Alright, so folks sometimes ask me, ‘Hey, how d’you get your bandana to sit right when you’re out on the bike?’ It ain’t rocket science, but there’s a way I do it that just works for me. Keeps the dust out, and it doesn’t flap around like some kinda crazy flag. Took me a bit of trial and error, you know? But I finally landed on this simple method.
First off, you gotta get yourself a decent bandana. Not one of those flimsy things you get for free at some event. A good square one, cotton’s usually best, breathes a bit and feels good. Makes a difference, trust me.
Here’s How I Get It Done
Okay, so I lay that sucker flat out. Table, my knee, whatever’s handy when I’m gearing up.
Then, I fold it right in half, corner to corner. You end up with a big triangle, right? Try to make sure the corners meet up pretty neat. It just makes the next folds cleaner, I find.
Now, this is the part where some folks might do it different, but here’s my take. You see that long flat edge of the triangle? And the pointy bit opposite it? I take that pointy bit and fold it up towards that long edge. How far? Well, I don’t measure it or anything, but I usually go about, say, a third of the way up from the point towards the long edge. You don’t want to fold it all the way to the edge, just enough to make a sort of thicker band along that long side. This gives it a bit more substance right where it sits on your face, I reckon. Helps it stay put.
So now you’ve got this sort of folded triangle thing. The long edge is a bit thicker now, like a reinforced strip. That’s the part that’s gonna go over your nose or mouth, depending on how high you want it or what you’re trying to keep out.
Then it’s just a matter of tying the darn thing. I put the middle of that long, folded edge over my nose – or sometimes just my chin if it’s not too dusty – and bring the two pointy ends around to the back of my head. I tie a good ol’ square knot. Not too tight, mind you, don’t want to give yourself a headache or cut off circulation, haha! But it needs to be snug enough so it doesn’t slip down when I’m leaning into a curve or the wind picks up. Sometimes I tuck the knot ends under the collar of my jacket, just keeps things tidy and out of the wind.
And that’s pretty much it! That’s my go-to way to fold a biker bandana. Stays put, does the job, and I think it looks alright too. Some guys like those tube things, and that’s cool, whatever works. But I’m old school, I guess. A classic bandana, folded right, just feels better to me. Give this method a shot, see if it works for you. Maybe you’ll tweak it a bit, find your own perfect fold. That’s the best part, ain’t it? Figuring out what works for you out on the road.
