Is it worth it?

[mzdagrl]

So, I used to wear contacts. Every day. My eye doctor told me (short version) that I was having a reaction to them and it was creating all sorts of problems with my eyes. So, I bought some glasses. They have all the fancy everything, the lens-tinting, glare reduction, all that jazz. Which means, I can't wear sunglasses under my helmet anymore.

Anyone know of a place I can get a tinted/mirrored visor for my Arai Quantum-2 for cheap? I really want the blue mirrored, but the cheapest I can find is still over $60. Is that normal, or can they be found cheaper?

Better yet, does anyone have one that they might be getting rid of (i.e. retiring the helmet, etc.)?


Or, since my glasses are those transitions, is it really worth it? If it is really sunny, I can always have my visor open. Glasses are eye-protection...

[catch2otwo]

id say if your glasses tint to a darkness that works for you, i wouldnt buy another tinted visor for 60 bucks. i actually wish i could wear sunglasses under my lid with my contacts so i dont have to worry about carrying a clear sheild.


but your question regarding price, i paid 45 for my suomy tinted iridium gold shield. so i guess right around 50 bucks for a fancy tinted shield sounds right. it will be cheaper if its just plain smoked or dark smoked.

[Honclfibr]

You could always get a pair of prescription sunglasses, they'd cost a bit more but you'd be able to swap them from helmet to helmet, plus they're nice things to have regardless...

But if you do go with a tinted visor, I'd recommend smoke over mirrored. The mirrored shit scratches if you look at it funny.

[Cheese]

If I were you, I'd avoid the mirrored shield unless you're comfortable replacing it yearly. Yes they look cool but they scratch real easy and the scratches stand out really well looking out. Light tint or dark tint offers the same light protection but last 2-3 times longer.

Just my 2¢

[DucDave]

If I were you, I'd avoid the mirrored shield unless you're comfortable replacing it yearly. Yes they look cool but they scratch real easy and the scratches stand out really well looking out. Light tint or dark tint offers the same light protection but last 2-3 times longer.

Just my 2¢

I agree....and changing shields is a pita no matter what kind of helmet you use. If you are out on the road you always gotta carry the clear shield somehow if there is any chance you'll be riding into twilight and beyond. My experience is there are really very few occaisions when having more 'darkening' than your transitions provides makes any kind of sense. If you are racing early or late and the sun is in your eyes somewhere on the course. Or on the street early or late when your route takes you into the sun for extended periods. All the rest of the time your transitions are more that adequite.

If I were you I'd buy a cheap pair of clip ons that you can put on your glasses and just keep 'em in your tank bag for those rare occaisions when you really need 'em. (...betcha you don't use 'em more than 2-3 times a season!) Then cop an attitude about 'em being geeky cool and tell everyone to stfu if they comment. Next thing you know you've established a new fashion statement and everyone will be wearing 'em.

My 2 cents....or maybe 24 cents...

[catch2otwo]

as i mentioned i got the iridium gold shield which is mirrored. its all in how well you take care of your gear. my helmet is either on my head, in my hand, or in the bag on my desk. i clean it after every ride with a micro fiber towel. still looks new. but yea if your rough on gear, id skip the mirror or iridiums and go with plain smoked

[Punjistick]

It would be nice if this place actually made these lenses for other helmets but they are pretty cool nonetheless http://www.wikidesigns.com/

[RandyO]

heres the way I look at it,

from the inside looking out, its just farying degreeds of tint, light smoke, dark somke, and I thing most mirrorewd or irridium shields the tint is somewhere between

the only real reason for the mirrored ones is personal vanity, it can get espensive, some scratch easier than others, when you do scratch a mirrored shield, it looks like sheet, so you want to buy another new one, or you got to be anal about protecting and cleaning it, storing it whe not in use etc.

cheaper just to have a dark smoke that hides it's scratches well

I think $60 is the going price for a mirrored arai shield

if anybody's got em for a lower price, it would be Brocton Cycle

[Crash Dummy Denno]

you bore me

[DucDave]

The down side of using clip on sunglasses when you have a glare reducing applied to your prescription glasses: The attachment clips even though they are coated in a soft vinyl, they make a permanent mark on the inside of the lenses, the coating is very soft.

hmmm.....hadn't thought of that....

