.
Very lightweight and comfortable, and they actually look fairly stylish believe it or not. Even though they are “clear,” they have a partial mirrored finish so that they resemble fashionable sunglasses.