Cycle Show 2010: BreezeBlockers hand shields

20 comments
By James Costley-White | Friday, Oct 8, 2010 1.55pm

Can't find winter gloves that adequately protect your hands from the wind, rain and wet without being so bulky you can't feel the handlebar? Or do you still get freezing feet even when wearing overshoes? Matt Garnett thinks he's got the answer.

His new products, launched under the name BreezeBlockers, basically act as mini fairings for your hands and feet when cycling, blocking the worst that the elements can throw at you.

The handlebar version is available in three road bike variants – Aero Shield, Aero Blade and Aero Curve – depending on how big your hands are, the bar width and bend you run, and the extremity of the conditions you'll be riding in. Mountain bike, flat-bar commuting bike and children's versions are in development.

They attach with zip-ties (the flat bar versions use a bar end plug attachment instead) and shield your hands when riding on the tops. Access to the hoods and drops is unobstructed. Matt, who works as a dentist, came up with the idea after a miserable ride into Scotland from his home town of Newcastle.

Prototype breezeblockers for mountain bikes and flat-bar road bikes: prototype breezeblockers for mountain bikes and flat-bar road bikes

This version for mountain bikes and flat-bar road bikes is in development, which will attach via bar end plugs

They've since been tested in wind tunnels at Durham and Teesside universities, and Matt says that, as well as keeping hands warm, they're actually more aerodynamic than gloves at high wind speeds and in crosswinds.

While the idea is intriguing, one drawback is immediately apparent: the BreezeBlockers provide no protection for your hands when you're on the drops which, if you're facing driving rain or a howling head wind, is where you're likely to be.

BreezeBlocker aero blade: breezeblocker aero blade

BreezeBlockers for drop bars are available now, in three different versions

We've got a few sets in for testing, so we'll let you know how they fare. Weights start at 34g. RRP for the carbon fibre effect versions is £19.99. A Flex version is also available, made of a lighter, more flexible material, for £9.99. Matt says it'll be easy to get BreezeBlockers made in custom colours or with team logos, etc.

A BreezeBlocker product is also available to keep your feet warm. The Aero Guard is designed to sit between your shoe and overshoe to provide extra protection from wind chill and rain. RRP is £9.99.

BreezeBlocker aero guard: breezeblocker aero guard

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The Aero Guard is designed to shield your feet from any wind or moisture that manages to penetrate your overshoes

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User Comments

There are 20 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 20 of 20 comments

  • OMG>>>>>>>>>>>

    have they never heard of winter gloves and proper winter overshoes.

    This is like a April fools joke!

    To much spare carbon in this designers office.

  • Those road bike covers actually look extremely dangerous - especially if you need to get your hands off the tops and onto the brakes in a hurry. Agree with Almera90 - the whole thing looks like a wind-up....

  • Brilliant! I'd thought of making something similar. They are available for motorbikes after all.

    Also, i'd like some "wind ear baffles" like those bits of plastic you get round car windows to stop the wind noise, only for my ears.

  • @MyPace - you already have two. They're called, your hands

  • Roadies whose bikes fit them correctly spend something like 90% (number pulled from arse) of the time with their hands on the hoods or drops. This makes no sense as a design.

  • i was thinking of attatching an angled carbon tube to my ring piece. the idea is similar to the 'blown diffuser' that the F1 teams are running. The idea is that eveytime i 'squeeze one out' the methane will force the back end of my bike down thus increasing downforce and therefore traction from the back wheel. This is turn will enable me to use a lighter tyre which will further reduce weight which will compensate for all the extra fibre i'll have to consume to make the system work. I'm just torn between calling the system the 'Wind Tunnel' or the F(art)Duct. your thoughts please.

  • Hmmm ,would I like carbon breasts on my handlebars, NO!

  • @ bobbyfett

    OMG so funny. crying with laughter!!

    Guaranteed winner. Get that patent pronto.

  • How much time do riders spend with hands on the bar tops? For twenty quid you could have a good pair of gloves. Severe lack of research has gone into this.

  • can safely say we had a good laugh at these today.

  • Is this the best of the British cycle show?

  • I for one cycle in sub zero conditions and even with winter shoes and over shoes I just cant keep my feet warm for more than an hour, so I like the principle, not sure about in practice.

  • Handlebar Tities!

  • @ MyPace

    you'll be wanting these then http://www.slipstreamz.com/content.asp?subID=9

    I can't see me bothering with BarBoobs or Slipstreamz!

  • I'm thinking along the same lines as GrantTaylor. My hands get quite cold when the temps get below 15F in the winter.

  • Specialized Radiants and Woolie Boolies FTW.

  • the bar boobs will disembowel you if you go over the bars, slash through forearms, gouge thighs, etc.

    All in all a bloody dangerous idea. anybody with experience will avoid them. Newbie commuters might like them, and these are the people with less skill and more likelihood to come off.

  • No, not stupid at all. They will find a market in serious people who ride in extreme cold conditions, which is where the product should be focused, not on kids, or the typical commuter etc. Look on the internet forums to see the kind of riding done buy some extreme riders in North America etc.

    As for the completely different application MTB ones, in motorcycle trail riding, handguards become an essential item once you have come to trust & rely on them. There is a place out there for an MTB equivalent, but it needs to be robust enough to allow the rider to plough through vegetation etc at speed, and this would still always be easier and safer on the heavier motorized bike. However, It is something I often thought about years ago when swapping between riding my MTB and offroad motorbike. My hands felt very vulnerable on my MTB, and I often got carried away resulting in bashed up hands.

  • there is a product called bar mitts (barmitts.com). A few of my riding friends use them in freezing weather. They only need to wear light full fingered gloves with them in freezing conditions.

  • How does the song go, 'they all laughed at Wilbur and his brother'?

    Well, you all laugh at the appearance of these but come winter I would suggest you'll be seriously considering them. As a northern-based cyclist myself (one with circulation that would make a snake chilly) I know fine well the awful winter temperatures which besmirch my training rides. Moreover, as someone who is looking to get into racing next season I see my winter miles on the road this off-season as absolutely essential if I'm to have any chance of sticking it. Being cold has, for me, a very negative affect. So does 3 pairs of gloves on my handling ability.

    I'm happy to say I've purchased a pair of BreezeBlockers to give them a go, and having actually read the website and the research that has clearly gone into the product, hope my purchase will be justified in the coming months. Even a tenner for the cheaper ones is worth a punt for the prospect of toasty hands.

    I would hasten to add these are about as dangerous as riding in the winter on the roads of the North East, or being clipped into a bike for that matter.

    Anyway, laugh all you want. I'm going to be with Wilbur and his brother - warm hands and all.

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