I might be a PinLock convert...

[richardbd]

But not in favour, rather against them.

Hear me out.

I've used PinLock inserts religiously for years and years - and before that Fog City. I was a zealous promoter and it never crossed my mind that there might be a different path. But...

In late 2022 I rode 8,000 miles across Africa in (mainly) hot and dusty conditions. The PinLock was a total pain in the arse. The truth is they always have a distorting visual effect, especially for those of us who wear specs and can find ourselves looking through specs, sun visor, PinLock and outer visor. It's. wonder we can see anything. PinLocks are a pain to dry and clean properly at the best of times but on this trip eventually dust got between the PinLock and the visor, making things even worse. In the end I took it out.

I've recently finished 10,000 miles through South America, starting in the heat and humidity of Colombia but finishing in the cold, rain and snow of Patagonia. This time I set out without a PinLock fitted but stashed an unused one carefully in my pannier, just in case. I never used it.

Now here's the thing. In the warm weather the PinLock would have been of no value and as before would just have got dirty and scratched. In the warm rain, I found I wanted my visor cracked anyway. A PinLock would have got wet on the inside and been more complicated to clean and dry. In the cold rain, a PinLock might have kept me clearer BUT only as long as my visor was shut tight and how long can we manage that in an 8-hour ride?

So, this winter I will be riding at home sans PinLock to see how it goes.

Have I finally seen the light?

 

[Santa-2512]

If you can deal with a fogged visor then go for it

 

[leadfarmer]

Personally I find them invaluable during the colder months

At the moment I commute on 2 wheels nearly every day and I wouldn’t be without a pinlock

 

[richardbd]

If you can deal with a fogged visor then go for it

My point is that once you get water on the inside, which is inevitable on a long day, the PinLock fogs anyway. It's a very simple matter to keep a visor clear by having it very slightly cracked or to clear it by briefly opening it. And, if your helmet is well vented and your screen not like a barn door, recent experience tells me you don't fog up anyway.

Of course, specs complicate things too. No point in having a clear visor if your specs mist up and ventilation is more effective than a PinLock for dealing with that!

 

[richardbd]

Personally I find them invaluable during the colder months

At the moment I commute on 2 wheels nearly every day and I wouldn’t be without a pinlock

Have you tried it without? I hadn't done for well over a decade but have been genuinely surprised at my reaction. I shall try without for a while and come to a considered decision...

 

[Watty100]

What is the trick to getting Pinlocks to work properly? I've had mixed success over the years.

First one lasted no longer than the first ride at night when it was crazed so badly and scattered the light it was impossible to see through.

The one on my flip-front Shark lid seems to work OK but as that lid is a bit drafty I don't tend to wear it in winter (probably explains why it works, though)

Today, I cleaned my visor and pinlock (full-face Shark lid) before setting off, making sure each was dry before reassembling. First time I closed the visor, the bloody thing steamed up between visor and pinlock and flipping it open didn't clear it. Had to stop and take it all apart to wipe it clear with a tissue, even then it fogged up again in a couple of small patches. Not impressed.

For specs wearers though, I proved the point that expensive specs with any type of coating on the lens prevent anti-fog treatments from working. My cheapo TV watching glasses, under a tenner and no coatings on the lenses, stayed fog-free after applying an anti-fog gel.

 

[er-minio]

I was against pinlock, then started using it and now find it invaluable, at least in winter.

My rule is: if it starts misting up or water gets in... get rid of it and replace it with a new one or ride without. The seal lost its elasticity and it will only be a pain in the ass unless replaced.

 

[SBD]

I’m on my second Shoei with PinLock, they work well and it seems like a very good idea to me. I do a short commute most days, in most weathers.

If it’s misting up between the layers, it must be leaking, or was assembled whilst still damp.

The most exotic place I did any biking was India and it’s certainly not necessary if it’s hot & dry.

 

[HGS]

Pinlock say they absorb molecules of water but should dry out
If you wash the pinlock insert or get it wet, they take an age to dry properly as I found out

https://pinlock.com/technology

Dry and a good seal and they work fine

Also, the number is relevant to their performance....30, 70, 120 etc

https://pinlock.com/

 

[mw3230]

Pinlocks are great except when they are not. I've yet to ride in the rain and avoid getting water on the inside of my visor - no matter how carefully I try to keep it tightly closed. As everyone will have experienced, once the Pinlock is wet there is no quick way of drying it and continuing the ride with good clear vision. Having read some of the comments in this thread, I've tempted to take the Pinlock out of my helmet and see how I get on - I'm guessing misting up can be cured/prevented with spray?

 

[Deleted account 240831001]

I used to use them all the time and thought the reactolite pinlock I fitted to one helmet was the best thing since sliced bread but had so many problems with them on a Neotec that in the end I just did without.

 

[richardbd]

I’m on my second Shoei with PinLock, they work well and it seems like a very good idea to me. I do a short commute most days, in most weathers.

If it’s misting up between the layers, it must be leaking, or was assembled whilst still damp.

The most exotic place I did any biking was India and it’s certainly not necessary if it’s hot & dry.

It doesn't mist up between layers. I've been using them long enough to know how they work! My point is just that having opted to not use one for the first time in a decade, I'm not sure I'll bother going back because my experience has always been that eventually the Pinlock/visor inside gets wet (not because helmets or visors leak, just because you can't keep them sealed closed for 8 hours) and once that happens it's much easier to deal with a plain visor, rather than a visor plus Pinlock.

 

[richardbd]

Pinlocks are great except when they are not. I've yet to ride in the rain and avoid getting water on the inside of my visor - no matter how carefully I try to keep it tightly closed. As everyone will have experienced, once the Pinlock is wet there is no quick way of drying it and continuing the ride with good clear vision. Having read some of the comments in this thread, I've tempted to take the Pinlock out of my helmet and see how I get on - I'm guessing misting up can be cured/prevented with spray?

My point exactly. Pinlocks work brilliantly, right up until the point when they don't and then they're a pain in the arse...

 

[SBD]

It doesn't mist up between layers. I've been using them long enough to know how they work! My point is just that having opted to not use one for the first time in a decade, I'm not sure I'll bother going back because my experience has always been that eventually the Pinlock/visor inside gets wet (not because helmets or visors leak, just because you can't keep them sealed closed for 8 hours) and once that happens it's much easier to deal with a plain visor, rather than a visor plus Pinlock.

Sorry, misunderstood you.

I’ve never had an issue with “running” water inside - tbh, I don’t go out for hours if it’s horrid weather, and the commute is minutes. The only one time I did, about an hour & a half in a Kentish monsoon, I didn’t have an issue.

But what I don’t understand is why the pinlock would be any worse than the bare visor? (Always assuming the pinlock & visor are sealed together of course)

 

[richardbd]

Sorry, misunderstood you.

I’ve never had an issue with “running” water inside - tbh, I don’t go out for hours if it’s horrid weather, and the commute is minutes. The only one time I did, about an hour & a half in a Kentish monsoon, I didn’t have an issue.

But what I don’t understand is why the pinlock would be any worse than the bare visor? (Always assuming the pinlock & visor are sealed together of course)

Because you can't just run a cloth or a tissue over the surface of the wet Pinlock to dry or clean it without having quite an impact on its anti-fog performance. If you read the instructions for them, one of the things they're very particular about is how they are cleaned and dried.

 

[SBD]

I’m a bloke. What are “instructions”?

joking aside, no, I think they’re probably in the helmet box, in the loft…