visors - any real point?

Ferrals

I am toying with buying a second helmet, my Bell Super is great in terms of fit and confidnece inducing coverage coverage but I'm just finding it way too hot now (bought last autumn) and we haven't even got to summer yet. I'm thinking about getting a second helmet for really hot days/long less tech rides/xc races. I notice a lot of xc racers use road helmets without visors.

So what is the point of the visor? Is it really just a mtb fashion thing seeming as most people wear glasses anway so the shade benefit is limited? I'd have thought the shading benefit would be actually more useful to roadies as they are in the open more and the loss of vision a bit more of an issue on mtb given the need to pick out lines in tech stuff

Giraffoto

They're not just a fashion thing, it's just that not everyone feels the need for one. Nor is it a matter of needing clear vision more on an MTB - everyone needs to see where they're going. MTBers are generally more upright than roadies when they ride, so a peak doesn't force the MTBer to bend their neck quite so much to see forwards. I suspect too that a helmet with a visor is a little bit less aerodynamic than without, and may also generate more turbulent air over the roadie's eyes and ears at roadie speed.

njee20

Always take them off and have done for years. Can see the point, although I do know of at least two people who suffered injuries when their peak was mashed into their face mid crash.

Ferrals

Hmm, actually just thought if I remove my visor it might make existing helmet a bit cooler as the brow vents will be more exposed may get a bit more air. Will give it a try shortly..

kajjal

Visors are useful for keeping rain and especially hail off your face if the weather turns for the worse. Also they can keep the sun out of your eyes.

nicklouse

And branches.


Well twigs.

paul.skibum

A visor tells everyone you are a mountain biker. I wear my #enduro lid on my road bike so people know I have not gone full retard.

A friend of mine used to delight in turning up to sportives with his mud splattered mountain bike lid just to wind up the rest of the pack.

njee20

I'll bet they were seething at his rebellious streak. Did he wheeze up every climb in his bottom gear, then stop and chat for 50 minutes at the bottom of every descent to say 'rad' and 'stoked' a lot? Y'know, like a real mountain biker.

rockmonkeysc

They can be handy for keeping branches etc out of your eyes. When I lost mine I found my head light distracting which surprised me that I even noticed it. On my helmet it is also used to direct air in to vents.
Most importantly they stop you looking like a r**die

Ferrals

Well taking it off did make it feel marginally cooler - just by letting air around my forehead. But the branches point is a good one, even though I always wear glasses.

I don't think it made me look like a roadie though - gave a bunch coming towards me a cheery "hello, lovely evening" and got a glare in return :-(

The Rookie

njee20 wrote:

Always take them off and have done for years. Can see the point, although I do know of at least two people who suffered injuries when their peak was mashed into their face mid crash.

Hmm, if the peak was mashed into their face then whatever did the mashing would surely have hit their face directly without the visor being there, and that may have been a nasty pointed rock not a relatively smooth visor? To me that is more an argument to keep it on.

njee20

Nah - faceplant into ground, visor gets pushed down and a nice sharp edge gets pushed into the brow of your nose, not rocks or owt, just the ground. I imagine there are scenarios where they will protect you, frankly in either case we're talking very small probability.

The Rookie

True, I stick with a visor as it helps lift the tree brach tips over the top, in India I use it as a sun visor for obvious reasons.

njee20

I mainly don't because I use the same helmets on the road bike and the MTB, and the peak massively gets in the way on the drops on the road.

The Rookie

njee20 wrote:

I mainly don't because I use the same helmets on the road bike and the MTB, and the peak massively gets in the way on the drops on the road.

Fair point, but I have a seperate road helmet, not that I have a road bike but the Hybrid has a very aggressive bar height.

rockmonkeysc

I never notice my peak on my road bike, even on the drops. Maybe it depends on the helmet.

The Rookie

More likely you have a very small 'peak'?

njee20

Depends on your road bike too, shallow drops and a higher bar height will mean it's less intrusive than if you've got a more aggressive position.

Ferrals

I find it obscures my view (marginally) on my mtb if I'm pushing hard into a head wind so am trying to keep low, end up with a neck craned up to try and see where I'm going. Anyway it's off for now and if/when I do get a new helmet I don't think I'll be that fussed on whether it has a peak or not.

Maro

I don't always ride with glasses on, I find the peak useful for taking out bugs that wanna fly into my eyes, also use it as a sun visor.

step83

I stick with the visor on the MTB mainly as mentioned for punting tree parts out the way, its easier to just look down for a second to avoid a plant in the face, sun visors a good call too also when its raining serves to keep your vision a little clearer.
Only problem I find ifs on climbs I do have to whack it up a bit so i can see on steeper climbs.
Tried it on the road bike no hope I use a road lid now for that but with cleated MTB shoes just to annoy them and it makes going into cake shops and pubs less of a hassle.

Thewaylander

They are also extremely useful on long draggy fire road climbs, to block that horrible view of a trail going up and up.. head down and hide :P

lostboysaint

Thewaylander wrote:

They are also extremely useful on long draggy fire road climbs, to block that horrible view of a trail going up and up.. head down and hide :P

Is the correct answer. What you can't see can't hurt you going up!

njee20

Just look at your stem. Job done!

Unless there's a Garmin on it which shows elevation/gradient.

lostboysaint

njee20 wrote:

Unless there's a Garmin on it which shows elevation/gradient.

It used to, I took that off the front screen!!

njee20

I always have gradient on the homescreen, there's some perverse enjoyment of the suffering that comes with watching the number getting higher and higher!

cooldad

njee20 wrote:

I always have gradient on the homescreen, there's some perverse enjoyment of the suffering that comes with watching the number getting higher and higher!

May I recommend to sir some barbed wire in sir's shorts?

Thewaylander

njee20 wrote:

Just look at your stem. Job done!

Unless there's a Garmin on it which shows elevation/gradient.

With out a visor I can accidentally glance up and see hell in front of me.. best be safe

lostboysaint

cooldad wrote:

njee20 wrote:

I always have gradient on the homescreen, there's some perverse enjoyment of the suffering that comes with watching the number getting higher and higher!

May I recommend to sir some barbed wire in sir's shorts?

Ferrals

Tried on a few helmets, specialized don't agree with my head, nor do kask. I am leaning towards a met at the mo either the velono (mtb helmet) or the Stradivarius HES (road lid). Just wondering if anyone's used the Stradivarius for mtb? Any reasons to/not to? And yes I guess this should now be in buying advice but as the thread is already here...

rockmonkeysc

Are road helmets designed to protect in the same way as mtb helmets? Road accidents rarely involve pointy rocks and mtb accidents rarely involve high speed sliding along tarmac.