2 ms·

Very helpful review, but imho, unless you’re biking in extreme cold (below 0F), you don’t need these. I’ve been cycling in 0-30F weather in just a cloth balacla

Very helpful review, but imho, unless you’re biking in extreme cold (below 0F), you don’t need these. I’ve been cycling in 0-30F weather in just a cloth balaclava for a decade without issue (and I’m not especially resistant to cold).

goda90 3y ago
Do you wear glasses? Fogging is a big issue with most face coverings for me.
- cainxinth 3y ago
  I do wear glasses, but they have an anti fog coating. Also, I prefer to leave my nose out of the balaclava and instead cover it with a neoprene nose cover (NozKon), which helps prevent glasses from fogging (and doesn’t squish my nose).
- themerone 3y ago
  It's a problem for me as a skier. Give Blackstrap products a try, I've found them to be much less problematic.
- dublinben 3y ago
  I swear by the Seirus Masque for both skiing and cycling.[0] The neoprene fits tightly to your face, but lets your nose exhale freely, which minimizes glasses fogging. They’ve got a hundred variations now for different levels of comfort and warmth. https://www.seirus.com/products/original-masque https://www.seirus.com/products/original-masque
  - goda90 3y ago
    I've got a large beard, so I doubt this would have a tight enough fit even with a nose hole.
wanderingstan 3y ago
Yes, the author mentions that -5°F is the boundary to “really cold”.
zeekaran 3y ago
I struggle to breathe cold air merely jogging in 40F. I think I should try a regular, cheap mask before dropping $77 on an Airtrim though.
- rngname22 3y ago
  You might have cold-induced asthma?
porkloin 3y ago
I've done more 30min-2hr sub-zero F bike rides here in interior Alaska than I can count, as well as many 5+hr rides for things like races and backcountry trips. Some of the coldest days are at -30F or -40F. I use a simple wool balaclava as well, and it works great. The author here seems weirdly obsessed with the idea of "breathing cold air" resulting in heat loss? While breathing cold air isn't necessarily pleasant, in my experience, if you're actually _exercising_ (raising your heart rate to say, 120 or more?), then even down at -30 you very quickly run into the opposite problem. You're generating a _ton_ of heat from exercise, and you're sweating your ass off. Most of the time I end up periodically pulling my face covering off to help cool down. I'm not above trying one of these, but it feels a bit like a solution in search of a problem. Maybe I'm underestimating the difficulty of the average bike commuter's ride, and they're not regularly getting their heart rate elevated? But I can say that in 5-10 years of winter bike commuting, racing, and backcountry travel, almost everyone I see is using a balaclava, despite these things having been around for a while.

goda90 3y ago

Do you wear glasses? Fogging is a big issue with most face coverings for me.

cainxinth 3y ago
I do wear glasses, but they have an anti fog coating. Also, I prefer to leave my nose out of the balaclava and instead cover it with a neoprene nose cover (NozKon), which helps prevent glasses from fogging (and doesn’t squish my nose).
themerone 3y ago
It's a problem for me as a skier. Give Blackstrap products a try, I've found them to be much less problematic.
dublinben 3y ago
I swear by the Seirus Masque for both skiing and cycling.[0] The neoprene fits tightly to your face, but lets your nose exhale freely, which minimizes glasses fogging. They’ve got a hundred variations now for different levels of comfort and warmth. https://www.seirus.com/products/original-masque https://www.seirus.com/products/original-masque
- goda90 3y ago
  I've got a large beard, so I doubt this would have a tight enough fit even with a nose hole.

wanderingstan 3y ago

Yes, the author mentions that -5°F is the boundary to “really cold”.

zeekaran 3y ago

I struggle to breathe cold air merely jogging in 40F. I think I should try a regular, cheap mask before dropping $77 on an Airtrim though.

rngname22 3y ago
You might have cold-induced asthma?

porkloin 3y ago

I've done more 30min-2hr sub-zero F bike rides here in interior Alaska than I can count, as well as many 5+hr rides for things like races and backcountry trips. Some of the coldest days are at -30F or -40F. I use a simple wool balaclava as well, and it works great. The author here seems weirdly obsessed with the idea of "breathing cold air" resulting in heat loss? While breathing cold air isn't necessarily pleasant, in my experience, if you're actually _exercising_ (raising your heart rate to say, 120 or more?), then even down at -30 you very quickly run into the opposite problem. You're generating a _ton_ of heat from exercise, and you're sweating your ass off. Most of the time I end up periodically pulling my face covering off to help cool down. I'm not above trying one of these, but it feels a bit like a solution in search of a problem. Maybe I'm underestimating the difficulty of the average bike commuter's ride, and they're not regularly getting their heart rate elevated? But I can say that in 5-10 years of winter bike commuting, racing, and backcountry travel, almost everyone I see is using a balaclava, despite these things having been around for a while.