Aeroscreen and eyes - glasses wearer

[Mucus72]

This is only borderline a tech talk article, so apologies if you think I have posted in the wrong section...

 

I have just acquired an aeroscreen. I have a full face helmet and am debating the "look like a tool in the town centre vs. better safe than sorry, we could all have a Massa incident" scenario.

 

If I wasn't wearing my helmet I need some serious eye protection. But I am shortsighted and need my glasses on. Which makes finding the right eyewear more challenging. I need great protection without a 'bridge' in the goggles so that I can wear my glasses (preferably without it looking like a ski mask!).

 

And thats not the only concern I have. When blatting with my windscreen I tend to wear a beany hat. Again, my health and safety 'chip' has kicked in and I am thinking that is not going to protect me from 100 mph flying sharp gravel.

 

I am trying to avoid having to wear my helmet, yet feeling safe on a blat.

 

Please can you help me, first priority eyewear?

Thanks

Marcus

[Sinbad]

Hi Marcus, I have got a pair of Davida Aviator Pilot T2 goggles. The T2 version have been designed for spectacle wearers and have cut outs inside to accommodate the bridge and side arms of your specs.

 

They are a good quality item and the lenses can be swapped for alternative colours ( I have mirrored lenses in mine ). I purchased mine from a retailer on Amazon, although some online motorcycle accessory retailers also sell them.

 

Other forum members may suggest goggles that can have prescription lenses fitted in them, but if you have a complicated prescription this may not be possible.

[Mort]

Speak to Mike Dixon at UK Eyewear. Very helpful chap who will go out of his way to resolve your problem. Dixons sell various types of ballistic rated glasses, that can also be worn as goggles, which have interchangeable lenses (clear, smoked, yellow, etc) and a clip in insert which fits between the lens and your eye which takes prescription lenses.

 

You'll find contact details on the club website, and as a member you are entitled to discount too.

 

Edited by - Mort on 23 Aug 2013 07:29:40

[ChrisC]

I have been a long time glass wearer but have coverted to contact lenses for the seven. It makes the choice of eye protection much simpler. Have you thought about going that route for blatting?

 

 

Edited by - ChrisC on 23 Aug 2013 08:10:44

[Mucus72]

Thanks Paul and Mort, I will check out both options. Chris - I have a minus 10 prescription and at those levels I haven't yet found a contact lens that works for me, as they go up in half dioptres.

 

So when I get a ballistic glass solution and my eyes are protected, I'm then going to worry about a puncture wound that embeds higher up ! I don't my little black Caterham beanie will work...

[Mort]

That'll either be a helmet, or you can cut the bottom out of a 2.5L paint tin, shape it to fit your head, and wear it like a sort of armoured crown............ Sorry, it's been one of those days where I'm barely maintaining my sanity.

I believe there are a few members who favour this look:-

 

http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/pix/helm.jpg

 

 

 

 

Edited by - Mort on 23 Aug 2013 10:14:54

[Racingshoe]

I always wear my helmet with my aeroscreen. I had a really serious mountain bike crash in my early 20s that led to a lot of facial surgery and am really paranoid about anything hitting my face. I don't mind if I look a tool in town as long as my face is protected.

[gileshudson]

Marcuss,

 

Here's your beanie hat as a helmet solution . . . . beanie hats made of d3o

 

Inside are pads made from d3o which provides some protection in case of a sudden impact.

 

d3o is clever stuff. Soft and malleable under normal circumstances, but strike it on a rock, post, tree, (shovel or hammer to test it), etc and it locks up rock solid for a few milliseconds, providing a rigid barrier between your head and the hard stuff.

 

In no way is this beanie designed to replace a crash helmet, but it should provide some protection against 100mph stones.

 

I have a d3o beanie one for skiing as I don't want to have to go to a ski helmet just yet, though I'm sure insurance will demand it in a couple of years time though.

 

Cheers,

Giles

 

 

 

 

Edited by - gileshudson on 23 Aug 2013 10:19:53

[Baz Hemsley]

*thumbup*Aviator T2. Mine are over 5yrs. old and have done about 30,000 miles. cloth cap and behind Brooklands.

