[Closed] Why do XC riders...

Airodynamiks innit 😉

Can we re-phrase the question, why does any helmet have a peak? Always thought it a bit weird, do people never crash and hit them?

Keeps the sun out yer eyes

Helps keep both rain and sun out.

MTB helmets didn't have peaks back in the day. Think it's mostly aesthetics to make helmets look a little less silly.

on a full facer with a peak the size of a TLD peak i can buy it ....

most XC helmets they are cosmetic and do eff all .

XC boys and girls tend to ride in a head down arse up position.

I alway found the peak just reduced visibility.

Edit: Dohh too slow What he said ^^^^

If you ride a road bike, peaks get in the way, if you only have one helemt for both it wont have a peak. Peaks are kind of pointles anyway.

That makes sense PM.

I'm surprised people think they don't do anything. As a specs wearer they do keep the rain out to some extent and they do stop the sun peaking in.

Mol, do you really find that? I admit I have only had one helmet with adjustable peak. Did neither for me and snapped off when I had my first crash. Didn't notice it not being there either. All seem a bit pointless (sorry!)

Never noticed a peak do anything except get in the way of forward vision.

For sun/rain protection I find a traditional cycling cap more effective. You can pull the peak right down when needed and flip it up out of the way when not.

Downside is you like like a 90's roadie.

most XC helmets they are cosmetic and do eff all

Rubbish.

THM - yes, I do. If it's lashing with rain the peak limits rain going in my eyes, if not the rest of my face. And in the sun, there's always a gap at the top of my sunglasses when it tips my head forwards - the peak shades that.

I guess it's down to riding position, face shape and shades design.

I'm surprised people think they don't do anything. As a specs wearer they do keep the rain out to some extent and they do stop the sun peaking in.

never found that, just look crap, do ef all, reduce visability on and off road.

PS I don't use one on the road because on the drops I'm so hunched over that it obscures the view. Although if it's really minging weather I might.

I went over the bars and landed on my chest and my lid's peak, and not my face.

XC riders all have huge bulbous gallic noses, so in order to protect them the peaks would be so big they'd strain the rider's neck muscles, so they don't bother.

Mol, do you really find that?

obviously long road ride in nice weather I remove the peak, better visibility

*just remembered I tried some full on safety glasses, still got more rain in my eyes sans peak.

MostlyBalanced might be along with pics in a bit which will explain why he doesn't.

Face plant + Visor can = Chelsea smile. Ouch!

For sun/rain protection I find a traditional cycling cap more effective.

Definitely found peaks on helmets useful for stopping rain, hail and snow. Glasses wearer here, maybe it's more relevant there.

Nowadays I prefer to use a roadie cap and no peak but I've never had a problem with a cap or peak affecting visibility. I only need to look straight ahead of me, not scan the skies for bandits.

Next time it could be a samuri's face!
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I only need to look straight ahead of me, not scan the skies for bandits

A cap under my helmet would seriously inhibit ventilation I reckon.

Peaks have the 'cool' factor, so we dont look like roadies 🙂

Sunglasses keep the sun out of my eyes.

Never seen the point in a peak off road or on - they're just cosmetic on all but DH helmets.

Next time it could be a samuri's face!

For sun/rain protection I find a traditional cycling cap more effective. You can pull the peak right down when needed and flip it up out of the way when not.

This.

[i]when on the drops with peak I have to crane my neck to see more than about 10' infront of me,[/i]

That's all you need to see. The wheel in front or nothing at all. You have much to learn about road riding 😉

does your bike resemble a shopping bike in position mol ?

all bar my 456 im pretty much flat backed and a peak means i have to raise my head to see infront.

oh and a cap actually helps your head keep cool by drawing the sweat away and stopping it running down your face..... even in hot weather i wear a cap or a buff over my head - the vents do very little to draw the sweat away.

The wheel in front or nothing at all

they're just cosmetic on all but DH helmets.

And in the sun, there's always a gap at the top of my sunglasses when it tips my head forwards - the peak shades that.

I guess it's down to riding position, face shape and shades design.

Well if you will insist on wearing trendy non-functional sunnys.

You can pull the peak right down when needed and flip it up out of the way when not.

The peak on my Xen flips up and down.

Well if you will insist on wearing trendy non-functional sunnys.

Half Jackets on the MTB, Jawbones on the road bike, M-frames before that. They don't stay exactly up against my eyebrows all the time, and if they did they'd get covered in sweat even worse than they do.

does your bike resemble a shopping bike in position mol ?

My bikes vary from a pretty good tuck on the roadie drops to reasonably upright on the Patriot, no shopping bikes tho 🙂

peaks are really handy.

they keep the rain off your glasses.

and they keep the sun off your sunglasses, which isn't as daft as it sounds*.

but if your saddle is miles above your saddle, they can make it a little tricky to see where your going - so roadies and xc racers (and tall people who don't have a 29er yet) may not want a peak.

*this is sort of what i'm blathering about:

[img] [/img]

you may be wearing sunnies, but your eyes have adjusted, and the sun is the brightest, most visible object, shading the sun (from your glasses) would help.

(image shown is the best i could find in the few minutes available for a cheeky edit)

here's another one:

[img] [/img]

(maybe cars should be fitted with peaks to keep the sun off the windscreen?)

Peaks have the 'cool' factor, so we dont look like roadies

Genuinely funny irony, well done sir you made me laugh.

