sweat management -anything under the helmet?

Joe86

A bit of a different and odd topic :oops: but I'm a heavy sweater and since I have had the bike I have had a few problems with this. Even in 5 degree temp I will often come home soaked in sweat, and I'm only in a short sleeved tshirt.

Firstly, I find it tough to wipe the sweat off my brow, or forehead, as it would get my gloves slippery. Secondly, because I'm not wearing long sleeves I can't wipe my sweat away and its resulting in the saline portion making me have to blink and often close my eyes to relieve the irritation. You can imagine sometimes it is a bit dangerous and something I want to try and stop. When I'm out running it isn't much of a problem as I'm not in control of a bike! I also get some dripping down all over the handlebars, chain, etc :oops:

I'm wearing a helmet 2010 Specialized Echelon, and I have wondered if there is a way of maybe wearing a head-sweatband or something underneath to prevent it from dripping down so much. I also plan to buy a few sweatbands for my wrists. So hoping for a bit of advice, please.

Or I'm open to suggestions on how to manage this?

Cheers

Joe

idreamoftailwinds

I wear a Bandana, works for me

Joe86

idreamoftailwinds wrote:

I wear a Bandana, works for me

Hah, Pantani in disguise

I will have to try that one, shouldn't cost much at all

Cheers

Essex Man

Also vaseline above the eyebrows, although this does make a mess in my specs.

Garz

I wore my aldi cycle cap underneath the helm on yesterdays ride as it was nippy early morning. It soaked up alot of sweat normall drenches the helmets sponge spacer thingies..

FatLarry

A buff

http://www.buffwear.com

idreamoftailwinds

Joe86

Splottboy

The Post Office do a skull cap, blue, with darker blue ear bits. This works for me, and doesn't make your head too hot. Stops me bald bits freezing, toasty ears and no sweat!

oldwelshman

Cheapest option is a bandana.

ArroyoDave

FatLarry wrote:

A buff

http://www.buffwear.com

Spot on FatLarry,so many people wear these here in Spain(ok they are made here)
for summer and winter.
Soaks the sweat up and stops you (if you have not so much hair) getting a alien looking tan through the holes of your helmet.

a_n_t

i just wear a cap under the helmet

nmcgann

I wear a thin skull cap under my helmet all year round. Keeps my head warm in winter (with the addition of a buff when it's really cold) and stops sweat running down my face in summer.

I tend to get a headache if my head gets cold so that is my primary reason for wearing it.

Neil

careful

Halo sweatbands - comfortable and last for years - just rinse whenyou shower.
http://store.haloheadband.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y

tlw1

ArroyoDave wrote:

FatLarry wrote:

A buff

http://www.buffwear.com

Spot on FatLarry,so many people wear these here in Spain(ok they are made here)
for summer and winter.
Soaks the sweat up and stops you (if you have not so much hair) getting a alien looking tan through the holes of your helmet.

agree, you just have to get it off quick before your mates laugh

AMcD

ArroyoDave wrote:

and stops you (if you have not so much hair) getting a alien looking tan through the holes of your helmet.

Just to digress, I got an alien tan this summer (still there) along my chin, just above the helmet strap - in fact you could quite clearly see the V of the helmet strap around the ears! I didn't notice for a while until a colleague at work suggested I'd put makeup on and hadn't blended it in right along the chin line :oops: . I was mortified, and it definately looks like that, so had to explain that it was nothing of the sort - just an occupational hazard of cycling in the blazing hot Scottish sun . Plan to always use sun lotion next summer . Meanwhile everyone will be thinking that I haven't learned to use make up at age 43 :oops: .

Garz

LOL amcd.

Takis61

CCotton cycling cap in the summer (keeps the bugs off the head as well, my helmet has no mesh) & skullcap in winter

phreak

I have both a sweatband and a bandana. They work a treat and make summer rides much nicer without having to worry about the sweat dripping down.

knedlicky

Joe86 wrote:

I'm wearing a helmet 2010 Specialized Echelon, and I have wondered if there is a way of maybe wearing a head-sweatband or something underneath to prevent it from dripping down so much.

I don’t know how the Echelon rates for ventilation compared to other available helmets nowadays, but in the past moderately-priced Specialized helmets (which the Echelon is) were only average for ventilation, so not the best choice for those whose heads got easily very hot or dripping wet.

If you decide on a cap, choose functional material which dissipates moisture to the air, so not cotton. And be aware that if you introduce a cap underneath, it could make more heat build-up either from itself (as an extra warming layer) or if it interferes with ventilation flow through the helmet (from the front vents to the rear vents). Some helmet makers plan on through-flow when they design helmets, so anything under the helmet which blocks this flow, defeats their design.

Maybe you’re over-dressed when cycling, or need to have a haircut, so the head isn’t so insulated? It's not without reason that many profis have very short hair.