[Mike Biddle]

Still cannot understand why anyone would think that they "look like a tool" when wearing a helmet???

 

You will most certainly be a confirmed tool if a decent size rock gets kicked up by a truck and it smacks you in the face.

 

I wear a full face helmet at all times with aeroscreen and have had several experiences with flying debris which confirm the wisdom of doing so.

 

I'd rather keep my head/face/teeth intact.

[Mucus72]

Jees Mort, it was only just 10 a.m when you were "having one of those days". That's an extreme case

 

The D3o material looks amazing, I will go hunting for one, mainly because paint tins are not my style.

 

As for the helmet comment, yep its the most obvious and safest solution I agree...and its the one I am going to start with.

[gileshudson]

Quoting Mucus72: 

. . . The D3o material looks amazing

 

It is amazing, check out these three videos:

 

 

 

The technology behind it . . .

 

 

Edited by - gileshudson on 23 Aug 2013 14:06:05

[Golf Juliet Tango]

Marcus

An earlier thread on the subject here

It's old so some information may be out of date.

Have you considered goggles with a prescription insert?

[Roger Ford]

I use a cheap set of safety goggles over my glasses. Not sartorially elegant, but that's not something I've really ever been accused of.

[Eugene]

Been using Aero's for years - Brooklands.

 

Never had a problem in over 100K miles of Aero sevening...

 

Never wear a bash hat, as I do think it tends to make you look a tool, and more importantly it tends to isolate you from your surroundings too much, which in a 7 is very important as you have to be aware of everything and everyone around you on the road - different on a race track.

 

With a bash hat it is much harder to drive defensively, and react to other's idiotic driving.

(An no, it's not the same as on a bike due to the different driving/riding position).

 

I also use glasses, and have a pair of Adidas Climacool sunglasses with prescription inserts.

Means I can easily change the lenses for day/night driving.

 

And use a buff around the neck and lower face, and a beanie when cold/raining/snowing...

Ans sun-cream when sunny!!!

 

It's the only way to drive a 7!!!

 

http://www.7-dna.com/forums/img/smilies/lebogclub.gif

[combine]

Quoting Eugene: 

Been using Aero's for years - Brooklands.

 

Never had a problem in over 100K miles of Aero sevening...

 

Never wear a bash hat, as I do think it tends to make you look a tool, and more importantly it tends to isolate you from your surroundings too much, which in a 7 is very important as you have to be aware of everything and everyone around you on the road - different on a race track.

 

With a bash hat it is much harder to drive defensively, and react to other's idiotic driving.

(An no, it's not the same as on a bike due to the different driving/riding position).

 

I also use glasses, and have a pair of Adidas Climacool sunglasses with prescription inserts.

Means I can easily change the lenses for day/night driving.

 

And use a buff around the neck and lower face, and a beanie when cold/raining/snowing...

Ans sun-cream when sunny!!!

 

It's the only way to drive a 7!!!

 

http://www.7-dna.com/forums/img/smilies/lebogclub.gif

 

 

Yes ,Yes , Yes , nail on the head ! , agreed ! No point in having lots of fresh/smell of cow muck/someones bbq/etc etc if you then wear a ...helmet , unless its chucking it down ! I wear my normal driving glasses and in winter a woolly hat !

[Myles]

I've been aero screening for 9 years or so - and most of my mileage for the last few years has been on week/fortnight-long tours. Although I routinely wear contact lenses, I can't afford to rely on them and so needed a solution that would also let me wear my glasses if necessary.

 

As a backup to Wiley-style goggles (for contact lens use), I also take a pair of Birdz goggles (these ones, I think here).

 

They are great in that they fit over glasses, have a huge amount of 'real estate' to look through (v. Important in drizzle as you can usually find a clear bit to look through - which you won't always find with sunglass-size styles) - and are comfortable with ear defenders as they have a strap rather than arms.

 

I have had a bit of stick for wearing them - particularly with the yellow lenses I prefer - but they work for me!

[Drumster]

Another vote for Mike Dixon at UK Sport Eyewear.

