As the daylight hours grow longer, I find myself more frequently making my homeward journey in the gathering dusk rather than complete darkness. While it's good to be getting a bit of extra light, I've got to accept that there are certain risks that come with riding at dusk. And I'm not just talking about the road visibility problems that tend to be exacerbated around sundown.
What's really bugging me at the moment is…well, bugs. Clouds of the tiny buggers come swooping into my face without any warning. They get in my mouth and up my nose—even in my ears! They get sucked into the air holes in my helmet then wriggle around inside and make my head itch. And on these warm evenings they even splat onto my arms and get stuck to my sweat.
But they don't get into my eyes. I never ride anywhere without wearing glasses—sunglasses during the day, clear glasses at night—and frankly I can't understand why anyone would hit the road without eye protection. It must be like driving a car without a windscreen. From insects at dusk to road spray on rainy days to the cloud of dust from a lawn-mower on a windy day (such as I rode through this morning!) there are everyday dangers to the eyes that can be reduced or eliminated by covering up.
That's not to mention the possible bodily injury that could occur due to being suddenly blinded while on the move. Even momentary disorientation or discomfort due to having something lodged in the eye could be enough to throw a rider off balance and onto the tarmac.
But eye protection doesn't need to be expensive: my clear "night vision" specs are just a pair of industrial safety glasses that I picked up at the big hardware store for about $13. I figured that the requirements of industrial safety wear—lightweight, comfortable, impact-resistant, wide field of vision—would be pretty much what I needed on the bike. And I was right, they've been great and they don't look too bad either.
In fact, I think I'll go and get some tinted ones for the summer months…
Yep, them's the buggers. I thought I'd miss them by leaving a bit earlier last night, but no—they still swarmed on me…
Agh, I hate the bugs! I've been swallowing several every night and coughing the rest of my way back to the car. I wonder whether there's some kind of face mask which would do the trick? It's only this time of year it's a problem.
Aha! There is: but look at the prices. I think I'll just keep eating bugs!
I dunno, it could be worth it just to achieve the "Hannibal Lecter" look…
LOL. I remember having ears full of swarming bugs while setting up a belay on Mitre rock once. It was hideous. Couldn't let go of the rope to scritch them out! What's worse, my second then solo'd the climb. Smart arse.
Anyways, been checking those safety glasses out myself. Especially since the made for cyclists version at the LBS have a 0 price tag. The blue tinted ones looked particularly attractive, I might say. Much better than wearing bugs in yer eyeballs.
It seems that the brief time of year for swarms of flying ants is over for now, but no doubt there'll be another kind of swarming bug next week so I reckon it was worth your trip to the hardware shop.
Bugs in the throat or nose are unpleasant, but at least there's a faint chance that a good hacking cough or a sneeze will expel them. But bugs in the ears are particularly nasty because the more you chase 'em the further up your ear canal they go…
I found the Yellow safety glasses even better for riding than the tinted ones. Yellow high contrast made the road and everything easier to see. A little bright when riding directly into the sun but otherwise much better.
2 from Bunnings or 0 from bike shop - no contest.
Yeah, I remember having a pair of those once and they're really good especially on overcast days and when it's foggy. They really seem to brighten things up.
Actually, now that I come to think of it the ones I had might have been fancy "real cyclist" ones—I seem to recall they had interchangeable lenses (which were a dead loss). Someone must have given them to me or maybe I got lucky and found them in the bargain bin.
But I prefer plain clear lenses these days because in the dark I find they offer the best visibility for my liking.
Comments
Treadly,
I had the same problem with flying ants last night.
I ate about three million of them, and the ones I didn't eat smacked me in the eyes.
yerck/ ouch
Time to get some of the aforementioned safety glasses!