Newb with helmet question...

Hi All...newb here with a question on helmets. Are there any negatives to buying a helmet with a removable visor? I've read that road helmets are without them and mtb helmets have them. I've also read many road and mountain bike helmets are identical but sold under different names, the only difference being the addition of a visor (ex. Bell Alchera/Delirium). I currently ride a 1995 Trek 850, primarily on a vast network of paved park trails near my home. As I've begun to ride more, I've felt the need to get a helmet but I'm not sure I might not want to get a road bike and hit the highways, so I'm looking for a helmet to serve both purposes. Helmets that offer removable visors seem like a no-brainer to me...so being a newb, please tell me if I am missing something...thanks in advance...

 

The vast majority of helmets I've seen that cost <$200 have removable visors. The only real differentiation I can see between "road" and "MTB" (aside from the old school skateboard or motocross style) helmets I've looked at is the color and finish, but maybe I've missed something.

Either way, as long as it protects your melon (which any of them should), is comfy, and you don't mind how it looks, I don't see a problem wearing whatever works for you.

 

I guess the only negative might be that you could lose the visor. Otherwise, you don't sacrifice anything in terms of safety.

 

i lost my visor!! rarely ever used it anyhow. buy the one that best fits, looks the best, and doesn't put a dent in the wallet.

Half my friends ride their road helmets on the trails and vice-versa

 

Riding helmets: kinky!

 

Most people I see riding around here don't have the visor on their helmets.

My latest helmet came with a snap on visor and I put it on before the first time I used the helmet several years ago. I still have it on the helmet and I like how it helps shade my face from the sun.

YMMV.

 

Got caught in a torrential thunderstorm last Friday. Would've been nice to have a visor. Rain hurts your face at 25-30mph.

 

Yeah, the visor does help with rain a lot. Had one on my old Bell Fusion and miss it sometimes. The Ghisallo is a great helmet with lot's of cooling airflow, but wish it had the visor as an option.

Guess it doesn't fit their marketing scheme, ie, for the pro racer and all us wannabe's, but I've already screwed my style points with the helmet mirror so having a snap-on visor wouldn't hurt anything.

 

Any helmet is better than no helmet.

 

Just get a helmet before it's too late. Visor or no visor - it's not important.

I've lost count of the number of crashes I've seen where the crashee gets up with a cracked helmet instead staying down with a cracked head.

 

I have always used a helmet with a visor and I ride a road bike. I have found that it helps shade the face from the sun. If you look at some other cycling sites you might read about wearing a hat with a visor under your helmet to help protect you from the sun.

 

How is your face oriented towards the sun if you are looking down at the road or focussed on the wheel in front of you?

I don't really see the point to a visor, but it's all up to whatever you want.

 

I usually wear glasses when riding, and w/o a visor I tend to get glare on the inside of the lenses. A visor deals with that nicely.

 

BUHAHHHA Pervert! get your mind out of the gutter!

 

Your face is always facing down? Not looking straight ahead at all? You are always following another cyclist? Wheel sucker comes to mind with that one. Ever hear of melanoma? Do you like going against the odds?
As you stated it is a matter of preference.

 

Thanks for all the input...and I think the best advice was "just get a helmet"...wound up at Performance Bike and liked the fit of the Bell Alchera. My timing was right...hit a 15% off sale and got it for $33.99...not bad...

 

What you're missing is a helmet! The visor should be your secondary concern! I got hit by a car two days ago and landed on the pavement head-first. I'm sore as hell, have cuts on my forehead, and am covered in road rash from head to toe, but am able to respond to this post thanks to my helmet. Get yourself a helmet!!!

 

For the most part I don't feel the need for a visor, however there certainly are times that it would be helpful. For me it is in those early morning rides when the sun is just cresting the horizon and is hitting me straight on in the face, that sun/shade contrast/glare can be tough with sunglasses on, potentially risky in a populated area.

 

If the sun's just cresting the horizon and the sun is hitting straight in the face, a visor isn't going to work. To work in that case, a visor needs to be oriented toward the ground, which, if you're wearing your helmet properly, means you're looking at the ground.