headband review. (I have no life) Halo-II.

jimbowho

jimbowho

Well-Known Member
Years ago we ran bandanas. But my helmets sit right on the knot in the back, plus they tend to stay soggy. I wish I knew about these 20 years ago when during summer races (moto) I would use a o_O lite-days panty liner. You pull a strip & it sticks to the inside of the helmet. Sometimes it would be stuck to your forehead when you pulled your helmet off. You could be dead last at the finish and still be a hero for that stunt. Good laughs.

These are non adjustable but quite stretchy. I take lots of breaks and they dry fairly quick, But I take a spare and rotate on long hot rides. The thin rubbery strip on the inside acts like a gutter to direct sweet away from the eyes. But I think the whole band is what does the trick not the gutter that leaves a divot on your forehead for an hour when removed. The white one looks nasty fairly soon, stick with colors. I have one helmet that is a skoush big so I use it at night with a Halo which makes it fit. It is semi thin wetsuit type material and is a must have for me if I'm riding in heat. I tend to use them anyway regardless. So there you have it, a sweatband review.
headband.jpg


Amazon and Jenson. About $8. Halo II Headband pullover
 
Given my bald dome, I prefer a lightweight, thin skull cap like the ones from Performance. They don't have the nifty rain gutter, but they have a terry strip that works ok. Carrying a spare is not a bad idea - on hot, swampy days OR cold wet days.

I have some that are even thinner than this and do not have the tail, but these work too.

Skull Cap.jpg
 
My head doesn't
herzalot said:
Given my bald dome, I prefer a lightweight, thin skull cap like the ones from Performance. They don't have the nifty rain gutter, but they have a terry strip that works ok. Carrying a spare is not a bad idea - on hot, swampy days OR cold wet days.

I have some that are even thinner than this and do not have the tail, but these work too.

View attachment 33266
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I can confirm Hrz wears these. I was commenting to Gene how it looked like a mullet with the tail on it.
Love that MTB makes me feel and act like a kid again....
 
I used to use the Halo. I found that the strip just kind of blocked the sweat and it backed up real good on the forehead section. This could lead to a sudden downpour when adjusting your helmet. I started using the Headsweats shown above about 6 or 7 years ago. Light, drys quick. I carry 2 on longer rides. Works for me!:thumbsup:
 
herzalot said:
Given my bald dome, I prefer a lightweight, thin skull cap like the ones from Performance. They don't have the nifty rain gutter, but they have a terry strip that works ok. Carrying a spare is not a bad idea - on hot, swampy days OR cold wet days.

I have some that are even thinner than this and do not have the tail, but these work too.

View attachment 33266
Click to expand...

That's my choice! And in the winter months, I'll have the heavier thermal version in the bag for when it gets really chilly on the mountain.
 
First of all, I sweat more than the average schmoe. I have one of each Halo, and Headsweats. To me... they both work the same, ok. The normal Halo II is good to hold back the sweat. But, then you get a downpour and likes to find its way onto the inside of my sunglass lens. The regular dome cap style one works great when the sun is out. I use it more as a sunblock on my bald melon than anything else. The one with the tail that covers the neck is great for sun protection. But, when it is hot outside the tail keeps the heat in and makes my head even hotter causing me to sweat even more than I already do. I have found that not wearing a sweat band at all works best for me. I almost always wear long sleeves. So, I do two things to manage the buckets of sweat coming from my hairless dome. Whenever necessary I wipe the sweat off of my brow with my jersey sleeves (which helps to cool my arms). And, whenever I get a chance while pedaling I just push down on my helmet and kind of ring out the sweat. Doing these two things really help keep the sweat out of my eyes. I've been thinking about trying goggles for sweat management, but I think that the foam in the goggles will hold way to much sweat before opening the flood gates.
 
I used halo for a number of years. I sweat a ton so they would quickly become saturated and useless on any long climb or when it is hot or humid. The strip would occasionally direct sweat off to the side but mostly it would just permeate through the material past the strip and run into my eyes or drip on my glasses. It would get so bad I'd have to take my glasses off on long climbs. The only solution was to carry a couple halos and swap them out. But I'd be swapping them every 20-30 mins on long climbs. At least they dried quickly.

