What is the purpose of wearing sunglasses while cycling?

Wearing sunglasses can help protect your eyes.

Sight is one of your five main senses that you should value greatly. You can choose to wear it based on:

-the weather condition you will be facing.
-the environment you will be at.
-the activity you will be engaged in.

Your eyes will be uncomfortable if any of the following particles of nature are constantly hurting your eyes:

-sand
-dust
-wind
-snow

Wearing sunglasses can protect your eyes from flying debris hitting your eyes while you are out on the road, especially while riding on a bike or bicycle, that does not provide much protection. Corneal injuries can occur even when small particles hit your eyes at high speed because they can become deeply lodged in them. Sunglasses can also reduce the chances of pollutants ending up on the surface of your eyes which can trigger inflammation. You will be stressed out and not be able to enjoy the activities for the day if you have:

-blurred vision.
-swelling and itchy eyes.
-eye strain.

These may cause headaches and make you feel tired sooner.

If you are often out under the sun, consider wearing sunglasses with lenses that provide UV protection as prolonged exposure to UV rays can increase the risk of:

-cataracts.
-age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
-eye cancer.

Do you know that there are helmets for cyclists with sun shields attached? They can be retracted or removed when they are not required.  Most later models have magnetic studs to hold the shields in place on the helmet. 

The sun shields are made of plastic. So, if your sun shield is attached with magnetic studs, it is best that you remove it from the helmet first before you put it on or take it off your head. This is to prevent the sun shield from accidentally slipping off the helmet and landing on the ground which can cause scratches.  

This is a multisport helmet with sunshield. 

As the shield curves around the face when the helmet is worn, it a better option over getting a pair of regular sunglasses.  It works better at protecting the cyclist from getting hurt by dust particles blown into the eyes. 

This model is supplied with two retractable sun shields in different shades of colours.

This model also include a visor for days when you do not require the sun shield.

I like this model for kids with full face shield attached.

Though such helmets are not SIRIM approved for motorcyclists, some of my customers buy them for their children to wear when they take them out for rides on their motorcycles. This is because it is difficult to find helmets in smaller size that are well fitted for their children to wear. Most children are attracted by the cute images printed on the helmets and will consider wearing them.

I think it is also useful for children who are too small to wear masks. The full face shield will give them some protection against getting infected by Covid-19 virus while out in public.

Do we need an expensive bike light?

Do you need an expensive bike light? That depends on how often you ride at night and how bright you need it to be if there are no street lights where you ride. The higher the lumens (brightness) the more expensive it is going to cost. Just make sure that the lumens of the light you are getting are within the limit acceptable in your own country.

This 300 Lumens front light is USB rechargeable and water resistant.

Then there is the front light and the rear light. Some brands sell them packaged together which tend to be cheaper than if you buy each separately. There are some rear lights that can also shoot laser beams right on the road you cycle. There are also front lights that can beam the contour of the surface you are cycling on.

Older models are cheaper, especially those with PVC casings. They can be a hassle to unscrew the cap or open up to replace AA cells. They usually have on, off and flashing light functions. The brightness depends on the number of batteries required to run it.

The later and better models run on led light and are usually USB rechargeable with its brightness indicated in lumens.

They have more light setting functions, some as many as 6. They tend to be lighter in weight with alloy casing or with silicon covers. Some brands even sell silicon covers in many colours so that you can interchange them. They are usually easier to install and remove.

So, now that you know what is available in the market, it will be easier for you to decide what you are willing to pay for after checking it brightness, the weight, the functions that go with it and its ease to install. If brand name is important to you, then you have to pay for that too.

There is another option for bicycle light that most cyclists missed checking out on. Do you have a mini lightweight torchlight at home or in your car? If you can mount it on a bicycle light holder that you can find in the market, you may prefer to use that over the regular bicycle light. There are torchlight that are supplied with a regular battery and a rechargeable AA battery. They also come with a charger that you can use to recharge other rechargeable AA batteries that you have in your home. One of the functions I like about such torchlight is that you can reduce the size of the light or have it narrowed down to a pinpoint mode so that it shines more brightly in dark corners.

Am I done on this topic? No. If you are talking about making yourself visible with light while you are cycling, there are headlights,…

…lights on wheels that you can change its design digitally for a signature look.

There are lights that you can strap on your body or bag.

There are lights that run on dynamo if you are an eco-hero.

There are lights that you can attach to your handlebar to indicate right or left turn. Lights that can be mounted to the front of your helmet…

…or permanently attached to the rear of your helmet.

The right question to ask is how safe you want to be while out cycling in the dark. The safer you want to be the more expensive it will cost you should you consider installing every gizmo there are in the market to brighten your ride.

Stay safe. Lights up!

If you are out riding your bicycle at night, make sure that you can be seen by fellow road users.

You should have a tail light or rear bike light like the following which comes with a USB adaptor for recharging the Lithium polymer battery.  It has two types of mount so that you can decide if you would like to locate it at the saddle or seat post.

You will also require a headlight or front bike light.  

There are models that also come with helmet mount.  What is the point of mounting your headlight on your helmet?  Without moving your bicycle, you can shine the light in the direction you are looking at.  

Bicycle tales boring? No way!

Who in the world rides bicycles?

Just anyone.  Good...

...or bad.

Anything goes.

Some like to do it with no hands.

Just remember to wear your helmet or you will be (s)creaming your brains out.

With some help from Threadless writing about bicycles is never boring.   

Paper pulp helmet? Safe and trendy.

In your efforts to go green, you have decided to join a bike sharing scheme.  So, how green will you go?  When you don't have your own helmet with you, are you willing to share that too?

Stop!  Don't bother cracking your head over that issue.  Tom Gottelier, Bobby Petersen and Ed Thomas has a solution for you with their creation of the "Paper Pulp Helmet".  How safe is that?  Very safe I would say, since it is developed according to the European safety standards.

Will it cost you a bomb?  At £1 each, it is cheap enough to be recycled even after each use so that new ones can be created.  But how fashionable can one be wearing a helmet made out of paper pulp?  Decide for yourself.


Paper Pulp Helmet from Tom Gottelier on Vimeo.

Since this creation helps to clear newspapers discarded in buses and trains, that should make you a trendy green owner of one, that's for sure.