Why Don T Road Bike Helmets Have Visors

Why do mountain bike helmets have visors and road bike helmets don t.

Why don t road bike helmets have visors. If you are going to ride your mountain bike on the road then you don t need to use a visor. Hell you could just ask if your local dealership will do the same price as the guys in virginia. Why do bike helmets have visors anyway. Whether you re an aggressive trail rider a weekend mountain biker or headed out on a group ride on your road bike with your buddies a visor is a popular accessory to add to your helmet.

Mtb bike helmets this type of bike helmet needs fewer vents and more head covering because of the higher risk of injury when riding on uneven mountain terrain. On a road bike the rider is leaning forward and facing down and the visor can even block forward view. In fact visors on road bike helmets have proved to be more of a safety. Being on the open road means fewer obstacles to face that a visor can help with and therefore a visor would not serve its purpose.

The more upright position on a mountain bike puts a visor more into play. I too am new to road biking. Most higher end dirt lids are coming in under three pounds and will have three or four times the amount of vents built into the helmet than a street or street based dual sport helmet. There is a general rule among cyclists that road helmets do not have a visor while mountain bike helmets do.

Since road bike riders often race the helmets don t have any visors that could obstruct their view while pedaling downhill. I ve experimented with helmet w visor and w o visor. So don t feel like you have to do a long drive if they re far away and a dealership closer is listing for 6 700. A visor can help keep rain sprayed up mud or low branches off the riders face.

While they might look the same at first glance bike helmets are made for different purposes and cycling disciplines. Why don t the helmets need visors. Dirt helmets are much lighter and typically have much better venting and those are two things you will greatly appreciate when you are picking up your bike for the fourth or fifth time. Mountain bicycle helmets have visors to protect the face and eyes from branches hanging low over the trail and twigs from slapping your face and poking your eyes.

Most road cyclists wear sunglasses and or a cycling cap to protect their eyes from the sun s glare. Maybe your local market is different and they have no problem selling the bike at sticker or whatever. Because road cyclists aim to be aerodynamic and visors cause a major drag slowing down the cyclist. Wind resistance is not as big a factor on a mountain bike slower speeds.

I don t know about taboo but my modest experience has been that if you ride like i do hands mostly on drop bars and head facing downwards i look at the road with my eyes kinda rolled upwards.