CIty cycling and masks

lost_in_thought
lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
edited January 2008 in Commuting chat
Hello there all,

I am very new here, so sorry if this has been brought up before, feel free to tell me to naff off if it has, but I was wondering what people's views are on the Respro-type pollution masks. I cycle across zone 1 every day, and am accompanied mostly by buses and heavy traffic for the majority of my ride, OK when I'm moving, but find the fumes a bit much in stopped traffic.

I have been considering getting a pollution mask for some time, but have been put off by the fact that it seems they might limit your breathing, and I imagine that condensation would build up inside them. Does anyone own/use/have experience of one? Do they work? Do they restrict your breathing? I work quite hard on my v heavy cruiser-style bike, and do huff and puff quite a lot sometimes!
FCN 7/1
Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.

Comments

  • hamboman
    hamboman Posts: 512
    horribly restrictive, get all wet and nasty and have been shown not to actually filter out any of the harmful fumes/heavy metals.
  • BentMikey
    BentMikey Posts: 4,895
    I don't like them, and whilst they stop bigger stuff, they do nothing for fumes and the tiny and most dangerous diesel particles.
  • Bassjunkieuk
    Bassjunkieuk Posts: 4,232
    Would you wear a pollution mask in your car? After all in town your gonna be sitting in the traffic longer in your car then on a bike and you've still got fumes in the car, and if you should switch on the air con and not have it on re-circulator your probably pulling in the exhaust fumes from the car in front!

    I've commuted arount London for a while now and can't say I even notice the smell of exhaust's, to busy avoiding be knocked off by psycho drivers!!
    Who's the daddy?
    Twitter, Videos & Blog
    Player of THE GAME
    Giant SCR 3.0 - FCN 5
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    I'd recommend you replace the filter every single day, or the mask is going to start concentrating some nasty substances, which you're going to get a big dose of sooner or later.

    Well, that's what I reckon, I could be wrong, it has been known.
    Photos - Blog - Bike
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    Bassjunkieuk wrote:
    Would you wear a pollution mask in your car? After all in town your gonna be sitting in the traffic longer in your car then on a bike and you've still got fumes in the car, and if you should switch on the air con and not have it on re-circulator your probably pulling in the exhaust fumes from the car in front!

    I looked this up once, vehicle drivers got the most, about a thousand times more than cyclists do, and cyclists get about a thousand times more that pedestrains do.

    Many vehicle drivers think the air in their vehicle is totally clean.
    Photos - Blog - Bike
  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    I tried one for a while but got sick of the condensation and the uncomfortable sensation of my nose running like a tap but being unable to wipe it!

Categories