Until I bought a cycling helmet recently, I usually wore a cap during
MUniing, as in <www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/muni17.jpg> which by the way
also shows the grey 24 x 1.75 tyre as mentioned a few days ago.
Yesterday night was the first occasion I used the helmet nigh the end
of the day (previous use of helmet occurred in broad daylight).
I experienced two issues:
The low sun shone right in my face as obviously a helmet (or at
least mine) has no peak to provide “shade”.
Dense clouds of mosquitos of a quite heavy kind were dancing,
preferentially above the trails (mostly gravel and sand). Must have to
do with the trails being slightly warmer than the grassy environment.
Anyway, quite a few mosquitos entered into the helmet through the
ventilation slits but could not readily find their way out. They did
not bite but still were a nuisance.
Anyone experienced these uncomfortabilities as well? More importantly,
any tips?
I try and ride with at least one other slightly slower cyclist. While the little blood suckers are still buisy heating up their flight gear, the decoy comes to your rescue. Highly recomended.
It may be hot, but you could wear the hat underneath. My big problem with the helmet is sticks/branches penetrating a vent and sticking my brain pan.
Just wait for the temperatures to drop, the bugs will disappear…
When its gets colder and you do not want that icy air to come in through the vent holes you may consider a helmet cover: http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=&sku=4838&storetype=&estoreid=
I have no idea if you can find a “warm season” (e.g. mesh-type) cover that would prevent insects from getting into the vent holes. Stretching a nylon stocking over the helmet might work.
Regarding the other issue: Quite a while ago I saw a helmet with a detachable visor; just don’t know if that is still on the market.
Please let us know what you come up with.
tying a bandana ‘pirate style’ on your head and placing the helmet over it may help with the mozzie question and helps to stop sweat from trickling in your eyes
if the detacheable visor is no longer available, the cheapest alternative i can think of is one of those sun peaks that have the string around the back
that should fit in under the helmet
If you can find one get a clip on visor. Used to be able to buy them separate from the helmets but I guess now that a lot of helmets come with them built in, it may be difficult to find as an add on feature. Perhaps you could get a spare helmet peak from someone who’s trashed their helmet (check up at a bike shop) and stick it on with velcro or other means.
Dunno about mossies though- if you’re really desperate you could shave your head and then they won’t get tangled in your hair. Works for me, although I’ve been growing it longer lately.
>Dunno about mossies though- if you’re really desperate you could shave
>your head and then they won’t get tangled in your hair. Works for me,
>although I’ve been growing it longer lately.
Ahum, there’s not much to shave on my dome. My picture is in the
“faces” gallery to prove it. LOL.
> 2. Dense clouds of mosquitos of a quite heavy kind were dancing,
> preferentially above the trails (mostly gravel and sand). Must have to
> do with the trails being slightly warmer than the grassy environment.
> Anyway, quite a few mosquitos entered into the helmet through the
> ventilation slits but could not readily find their way out. They did
> not bite but still were a nuisance.
Klaas,
Those don’t sound like any mosquitos I’ve ever encountered. I would love
it if, “they did not bite but still were a nuisance”. Our mosquitos bite
and we use a lot of mosquito repellent, more commonly known as ‘bug
dope’ here.
I found this very amusing journal written by a traveler who visited
Alaska, here’s an excerpt:
An Alaskan will minimize the danger of a close encounter with voracious
carnivores and instead detail the size and number of bite marks
inflicted by the state’s most notorious insect. The next time you have a
dictionary in your hands, take a moment and look up the word insect.
You’ll most likely find the definition includes the word “small”. Trust
me, there are no small mosquitoes in Alaska. Like the state itself,
Alaskan mosquitoes are oversized.
Here is another amusing story as told by a traveler:
>if the detacheable visor is no longer available, the cheapest
>alternative i can think of is one of those sun peaks that have the
>string around the back
>that should fit in under the helmet
Today I found one of those in my cloths cabinet. (I knew I’d owned one
but I thought that I had scrapped it because it looked very queer with
my bald head.) I put it under the helmet, and rode in low sun. Worked
perfectly!
