Sunglasses and helmet straps. Oh, the burning question of over and under. Do helmet straps go under sunglasses? Or is it acceptable to wear them over sunglasses? These are potential cycling fashion land mines. Wear incorrectly, and you could be jettisoned from the Saturday group ride (just kidding). Mismatch them, and ridicule might grab onto your wheel and advise you to get some Euro style. By the way, the Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist can be found here. And I quote from Rule #12: “Ridiculously stylish eye wear is to be worn at all times without exception.”
No where in the Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist, though, does it state you must wear your ridiculously stylish sunglasses over your helmet straps or under them. So, I posed the fashionista question of import to the cycling twitterverse tonight, while attending the lovely reception for the San Diego Gran Fondo.
I typically wear my helmet straps “under” my ridiculously stylish (Rudy Project) sunglasses. This same approach was also in use when I watched a pair (Smith Optics) fly off my head a few years ago when turning my head for a microsecond at passing traffic during a mountain descent at 50 mph. The overwhelming consensus tonight (more than 40 @ replies) was helmet straps under, sunglasses over. But just to be sure, I consulted Jens Voigt photographs. Here’s but one of a jillion I found. All the same: straps under, Oakley sunglasses over. Andy Schleck concurs.
Compare Jens and Andy to this image from BSNYC of Jake Gyllenhaal, legs unshaven, resplendent in Rapha, aboard a Trek with a “Pie plate” and wearing his helmet straps over, and Oakley sunglasses under. Dare to be different.
And finally, I dug into the archives for an epic retro blast from the 80s: Alexi Grewal, winning the 1984 Summer Olympics Road Race (in Mission Viejo, California). I witnessed that glorious moment in person, but for the life of me now, I can’t recall if his helmet straps were under or over his sunglasses. From the looks of this photo, he was not only overjoyed with crossing the line for the gold, he was subconsciously bracing for a gust of wind that could blow his ridiculously stylish sunglasses off his head, rendering them crushed under the wheels of the peloton behind him. I’m going to take a wild guess: He was wearing his helmet straps under, sunglasses over.
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As a wearer of prescription glasses (for distance vision) I have always gone against the grain and worn my helmet straps over my prescription ‘sunnies’ arms.This w done as, like others’ I have had an occasion where my glasses have been blown off my face by a passing vehicle.. Now this is OK if your ‘sunnies’ are not your eyes. I am as blind as a bat without them.The prospect of attempting to ride without them is one that I try not to contemplate. For years I have put up with the taunts of being a non conformist and not being at the height of bike riding etiquette. I didn’t mind, although when the age factor is combined with these taunts, it can be a little depressing!. I wanted to wear a pair of Oakleys, so I would look cool. But my eyesight prescription precluded this as the rake of the frames would not permit this to happen. Then about 6 months ago I discovered an Optical outlet who stated ‘phooey to that, we can do anything’. I am now the proud owner of a beaut pair of Oakley sunnies and I attempt to draw the attention of my bike riding buddies to the fact that I now wear my helmet straps under my sunnies and look ‘cool’. Their response inevitably is, “Who cares” ! It can be a cruel World, at times.
Okay, since I can’t fall back on my usual refrain (“What did Fausto Coppi do?”), I’ll have to rely on a more recent champion for guidance in this crucial matter of fashion and style. Since helmets only became ubiquitous in the late 90′s, and only madatory in ’03, I’d have to go with Big Tex as final the arbiter of “Over or Under?”: http://www.cyclingfans.com/lancearmstrong.jpg
Final ruling: Sunglasses must be worn over the straps, but of course the Jake Gyllenhaal photo already answered the question at hand.