There are a number of solutions to mitigate sweat buildup while riding a bike, and I discussed one such thing, the Sweat GUT’R, earlier.
When I was still an active recreational runner in 2010, I bought my first Halo headband. At first glance, this is arguably less innovative and more traditional compared to the Sweat GUT’R, which is based entirely on a material that never soaks or gets saturated. No matter what form it takes up, either as an elastic headband, an elastic sun visor, or a loose headband you knot over your brow line, the Halo is really just a piece of material that absorbs sweat and has a silicone “Sweat Block Seal” that diverts sweat away from your eyes and face. Halo does say that while its Dryline fabric absorbs sweat, it wicks it away and lets it evaporate quickly.
My first ever cycling helmet of recent times was a Fox Transition hardshell from 2013, a very basic brain bucket not really known for good ventilation. When I paired the Halo headband with this helmet, it got saturated with my sweat in no time.
I lost this original blue elastic Halo headband at some point. In the intervening period, I got helmets with better ventilation, and I later got another Halo headband – this time, a black one that I had to tie around my brow line. Around this time, the shortcomings of the Sweat GUT’R were beginning to make themselves felt.
Revisiting the Halo, I found it worked better for me – especially when paired with a helmet with better air flow, like the Lazer Blade MIPS or the Specialized Centro. The air flow allowed the black Halo to do its job of letting the collected sweat evaporate into the air, instead of getting trapped as it did on the Transition helmet. Eliminating the elastic meant that this particular headband had a much better chance of lasting many more uses with less risk of getting worn out.
Even better, because it’s absorbent, the Halo keeps doing its job regardless of whatever crazy angle you put your head in. It’s not as susceptible to the tearing that the Sweat GUT’R can display, either.
I used my blue elastic Halo headband for the 200 km Audax Randonneurs Philippines brevet on December 5, 2015.
The one real complaint I have with the Halo is it can affect how you wear your helmet on your head. It’s not exactly thin, and it’s got more width to it, practically covering my entire forehead. There’s a very real chance you can end up pushing up the brow line on your helmet too high while attempting to wear the Halo under it.
the accidental randonneur 