If the sun is high up I get a lot of glare reflected off the inside of the glasses. With my M frames it was actually a bright reflection of my own face which made it very hard to see.

With my M frames it was actually a bright reflection of my own face

That must have been terribly off-putting.

are you a teacher ? i thought only my primary school teacher wore her glasses at that point on her nose. - i mean they must be a fair distance down to get that much reflection - are you pinochio ?

Who me?

And no, to any of it.

i struggle to see how you can get reflections off the inside of a set of mframes then.

This might be a stupid question, but what happens when you face plant with a fixed peak? At least a f,exi one snaps off but doesn't the fixed peak make it more uncomfortable?

Peaks have the 'cool' factor, so we dont look like roadies

Genuinely funny irony, well done sir you made me laugh.

Funny thing is, he's right. Back in the day MTB helmets didn't have peaks. Troy Lee Designs released a retro-fit peak as a bit of a laugh, inspired by their motorcross stuff. Riders went for it because they had more of an association to MX and to distance themselves from roadies.

The rest is fashion faux-pas history.

When yer arse is in the air ( like ya just don't care )
& yer nose is on the bars ( no we're not from Mars )
We can't see through peaks ( disrupting vision of ruts )
Thereby clear trails ahead ( indirectly protecting our nuts )

Peaks on helmets reduce vision, if it's cold or training we'll use a casquette ( cap ) underneath but we like to see where the best/smoothest/fastest line is.

Quite simple really. ..

I like it because it keeps the sun out of my eyes and the rain off my face when I commute.

If you ride a road bike, peaks get in the way, if you only have one helemt for both it wont have a peak.

Or get a helmet with a pop on / pop off peak, like mine, a Giro. Takes a couple of seconds.

aye the pop off peak is great - no need to find tools to remove and throw it in the bin.

Never noticed a peak do anything except get in the way of forward vision.

This, other than cut my face when crashing.

Is it not to help stop strobing effects when riding through forests?

I also tend to find they stop the little branches hitting my face when going through the undergrowth.

Be interesting to see some of you guys ride if you can't see where you're going with a peak above your eyes.

So you also don't wear caps or use the sun visor in your cars? You know that lifting your hand to for forehead to keep the sun out of your eyes actually improves your vision allowing you to see up to 6x further. It's true, I've seen it in films.

except that with anything other than sit up and beg - short stems and gnar core - which i expect most folk on here have tbh they are not above your eyes but infact infront and you must then raise your neck to see where your going.

Depends on position - head is lower in road/XC racing position and the peak obscures the view forward. But it's a helpful sun/rain shade in a more upright position.

Moto have them to stop dirt, thrown over by the back wheel, from landing in your face.

Mine fell off a while back and I couldn't be ar5ed to fix it properly.

I don't have a peak on my road helmet because it obscures my vision when I'm on the drops. Wasn't a problem for a while, but now I'm riding more I can actually stay on the drops for more than 20 seconds (about as long as I can hold my breath).

I do have a peak on my MTB helmet, but that's just because it makes it look less bulbous.

Troy Lee Designs released a retro-fit peak as a bit of a laugh,

Be interesting to see some of you guys ride if you can't see where you're going with a peak above your eyes.

On the road. I suppose it doesn't matter if you are too fat to get on the drops...

I suppose it doesn't matter if you are too fat to get on the drops...

Is this a touring/audax thing so just for comfort and more hand positions? I always thought the idea of drops was to get more aero. My stem isn't exactly slammed but it's probably at least two inches below my saddle so drops are lower still.

but I see a lot of folks riding very comfortably on the drops and have noticed that in a lot of cases their drops are almost at saddle height, so what's the point in that?

Well, as you say it gives a different hand position which is nice on a longer ride, and if you are a bit fat or have a bad back, you can still get the advantage of better control/ braking for descents.

Plus you can see properly if you have a peak on your helmet...

i struggle to see how you can get reflections off the inside of a set of mframes then.

Me neither, but it happened. Sun shining in my face illuminates my face, which is then reflected off the inside of my glasses. That's with black iridium too.

"Is this a touring/audax thing so just for comfort and more hand positions? I always thought the idea of drops was to get more aero. My stem isn't exactly slammed but it's probably at least two inches below my saddle so drops are lower still. "

Its called folk realising that bike fit comes before aero and looks.

having aero is no good if you cannot breath.

I had to lift my TT bars as im currently 2 stone over weight (race weight that is ..... im still the ideal weight for height) and couldnt get over and onto the bars without kneeing my gut everytime....

I get the bike fit thing, but if your drops are higher you're not getting any of the aero benefits, so why not just ride on the hoods? Personally I have enough hand positions to keep comfortable for long rides without having to go to the drops, and I find shifting and braking easier from the hoods (prob because that's where I ride most). If I'm into a headwind I get onto the drops to get out of it a little and as they're lower my arms don't ache as I can keep them straighter.

Each to their own I guess, it just doesn't make that much sense to me.

Different on a TT bike I'd guess, you'd look a bit silly if you were riding sat upright!

I get the bike fit thing, but if your drops are higher you're not getting any of the aero benefits, so why not just ride on the hoods?

Descending is best done on the drops.

Descending is best done on the drops.

Anyway, I'll stop now. Sorry for the thread hijack!

more leverage on the brakes as well from the drops.

lower is only better if you can be there comfortably and get the power down

slammed stem IS NOT optimal for everyone contrary to what some of the muppets try to say.

"Not like peaks on their helmets?"

It's so they can see to post on the correct forum.............