Author Topic: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?  (Read 2944 times)

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« on: 16 December, 2018, 02:54:11 pm »
I strongly prefer to have clear lenses so that I can use them at night. However where this comes unstuck is when it's raining. Even my selection of casquettes isn't enough to keep my view clear.

At the moment I use screw fix plastic safety glasses which are terrific in the good weather (not to mention cheap) but are liable to get wet and steam up when crap.

What's a good VFM solution to my woes?
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Kim

  • Timelord
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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: 16 December, 2018, 03:01:33 pm »
I don't think there's a solution to steaming up, is there?  Other than riding with your eyes unprotected, which isn't much good even if you don't need prescription lenses.

I find rain on glasses much less of a problem (it's an improvement on my uncorrected vision, which I'd describe as just about adequate for safe road use[1]) than steaming up.


[1] I can't read signs, but have no problem recognising objects.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: 16 December, 2018, 03:08:06 pm »
Steaming up is less of an issue as I find they tend to stay clear so long as I'm keeping at speed. Mostly is a problem if I've stopped for a moment or two but having "sticky" rain which warps vision is much more of an issue.
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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: 16 December, 2018, 03:14:03 pm »
All solutions I have tried came with the distinct disadvantage that cleaning the lenses would remove the water repellent solution too. Perhaps not immediately. But even expensive coatings put on in the factories never lasted that long.

So my make do solution nowadays is to prevent the lenses from getting wet, by wearing a (foldable) cap when it rains.

The battle against the fogging up begins with glasses that have to be the right distance away from my face. Also, clothing like snoods or balaclavas can throw up problems with this.

Never found a good solution for cycling in a freezing fog though. Apart from wiping the water drops from the lenses every now and again with the thumb of my gloves.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: 16 December, 2018, 03:40:03 pm »
Rain X is the go to for motorcycle visors, should be OK on any clear plastic, but I wouldn't chance it on expensive prescription glasses.
+1 for a peaked cap, in really foul weather I use a waterproof Sealskin one, which is also very warm, keeps most but not all the rain off the glasses.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: 16 December, 2018, 07:25:46 pm »
I also go for the peaked cap approach.
Cycling caps are generally no good - it's got to be a proper baseball cap length of peak.

The real solution is contacts and no glasses.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: 16 December, 2018, 07:28:46 pm »
I don't think there's a solution to steaming up, is there?

The trick with diving masks is to spit onto the inside of the lens, wipe it around a bit, swill it out and then wear as normal.

Please can someone report back if they try this with cycling glasses!

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: 16 December, 2018, 07:58:34 pm »
The trick with diving masks is to spit onto the inside of the lens, wipe it around a bit, swill it out and then wear as normal.
Fogging on the inside and rain on the outside are different problems.
I've generally found that I don't get fogging when riding, and that any that forms whilst stationary at traffic lights etc clears within a relatively short distance when I start moving again.

Kim

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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: 16 December, 2018, 08:16:21 pm »
I've generally found that I don't get fogging when riding, and that any that forms whilst stationary at traffic lights etc clears within a relatively short distance when I start moving again.

To be fair, that's mostly my experience of cycling in my normal glasses, with the odd exception that's really exceptional.  The climb up to Tan Hill on Friday in sub-zero conditions is a case in point, where the fogged up glasses were a welcome break from the wind chill.

Fogging is much more of a problem when you've got glasses with prescription inserts, as the air can't circulate as easily.  But that's just one of the many problems with prescription inserts...

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #9 on: 16 December, 2018, 08:24:37 pm »
Rain X uses IPA isopropyl alcohol as the carrier so is ok with plastics. I have used it and it does work.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #10 on: 16 December, 2018, 08:26:06 pm »
I don't wear prescription glasses and I've pretty much given up wearing "safety" glasses while cycling because it's mostly nicer not to, but when I do (for instance if it's very cold or in midge season) and it starts to rain, nowadays I take them off anyway. Can't see as much as I'd like with specks on the specs (and if it's raining the flies go away and it won't be quite that cold – usually). Fogging I agree tends to be a temporary problem while stationary. So not much help in my post, sorry, but if anyone does have a cure, I'd like to know. Oh, and plus whatever for the peaked cap – I virtually always have one, against rain, sun, and so much more. 
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #11 on: 16 December, 2018, 09:00:17 pm »