[Cheese]

as i mentioned i got the iridium gold shield which is mirrored. its all in how well you take care of your gear. my helmet is either on my head, in my hand, or in the bag on my desk. i clean it after every ride with a micro fiber towel. still looks new. but yea if your rough on gear, id skip the mirror or iridiums and go with plain smoked

I wasn't talking about the scratches that show up from mistreatment of a lid when it's being cleaned or not stored safely at home. So, to rephrase, unless you're riding only behind street sweepers or strictly on the track, you're going to be hitting airborne dirt, wood particles and insects while you ride. If you're out early or late in the season or have the misfortune of being caught in the rain it's even more common. These small things will pit and scratch a mirrored lens far quicker than a clear or smoked lens. It also seems that the reflective properties of mirrored shields make these small pits and scratches even more visible than the same scratches on clear or tinted shields.

[ahtune69]

The down side of using clip on sunglasses when you have a glare reducing applied to your prescription glasses: The attachment clips even though they are coated in a soft vinyl, they make a permanent mark on the inside of the lenses, the coating is very soft.

I also agree about irridium shields scratching easy, stick with a smoked shield. If it gets dark, flip the shield up and allow your nice expensive glasses get pelted with the bugs.

The glare that is created between the clip on and your glasses sucks it sort of creates a blind spot,I went and bought a pair of prescription sunglasses and stuck with the clear shield.But the sunglasses cost just as much as a regular pair of glasses.

[SVRACER01]

the glasses tint is kinda specific. they take a couiple minutes to change and they dont work over like 80 degrees or something and i can only imagine that they react similarly in cold. had a friend in AZ that had them and he said they were a waste in the summer.
$60 sounds about right
support your favorite shop

[mzdagrl]

the glasses tint is kinda specific. they take a couple minutes to change and they dont work over like 80 degrees or something and i can only imagine that they react similarly in cold. had a friend in AZ that had them and he said they were a waste in the summer.
$60 sounds about right
support your favorite shop

That's kind of what I was worried about. I really don't want to drop another (insert mad-crazy amount of dollars here) on a pair of prescription sunglasses, but I was hoping if I could get away with the transitions and a new visor (or not even a new visor) it would be the best bet. Sounds like I should start looking for prescript/ sunglasses. They would probably be better for cornerworking too.... Time to start saving up I guess.

Oh, and Denno, I'm sorry I bore you. Don't read my threads if it's that bad. There's no rule saying you have to post in them, so the useless comment was kind of a waste of space.

[DucDave]

....how bout this....

try riding this spring with the transitions and a clear visor. ride for a month and count the number of times you really wish you had had sun glasses or a tinted visor. Then decide....

[mzdagrl]

Yeah....good point. Probably the best option.

Thanks everyone

[jwm2k3]

Check this out....

YouTube - The Helmet Harbor talks about the Scorpion EXO-1000

[spydah]

I had LASIK done about 2 years ago. Best money I have ever spent on myself. I was able to finance it through my Flexible spending account with work. Now I have BETTER than 20/20 vision and its like I never had a problem. My eye doctor says he can't see any evidence that I ever had an incision. TLC Laser Center in Waltham has the best doctors and equipment available... Thats worth it!

[wingerdor]

It would be nice if this place actually made these lenses for other helmets but they are pretty cool nonetheless http://www.wikidesigns.com/

We spoke with them at one of the IMS expos and their intention is not to make helmets, they only want to make shields for all the major helmet manufactorers. They only made a helmet to help get thier shields noticed. That explains the funky graphics. The shield changes incredibly fast. I was playing with one in Georgia last month and within 60 secs of sun exposure it was really dark. much faster and darker than the transition eyeglass lenses I used to wear. I found that the transition eyeglass lenses got super dark in cold weather but not so much in warm weather.

The other idea is a SunBlocker polarized tint strip on my shield. It works on a full face like having a visor on a 3/4. I don't even know it's there when It dark, but it's awesome in the sun. The only time I don't like it is at night if I tuck in behind the shield for wind/warmth (it get's into my field of view)

P.S. Glasses aren't legal eye protection in NY. I don't know about Mass.