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32 comments
LOL. A little game, read through the thread and guess who's serious and who's not!
(if that's directed at me) ... andyp sounds serious, hence me too - most other folk not (which is what the discussion had started out like). Just don't like preference and/or ignorance masquerading as fact. Whatever.
I'm more than happy to listen to it, what a daft thing to say.
I still can't see a need for them. You do wear eye protection, right? That would solve all of those problems *and* keep your peepers safe...
Not really, "Peaks are pointless both on and off road. Just take it off and chuck it." sounded pretty unequivocal to me.
Fair enough, your choice.
I prefer to avoid as much rain on the glasses (when worn) as possible and prefer not having glasses on in the first place - it's my preference although I seem to be able to often see better without glasses but with a peak, rather than no peak or sometimes peak + glasses.
You may not agree, but that doesn't make them pointless.
That's an extremely fair comment.
of course not serious - other than the need for eye protection each and every time one rides a bike...
My humour detector must have been bust - fair enough.
'Off road they do make a lot of sense. Completely different riding position. '
Why do they make any sense at all, no matter what the riding position?
I've found them useful on and off road (cap or helmet peak) to act as a partial shield when it's pissing it down, especially when i'm trying to get a riddle on - occasionally helpful with high sun and the odd wayward branch.
You seem to have made your mind up, so I don't expect you to agree or listen to any of that, but thought i'd mention my experience with them anyway.
I don't know how you can justify the added weight of a peak...
well it's usually offset by the slight lift effect you get once travelling about 20mph. at 27mph it's equivalent to removing the non-rotating mass of several pies.
Wear what you want, just ride and enjoy.
when I got back into road riding I first used my mountain bike lid (a light weight XC racing model) but found the peak would obstruct my vision when on the drops, and the peak started to flutter when going over 40mph down a hill, which was irritating
I don't think I've ever gone 40mph on a XC bike, certainly gone over 40mph on my downhill mountain bike, but wearing a full face helmet where the peak is secured with three bolts
So I got a road helmet, and kept the mtb lid for the mountain bike
Quite correct, though they don't all flutter, if you intend to use the drops, you cant see where you are going, which is why cycle caps have had the little snap up and down skips since Coppi was at school.
If you dont get down, a skip is fine, though then so should flat bars.....
If I saw you I don't think I'd even notice..
IMO the rules are there as a guide to looking good and not much else. If using a peak allows you to ride in more comfort and get more miles then so be it...this is more important than sticking to a set of tongue in cheek rules..although when they're followed the cyclist does look good

You may get the odd snob turning their nose up at you but that's their problem.
If you're on two wheels and having fun, at the end of the day that's all that matters
If the peak is low then the road position might give you an unnatural bend in your neck to look up the road. That's about the only reason not too though.
Off road they do make a lot of sense. Completely different riding position.
This is true but at least some manufacturers have worked this out. I have a giro xar and the peak can be pushed high enough back so you can still see comfortably from the drops.
Peaks are pointless both on and off road. Just take it off and chuck it.
Tend to wear a cap under my helmet as I'm getting thin on top and it keeps me a bit warmer.
"Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men." - Douglas Bader
No peak, Road..... Peak, MTB has been an unwritten rule since the early nineties, it has nothing to do with velowanker rules. It's blood obvious why... On the drops you won't see a thing with a fixed peak. But wear what you want.
The rules are mostly tongue in cheek, personally I prefer short socks...
I think everybody should follow The Rules except me, for, as my social worker says, I am special.
And also, I find the peak on my "racing" helmet very handy for blocking out the glare from oncoming headlights during my dark commute. A slight nod of the head and I can see where I'm going again.
The peak is quite good for dealing with rain or bright sunshine...
The 'rules' aren't exactly serious.
You're old enough not to give a toss. I wear my helmet with a peak, as I can't be asked to take it off for the road bike and put it on for the Mountain bike...it stays on.
The idea that someone can look good with a plastic hat on their head...
Helmets are cool
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWf8CXwPoqI
A lot of these people are wearing helmets and they are awesome, with or without one. Perhaps it is the person wearing the helmet that is not so good looking...
As for peaks on helmets, whatever floats your boat. You don't need to follow 'the rules' as long as you have a strong sense of your own rules.
I love how seriously the 'anti-rules' brigade get.
But if you want to look good, you do need to follow them...
Yeah, of course you do
Wear what you like, ride what you like, go where you like.
And I wouldn't waste your time on sad types who quote childish 'rules'.
So just wear a cap without a helmet.
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