 

I'm a long time aeroscreener and have always worn 'good' goggles, but for the last few years I've used the forerunner to the Dixon TAC-3 ballistic rated goggles. In February the time arrived when I really needed to wear glasses, minor correction for long vision but more correction for reading etc.

 

I tried a pair of over-goggles but these were just far to big for me as I resembled something out of The Fly . So I decided to consider either goggles with inserts or presciption lens. After a long chat with Mike Dixon I decided that inserts would be a real PITA especially when having to change form day to night lens, so I opted for light-reacting direct glazed lens with a bi-focal 'D'. These are still ballistic rated and for me the right decision. I've been really impressed with them. Great for driving but I can now also clearly see the dials and Sat-Nav

[Mucus72]

Holy Macaroni! Fitted the aeroscreen this morning and between alleged rain and promised rain I went for a drive (wearing my helmet). Wow, it's amazing! Felt quicker, and quite a lot above 50. No idea how much of that is real vs. subjective yet, mainly because I found it too hard to think straight, drive properly and laugh inside my helmet at the same time.

[I reply to every thread]

Had a bird strike off the corner of the cage in France at about 100 mph and my passenger was very grateful for the helmet . Re Eugenes post - I'm sure Massa had done a fair few miles before his incident and he'd have done no more if he hadn't been wearing a helmet . I've so had a half brick lobbed at me by a truck that had it trapped between the twin rear wheels. Missed me by about a foot . I had a helmet on so I'd probably have been alright . Without, had I got struck, I'm pretty confident that at best I'd have been dribbling in a wheelchair . Eugenes theory is like a biker saying that he hasn't fallen off in 10 years so there's no need for leathers and a lid

[mav]

Quoting AVES: 

Had a bird strike off the corner of the cage in France at about 100 mph and my passenger was very grateful for the helmet . Re Eugenes post - I'm sure Massa had done a fair few miles before his incident and he'd have done no more if he hadn't been wearing a helmet . I've so had a half brick lobbed at me by a truck that had it trapped between the twin rear wheels. Missed me by about a foot . I had a helmet on so I'd probably have been alright . Without, had I got struck, I'm pretty confident that at best I'd have been dribbling in a wheelchair . Eugenes theory is like a biker saying that he hasn't fallen off in 10 years so there's no need for leathers and a lid

 

+1

 

As an ex biker I don't have a problem wearing a helmet on the odd occasion I've gone aero on the road.

 

I have had several windscreens over the last 11 years due to debris strick, most of which would have been in my face / upper chest. Wearing the right safety gear, to me at least, is paramount. If others choose to take their chances with a buff and a beanie hat. That's their choice. For me, if I go aero I go with a full face helmet.

[Alan Reeves]

I dont aero so should not really comment but....as a biker i like helmets with flip down visor rather than full face. Much better visibility and awareness but not so safe if you skidded down the road

 

As also a skier use a helmet and i think the majority in euro now use

 

Well skiers have access to some great new lightweight helmets with drop down visor that would be great with glasses and not so over the top looking in a road car

 

[Graham D]

A couple of years ago I was riding my motorbike (at about 25-30 mph) through one of the local villages. A quarry wagon passed me going the other way at a similar speed and a small piece of gravel (or similar) was flicked up and hit the chin guard of my full face helmet taking a chunk out of the gelcoat. If I hadn’t been wearing that helmet I’d now be on first name terms with my dentist and a few quid lighter.

 

No windscreen and just a pair of posh sunglasses – you must be joking!

 

[Golf Juliet Tango]

A question for those who go aero and favour the helmet over goggles.

Sticking to road driving, which has covered most of the discussion so far.

What do you do for passengers?

- Don't take passengers.

- Only take one who brings their own helmet. (so no improvisation)

- Carry a spare helmet - although it won't fit everyone and some people will not want to share.

- other arrangements?

 

[Roadsport06]

I agree that a helmet is safer than goggles, but my tintop is safer still.

I much prefer goggles to my helmet for blating and keep a spare pair in the boot for passengers. For long runs when I need to use the motorway I use my helmet, a spare will go in the boot too. I brought a helmet from aldi for not much that does the job.