Cycling Masks

BigLights

How many people wear a mask in London? For some reason, recently I've really been feeling the pollution, more than any previous year. I've just ordered a Totobobo mask (better reviews than the Respro).

Levi_501

Hardly any.

Whilst they stop larger lumps, they do not filter out exhaust gasses etc.

bdave262000

I have tried one in the past, find them sweaty and quite restrictive. I used to wear in riding in and out of central London but once I got past the worst of the traffic would take it off. Eventually I stopped wearing it completely. Know what you mean about the pollution levels, feeling it more this year than any other.

BigLights

Well i'm going to give it a go. I tried a Respro one a few years back, but just didn't get on with it. These totobobo efforts look good, good reviews, and if theyr'e good enough to ride around Beijing with, they must be OK for London.

rjsterry

Levi_501 wrote:

Hardly any.

Whilst they stop larger lumps, they do not filter out exhaust gasses etc.

For a lot of them, that is true, but there are a few with activated charcoal cloth in the filters, which will stop more than just 'lumps'. Granted it won't stop everything, but I've just swapped the filter in my Respro Techno this morning after 4 weeks of mostly reasonable air quality and the outside of the filter looks like this


Yum.

Also good for keeping the hay fever symptoms down.

The Respro masks are sweaty, no two ways about it, but then so is the rest of me. They do restrict your breathing a bit, but I don't notice it much unless really riding on the rivet.

t0pc4t

I ride in the sticks but have a respro sportsta to try and keep hay fever symptoms down.

It is a bit of a PITA to ride with but you get used to it. I've also noted that even on my country bumpkin ride it's minging after a few weeks usage

The downside for me is drinking is difficult with it on

BigLights

t0pc4t wrote:

I ride in the sticks but have a respro sportsta to try and keep hay fever symptoms down.

It is a bit of a PITA to ride with but you get used to it. I've also noted that even on my country bumpkin ride it's minging after a few weeks usage

The downside for me is drinking is difficult with it on

In your case, is that perhaps because of the filth you're breathing OUT? :oops:

t0pc4t

I'm not really sure what you mean by that.

BigLights

as in, maybe the filters are picking up stuff when you breath out, not in. Was a joke.

iPete

I've always thought a hockey mask would be useful, scare drivers and nodders away.

MonkeyMonster

Ditto to rjs pretty much and i don't have asthma at all just like taking away a chunk of the crap I would otherwise breathe in. You can see what the mask stops.

mtb-idle

nope: not me.

I'm lucky enough not to suffer from hayfever although i do find that the plane tree pollen affects my eyes (so does that mean i suffer from hay fever or not?)

That's the only thing that does it for me and only for this short period. This only started over the last few years. Quite strange for a fellow rapidly approaching 50.

Levi_501

Nice picture rjsterry! I would eve go as far as yummy!

I used to use a Respro many years ago, but you just sweat like a pig. It is good for altitude training though!

Do you really think that it takes out any of the nasties? If they do, or another mask does, I would be interested.

MonkeyMonster

Levi_501 wrote:

Nice picture rjsterry! I would eve go as far as yummy!

I used to use a Respro many years ago, but you just sweat like a pig. It is good for altitude training though!

Do you really think that it takes out any of the nasties? If they do, or another mask does, I would be interested.

Not sure what difference it makes in terms of sweatiness - or rather it merely collects what you would produce anyway tbh. As for what it filters - it has afai am aware filter quite a lot out.

Semi amusing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWwSPbM ... e=youtu.be

BigLights

This is the one I've ordered, will give it a go. My buddy in Beijing reckon it's the business. We shall see.

http://www.bere.co.uk/blog/cycling-anti ... er-1-month

mtb-idle

rjsterry wrote:

For a lot of them, that is true, but there are a few with activated charcoal cloth in the filters, which will stop more than just 'lumps'. Granted it won't stop everything, but I've just swapped the filter in my Respro Techno this morning after 4 weeks of mostly reasonable air quality and the outside of the filter looks like this


Yum.

Also good for keeping the hay fever symptoms down.

The Respro masks are sweaty, no two ways about it, but then so is the rest of me. They do restrict your breathing a bit, but I don't notice it much unless really riding on the rivet.

It's very important that you do this regularly as charcoal reaches a saturation point when it cannot absorb any more.

However rather than just stopping working it actively emits all the bad stuff and is actually doing you more harm than good if you don't change yer pads regularly.

chilling

Would you wear one on the Tube? The air down there must be just as bad as at street level.

rjsterry

MTB-Idle wrote:

It's very important that you do this regularly as charcoal reaches a saturation point when it cannot absorb any more.

However rather than just stopping working it actively emits all the bad stuff and is actually doing you more harm than good if you don't change yer pads regularly.

I probably did let this one go longer than usual, but still within the manufacturer's guidelines. Interesting to know all the same. Really noticed riding without it in leafy Beckenham this evening, but probably mostly due to the pollen. Hay fever is a bit of a misnomer as you can have allergies to one or more of several species of tree, as well as grass, rapeseed, and many others. Allergies can appear later in life too.

MonkeyMonster

chilling wrote:

Would you wear one on the Tube? The air down there must be just as bad as at street level.

It's tempting to see what it could catch - mostly large particulate brake dust tbh.

rjsterry

Apparently most of the dust is iron from the wear of the steel tracks and wheels.
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/air-quality-on-underground.pdf

/tubegeek

Headhuunter

I tried 1 for a couple of weeks a few years back. I found it hard to get on with, although it stopped me coughing after getting off the bike a bit (the one I used was the top of the range Respro one with active carbon etc etc), it was very hard to breathe through when I was really pushing it, also your face literally becomes a sweaty, snotty mess under the mask which isn't nice! I also found it a disadvantage not to be able to shout at drivers, pedestrians etc to warn them you're coming through, you basically have to get a bell or horn or something....