A bit of plastic saved my life this morning.

[yello]

I managed to get a buggy type thing wedged between a helmet strap and my temple. That was scary, hoping it wasn't a stingy type buggy thing. I stopped pretty sharpish, I can tell you. Ought to be a law against helmets (or stingy buggy things), they're dangerous.

Actually, I think my specs had some responsibility in this too. I'd got the helmets straps over the glasses, creating a sufficient gap for bugs to become wedged in. From then on, I made sure the specs went on OVER the helmet straps. You can never be too careful.

 

[Davidc]

Of course the sensible answer would be to make wearing full-face helmets with visors compulsory. Get rid of those mamb-pamby lightweight cycle helmets and put some real security guard style protection in their place!

In the meantime - I usually wear my normal glasses (OK they're varifocal and photochromic) which I always order with shatterproof lenses, but also have protective cycling glasses I wear with contact lenses. They all regularly get hit by insects, bits of vegetation, stones, sand, dust etc. etc.

I won't ride without shatterproof glasses of some sort. Far more important in my view than helmets, which I'm perfectly happy to ride without.

From then on, I made sure the specs went on OVER the helmet straps. You can never be too careful.

They should really, but I can never get mine on that way round, they just come off - especially the cycling glasses.

 

[Globalti]

My brother was once batting down a motorway on his Yamaha when a big piece of timber fell off the back of a lorry, bounced and spun over his head, making a whirring sound and just skimming his helmet. He got such a shock he had to stop on the hard shoulder to calm down.

If you've ever been climbing too late in the day in the Alps, falling stones make an interesting variety of buzzing noises as they spin while travelling at 120 mph past your head.

 

[Bodhbh]

Dr Who and his Tardis?

Time travellers can be a serious menace on the road. Phasing in and out of the space-time continuum into oncoming traffic, behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while untrained with the use of 21st century technology, or brandishing energy weapons on a public highway. Unfortunately, police rarely tend to take reports of these incidents seriously, in my experience.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Time travellers can be a serious menace on the road. Phasing in and out of the space-time continuum into oncoming traffic, behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while untrained with the use of 21st century technology, or brandishing energy weapons on a public highway. Unfortunately, police rarely tend to take reports of these incidents seriously, in my experience.

 

[Red Light]

With all these stones and stuff flying around we clearly need mandatory steel cages around all road users.

 

[2Loose]

With all these stones and stuff flying around we clearly need mandatory steel cages around all road users.

Oooh, controversial. I think it should be upto the road user - I am anti-compulsion!

 

[ray.m]

This thread has reminded me to ask, whereabouts (apart from Lidl) can I pick a cheap pair of cycling glasses, something for a round a tenner if there are any?

these are quite good

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item2eb539249f

 

[Red Light]

Oooh, controversial. I think it should be upto the road user - I am anti-compulsion!

But if just one bruise could be saved.........

 

[ColinJ]

I bought my first pair of cycling glasses because I was fed up of my eyes streaming on fast descents.

I went out for a ride that evening and came to a section of road which had just been resurfaced and was covered with loose chippings. There were temporary 20 mph speed limit signs at the road side but a moronic driver decided to ignore them and overtake me at about 50 mph.

I saw a stone projectile coming straight at my face and flinched as it smashed into the centre of one of the lenses of my new glasses. It cracked the lens but my eye was protected. Bloody annoying to have the glasses damaged after less than 1 hour's use, but rather them than my eye!

 

[Globalti]

Damn right. How to ruffy-tuffy motorcyclists manage at 70 mph with an open face helmet and no goggles?

 

[Zoiders]

Cycling without eye protection is just selfish.

It should be made law.

You are having a joke of course but actualy you are hitting on the truth.

The choice of wearing a helmet or not is indeed personal choice as it only effects yourself, eye protection though protects others as well as it cut's down on the risk of you losing control of a bike, something which on the road could put other road users at risk.

Fair enough a pootle to the shops on the 3 speed sturmey glasses might be overkill but mixing in traffic at 35mph like the OP suggested...well only a complete gibbon would miss out on the eye protection.

 

[zexel]

Descending into a valley one day I passed a truck at speed and felt a small ping on my chest.

Upon returning home and retrieving the pocket-sized edition of God Delusion from my breast pocket I found a sharp stone embedded all the way into chapter seven. Of course he would deny it but I now worship Dawkins as a god.

Surely this post qualifies for post of the day, if not week!

 

[Alessandro Petacchi]

I combine my interest in militaria with my cycling to keep me well protected .

 

[Piemaster]

I sometimes wonder how strong cycling glasses are when it comes to being hit by a stone. Twice in the past I have been hit by a flying stone and it was not pleasant.

The first time I felt as if I had been punched in the chest, but luckily it had hit my ID card that I used to carry round my neck and it softened the blow and spread the impact. I think it would have severely hurt if it had made contact with just my body.

I always carry a hip flask of the finest single malt in my breast pocket for this very purpose.