jeremygrant.com

When I saw it on sale for half price I had to buy.

I live in LA. I can remember long days swimming and bicycling being cut short because of malathion spray. Smog alerts reduced the numbers of buoys we’d run-swim-run and cut short the spartan breaths on the freestyle sprint. We got a reprieve from the diesel fumes during teamster/longshoreman strikes… or the Olympics. Now we have huge annual forest fires to make the air worse. I feel the car smog in my lungs and legs as I come up on an intersection, pass by a freeway or when I’m swarmed by cars. Sometimes the gases themselves infest a vacant stretch of highway. The gas fumes and pollutants feeding on the air. The air that I need to pedal.

The City filter uses Dynamic Activated Charcoal Cloth (DACC) a 95% pure charcoal weave, originally developed by the U.K. Ministry of Defence for use in the protection against chemical and bacteria warfare situations. We use DACC to effectively filter out Primary pollutants associated with vehicle exhaust emissions. The DACC is laminated with medical grade non woven polypropylene material which filters particulates from the air and helps prevent them from entering the respiratory system.

The City filter offers protection against: – Hydrocarbons. e.g. Benzene; Pyrene;1,3 Butadiene. – Acid gases. e.g. Nitrogen dioxide; Sulphur dioxide. – Photo-chemical pollutants. e.g. Low level Ozone – Particulates. e.g. Black smoke; Pollen; Lead oxide.

from Respro

After a minimal day of use (about three hours) I am pleased with the design and the fit. I rode 1 hour without the mask the same day to gauge everything. I had a few concerns at first:

Does it work? I was able to take high congestion streets and go over/under freeways day and night with no sense of auto fumes. I felt like more oxygen was getting to my legs and was able to push myself harder without concern to traffic smog. I definitely felt more endorphin rush. It works.

How does it look? The mask makes me more visible to drivers and pedestrians. I got shouts from pedestrians that could see me from far away. Drivers were able to see me better when I glanced back for more right of way or when I was coming to an intersection. I’m hoping that more people wear masks to send motorists a message. Looks great to me.

How does it feel? Breathing-wise its OK. There is not much resistance and the hot air is easily circulated out quickly. During the day it didn’t feel uncomfortable and at night I could pedal hard and it didn’t fog up. It’s easy to slide on and off for water, food or clean stretches of roadway. I find myself taking it off but then putting it back on since the air is just so fresh inside the mask. It feels good.