Face masks?

canada16

Hey

Does anyone commute on the road everyday?

I quit smoking 11 weeks ago and the docs said my caugh should have went by now, so the only thing I can think of is fumes from cars?

Does anyone wear those face masks, do they work

Thanks

Gussio

They are rather effective at making your face hot and sweaty and your nose run uncontrollably.

canada16

Uhmm so not that good then..

Maybe I should stay away from the back of buses then.

louismichaels

I'm not convinced they do anything useful. They may catch some large particles, but they probably don't matter anyway.
I would think you just have some ongoing inflammation from your smoking, or mild asthma. I know it's annoying, but I would go to your GP and get checked out. Some ventolin or becotide might just settle it down.
When you give up smoking, the little hairs in your lungs (cilia) re-grow, and waft more of the phlegm which has otherwise just sat deep in your airways up and out. Smokers often cough more after having given up (for a limited period of time) than they did whilst smoking.
I don't know how long you smoked for, but I would always be cautious about a chronic cough.

MonkeyMonster

There are a few on here who use them everyday and suffer no bad consequences. Twice I took mine off in the last 2 weeks to see what it was like and the smell alone was disgusting and I ended up with sore throat the next day.
The filters are high grade and will stop anything down to the size they say if used properly.
Give them a go I'd suggest.

canada16

I smoked for 20 year, been back to the docs twice and they did ECG and checked my chest and they said it was totally clean.

If it continues after my hols to east sussex, will go back again and demand a x-ray

I take the taff trail now to home so that shoudl cut down on the fumes, and its a nice ride, just takes a little longer.

Thanks guys, will leave the mask, did not really want to wear one anyway

Aidy

MonkeyMonster wrote:

There are a few on here who use them everyday and suffer no bad consequences.

There are more on here who don't use them, and suffer no bad consequences.

rjsterry

MonkeyMonster wrote:

There are a few on here who use them everyday and suffer no bad consequences. Twice I took mine off in the last 2 weeks to see what it was like and the smell alone was disgusting and I ended up with sore throat the next day.
The filters are high grade and will stop anything down to the size they say if used properly.
Give them a go I'd suggest.

+1 MM and I are a couple of the pro-mask lobby, but I'm sure that they don't work for everyone. They are sweaty (but then so is cycling), they do restrict your breathing very slightly (but then so does a sore throat and wheezing like a set of bellows). They do tend to make your nose run (but then so does my hayfever).

Give them a go, get a decent one - the Respro Techno Gold is supposed to be one of the better ones - and stick at it for a good couple of weeks, so that you can get used to it, and find the most comfortable position, get the fit right, etc. The dirt collected on the filter when I chuck it away is enough to make me continue with mine.

The Rookie

I pedal across open countryside, but I can see the appeal of masks in a city, obviously its personal as to whether you can get on with one or not, but would also add the following:-
Harmful traffic fumes are at their most prevalent in cities at major junctions, by harmful I refer to unburnt hydracarbons and particulates from Diesels (and Direct injenction gasoline engines). The part's in particular don't spread as readily as true gasses, so if you can avoid major junctions or hills where lorries/busses grind up, you'll do yourself a favour.

Exhaust emissions is my day job.

Simon

Headhuunter

I tried them for a while and just had to give up in the end. They restrict your breathing quite a bit and make it difficult to really put the hammer down and go all out as you can't get enough air into your lungs quickly enough. However if you don't cycle at full pelt then they may be worth trying. My nose also gets very snotty when I cycle, but without a mask I can just blow that out onto the road, with the mask my face was literally covered in snot and sweat by the time I arrived at my destination.

They did seem to make my breathing less "scratchy", however I think that may partly be because the air you breathe through a mask is moister because it's holding sweat near your face and the filter itself gets a bit sweaty and damp. I always find I get a bit of a cough after running or cycling when I stop, however it's always there, even if I run or cycle through open countryside so city fumes don't make a difference. It's worse when the weather's hot and dry which dries out my mouth nose and throat so to be honest I think for me, the cough is more down to dryness in the air than anything. I don't get a cough if I run or cycle in the rain.

Radioactiveman

I like to use one of these, bit sweaty but works well

http://www.fastfancydress.co.uk/FaceMas ... Night.html

MonkeyMonster

Aidy wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

There are a few on here who use them everyday and suffer no bad consequences.

There are more on here who don't use them, and suffer no bad consequences.

I was meaning the whole dribbly nose and sweat issue, not TB or asthma. Those that have met me know I am normally very sweaty in summer. I produce a lot of heat. Really don't normally have anything bar condensed water vapour in the mask when ride is over too.

I have no issues with my mask at all.