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Are you worried about how to stop your mtb glasses from fogging up? You are not alone in this battle.
Whether riding on a cold winter day in Tennessee or riding across the humid trails in New Orleans, mountain bikers all face this problem.
Here I have compiled some most recommended tips to make your life on the trails a breeze.
6 Tips To Stop MTB Glasses From Fogging
1. Baby Shampoo
A few drops of baby shampoo can do more wonders than you can imagine.
Mix the baby shampoo in a bit of water and smear it on the inside of the lenses. Wipe off the shampoo thoroughly and try your mtb glasses on your next ride in the mist.
Some people do advocate using baby shampoo without any water. You could try both and see what works best.
2. Shaving Cream
The use of shaving cream is a popular one on the internet.
All you have to do is, spray some shaving cream onto the inside of the glasses and wipe it off using a soft cloth.
You can also put some shaving cream on smooth tissue paper (only non-abrasive) and dab it onto the lenses; then, rub your glasses thoroughly using dry tissue paper (it doesn’t work for plastic lenses).
People have mixed opinions about this hack.
However, if the first hack doesn’t work for you, there is no harm in trying this one.
3. Dish Wash Liquid
Dish wash detergent liquid is another soap-based product that can help prevent fogging up of your mountain biking glasses.
Just dab some onto the lenses and dry with a soft cloth.
4. Use Anti-Fog Wipes
Anti-fog wipes are available in the market today.
These are highly effective in either preventing the fogging up or increasing the speed of drying the mist from the glasses.
It would help if you made an informed decision while buying from the array of brands available online.
Ensure that the anti-fog wipes do not form any residue on your lenses. Below are some options that you can consider:
- Adamantite anti-fog lens wipes that are pre-moistened and made of natural plant materials. They claim to form an anti-fogging film within five seconds and effectively prevent moisture condensation for up to 12 hours.
- MCR safety anti-fog lens wipes that is also anti-static and claims to extend the life of your eyewear. A pack contains 100 towelettes, and you won’t efficiently run out of one.
- Re+spire supercharged anti-fog wipe, made of microfiber cloth, is reusable more than 300 times. The makers of these wipes claim that these work well even in extreme cold or humid weather conditions and on multiple types of lenses, such as photochromic or polarized.
- Frog Spit Anti-fog wipes is a natural anti-fog solution that comes in bottles and towelette forms. Bikers vouch for its excellent performance in preventing fogging up of lenses.
5. Use Your Saliva
If you skipped treating your lenses with any of these, and have ended up on the trails with hazy eyeglasses, do not worry; you have a very natural remedy for your rescue.
Spit some saliva onto the inside of your glasses and spread it using your fingers.
Wipe them clean with a non-abrasive cloth that you have handy, and most probably, the fogging up of your lenses will be delayed.
6. Position Strategically
Keep your mtb glasses further away from your face in order to provide more ventilation and lower the heat that reaches your lenses.
It would always be a good idea to buy glasses that do not fit too close to the face in order to prevent fogging up too quickly.
3 Common FAQs About MTB Glasses Fogging Up
1. Why do mountain bike glasses fog up?
Fogging of the lenses typically happens when your warm breath comes in contact with the cold glasses.
Most mountain biking glasses are made hydrophobic to push away the water droplets that contact the lenses.
However, once the water falls of the lenses, tiny beads of water still remain on the lenses, which are usually air-dried.
But when you are out there, riding, the condensation formed in the form of tiny beads of water on your lens’s surface remains.
Sometimes the haze clears up and appears again, potentially making your mountain bike riding quite an annoying experience.
On the other hand, hydrophilic lenses create a thin layer of fluid on the glasses and hence will prove to be better than their hydrophobic counterparts when you are riding in cold or humid conditions.
So, some of the tips that we discuss here will basically give your lenses a hydrophilic effect, helping to prevent or reduce the fogging up of mountain bike glasses.
The other sources of moisture that lead to condensation are sweat and humidity.
2. Why is it essential to prevent fogging up of your mtb glasses?
Well, if you are an experienced rider, you do not need my notes on why it is crucial to prevent your mtb glasses from fogging up.
But for a novice rider, it is pretty natural to doubt the importance given in order to avoid fogging up of mtb glasses.
The answer is simple: fogging up leads to unclear vision, further leading to crashes.
Furthermore, fogging up glasses is dangerous and could also be highly annoying.
So, just like any other safety measure you take while riding, it is also essential to take necessary precautions to prevent your glasses from fogging up.
3. What cloth to use to wipe your bike glasses?
A microfiber cloth would be the most ideal for cleaning your mountain biking glasses.
Paper napkins might contain microscopic amounts of wood present in them. The cotton may also contain particles that may cause abrasion on your lenses.
Hydrophobic vs. Hydrophilic Glasses
The coating on the mountain bike glasses determines whether they are hydrophobic or hydrophilic.
You may not be able to distinguish between the two at a glance, but their functionality would certainly disclose what they are.
Hydrophilic glasses are also known as “water-loving” glasses as the coating on the glasses contains a hydrophilic molecule that attracts water.
On the other hand, hydrophobic molecules do not dissolve in water; in other words, they repel water. Therefore, hydrophobic molecules are also known as non-polar molecules.
Thus, the hydrophilic coating absorbs the moisture and creates a layer of water, eventually falling off.
Final Words
Understanding the physics and chemistry of eyeglasses would help you develop practical solutions to stop your mtb glasses from fogging up.
While one solution may not work for all, I hope you find one that best suits you from this list.
Do let me know if any of these have worked for you in the comments.
P.S. You may also want to check out ways to protect your eyes while riding your mountain bike