Finally I got fed up and tried a few other things. The one that I found worked best is made by a guy on MTBR, Traxfactory. Yes you cut the pad out of the front of the helmet and replace with Sweatbuster. Its just a thicker and more absorbent pad than the pads that come in your helmet. It absorbs a ton more sweat than halo before becoming saturated. It will still saturate but that takes 2-3 times as long as a halo, and it doesn't drip as bad until that time. Then you wring it out, put it back in and continue on. I usually carry a spare but seldom swap it out. It's worth trying if you sweat a ton. If you think the halo works well then you're not that heavy of a sweater.

I either put sunscreen on top of my head or more often now I'll wear a bandana under it (a la Tom the Bomb). That seems to help wick the sweat to the side better than the halo ever did, and keeps sun off my face and neck too.

http://www.traxfactory.com/
 
Thanks for the info, all! My old Bell helmets absorbed the sweat really well with big pads, and had little pig-tails that it dripped down the side on. They were great, but the big holes led to a sunburnt head which I didn't like. I now have Smith helmets with the honeycomb layer. Blocks sun great, reduces evaporation a bit, and the pads suck. They are really small, and concentrate the sweat in the middle so it drips into my eyes. Love the helmet, hate that part of it. I like the idea of the Halo, but resent having to buy an aftermarket product to make my helmet function correctly. Might try the Sweat Buster, as that looks like a better solution for me.

FYI, those of you using a skull cap and having it drip, you could run a bead of silicon along the front to block sweat and possibly channel it down the sides. Try it on an old one and see if you can get it dialed in.
 
Cyclotourist said:
Thanks for the info, all! My old Bell helmets absorbed the sweat really well with big pads, and had little pig-tails that it dripped down the side on. They were great, but the big holes led to a sunburnt head which I didn't like. I now have Smith helmets with the honeycomb layer. Blocks sun great, reduces evaporation a bit, and the pads suck. They are really small, and concentrate the sweat in the middle so it drips into my eyes. Love the helmet, hate that part of it. I like the idea of the Halo, but resent having to buy an aftermarket product to make my helmet function correctly. Might try the Sweat Buster, as that looks like a better solution for me.

FYI, those of you using a skull cap and having it drip, you could run a bead of silicon along the front to block sweat and possibly channel it down the sides. Try it on an old one and see if you can get it dialed in.
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I tried a silicone bead on my old forehead and it worked well, but I'm having trouble getting it out of my eyebrows.

Regular sweatband for me. Insulated skull cap for cold weather descents, a la @Faust29. Ghetto-hacked a wind barrier last time up Maple Springs. Was traveling light so no skull cap and it was cold out. Re-purposed a plastic grocery bag I'd used to keep my ID dry, stuck it over my head, held it down with standard sweatband, descended in style.

What's your most embarrassing imtbtrails confession?
 
I use Halos - both the bands and skullcap. Also tried one from Lululemon (don't judge) that works pretty well. The problem I have is that the pads in my helmet (Smith Forefront) get saturated, and then that starts dripping - the headband does no good here. Has anyone seen a sweat gutter -type device designed to fit the helmet and channel sweat drippings away from the front?
 
I tried the sweat gutter too. Didn't work at all for me. I couldn't get it to sit so that it formed a good seal. No seal, and it may as well not be there. Seemed like a good idea though.

Edit - I still have it somewhere. You're welcome to try it out if you like. Only used a coupla times. I'll even rinse it for you! :gag:
 
BigTex said:
I use Halos - both the bands and skullcap. Also tried one from Lululemon (don't judge) that works pretty well. The problem I have is that the pads in my helmet (Smith Forefront) get saturated, and then that starts dripping - the headband does no good here. Has anyone seen a sweat gutter -type device designed to fit the helmet and channel sweat drippings away from the front?
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That's the same helmet I have... love the helmet, but it really doesn't manage the sweat well. Bell helmets did (do?) that really well.
 
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