I have photochromatic glasses. They go dark in the day, and clear at night. Generally they stay fog free as long as I'm moving fast enough. But slow for a hill, and they start to fog. When it happens i try to move them a couple of mm down my nose to give a little extra space. It's not perfect, but it's the best I can do. They are prescription lenses, and save me needing to carry sunglasses and night glasses. Which I like on really long rides. Just keep moving... Ideally rubber side down...
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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #12 on: 17 December, 2018, 08:54:42 am »
I've got non- prescription photochromics from Rudy Project. The "low light" ones go completely clear if I keep them in their lens bag so would be ok at night. As for rain/fog - Rain-X and (yep, you guessed it) Fog-X will help a lot, though fogging isn't really too much of an issue as long as the brow of the frame isn't hard against the forehead.
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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #13 on: 17 December, 2018, 10:56:10 am »
Even my selection of casquettes isn't enough to keep my view clear.

[...]

What's a good VFM solution to my woes?

Might a cap be a solution with a bit of peak tweakage?

I usually make my own caps because then I can extend the peak forwards a bit and give it a slightly more square shape to improve the sun protection (I'm a ginger). It's only by a cm max, but I notice the difference between that and a shop bought cap I was recently given.

I still get rain on the lenses when I'm wearing glasses though, so I suspect you'd have to make bigger extensions to the peak, but I'm wondering if trying a baseball cap might be a quick and dirty experiment to try to see if that line is worth pursuing?


Gattopardo

  • Lord of the sith
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Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #14 on: 17 December, 2018, 11:17:08 am »
Have a look at other ppe glasses, have a pair of yellow specs I use in the rain and they have a decent coating so the rain runs off.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #15 on: 17 December, 2018, 11:45:47 am »
Caps for runners tend to work well for me. This Nike thing has heen the best addition to my winter wardrobe in years:


Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #16 on: 20 December, 2018, 01:28:41 pm »
I don't think there's a solution to steaming up, is there?

The trick with diving masks is to spit onto the inside of the lens, wipe it around a bit, swill it out and then wear as normal.

Please can someone report back if they try this with cycling glasses!

Not *quite* the same thing, but I find that licking rain and condensation off the specs when it gets too much is quite effective at slowing down re-steaming and also seams to inhibit droplet formation on the outside.  It can result in gritty teeth when MTBing, though!  :sick: :demon:
Life is too important to be taken seriously.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #17 on: 20 December, 2018, 08:22:28 pm »
I've generally found that I don't get fogging when riding, and that any that forms whilst stationary at traffic lights etc clears within a relatively short distance when I start moving again.

To be fair, that's mostly my experience of cycling in my normal glasses, with the odd exception that's really exceptional.  The climb up to Tan Hill on Friday in sub-zero conditions is a case in point, where the fogged up glasses were a welcome break from the wind chill.

Fogging is much more of a problem when you've got glasses with prescription inserts, as the air can't circulate as easily.  But that's just one of the many problems with prescription inserts...

Indeed, I did the climb from Leyburn to Grinton and Grinton to Tan Hill without my clear glasses because the combination of cold and low speed meant they never cleared. My eyes did suffer for a couple of days after and looked quite puffy I am told.

Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #18 on: 21 December, 2018, 10:23:31 am »
Ordinary dust spray in a can works well for glasses. The silicon makes the water bead really effectively.
As an aside, I run a thin smear of clear silicone bath sealant over the inside of the first and second fingers of my long fingered gloves. This helps them grip the brake levers, but also means they work brilliantly as "windscreen wipers" for my glasses. It wears off over the winter, but takes a few seconds to reapply.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #19 on: 23 December, 2018, 05:14:05 pm »
I just ride without glasses.  Oddly, I don't notice I'm not wearing them when everything is in motion, and I have better side-to-side depth perception without glasses.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Water repellent clear glasses - recommendations?
« Reply #20 on: 10 June, 2019, 08:24:13 pm »
So I gave rain x plastic water repellent a crack on my Planet X goggles a go for a few days now, and just came in from a very very wet day of delivering.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/screenwash-de-icer/rain-x-plastic-water-repellent-500ml

It works really really well. Not 100% mist repellent but it is a massive improvement on untreated lenses. I apply it by soaking a rag with the stuff and rubbing it into the lenses, leaving it for a minute or two, and then wiping off the excess with a cloth.
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https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



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