Author Topic: Your choice of glasses for riding  (Read 6084 times)

in4

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Your choice of glasses for riding
« on: March 16, 2017, 12:35:40 PM »
I've happily used a pair of Oakley M frame glasses for around five years. I have dark and clear lenses that can be swopped as necessary. I'm not a  Brand Junkie ( other than Thorn of course, blech!) but I'm quite impressed with Oakley's polarizing lens and am considering buying them. Before I do I wondered which glasses others are using. Do you use a particular brand, lens type, colour etc.?

PS Rayban Aviators are for posing with in bars only ;)

alfie1952

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2017, 03:28:49 PM »
I have had a pair of titanium Oakley  ewire for 16 years, used for fishing, driving  and cycling. The folding Persols are kept for the hols.😎
 Regards Alfie
« Last Edit: March 17, 2017, 10:17:57 AM by alfie1952 »

mickeg

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2017, 03:35:31 PM »
I had laser eye treatment a few years ago so now my distance vision is very good, but I am old enough that I need reading glasses to see anything close up, which includes my GPS or maps.

Soon after I had the laser treatment, I bought a couple pair of wrap around sunglasses that were bifocal readers, polarized.  And I broke one pair on my Iceland trip last summer, and just broke another pair on my S Florida trip last month.  I liked them a lot but the frames were quite weak and they cracked. I glued them together when I got home but do not trust them for a trip out of town.  So, I went shopping for something else, and did a few google searches.

I suspect these are only available to USA customers, but several on this board are in USA so I will list it anyway.  I ordered one pair of these in gray tint, one in the dark brown tint.  Very happy with them. 
https://www.readers.com/bridgewater-polarized-bifocal-sun.html

I have only had them less than a month, so I can't say how they are for durability but the price was right and they work quite well.  The gray lenses seemed to be darker and I think will work better for bright sunny days, the brown lenses I think will be best on overcast days as they were not as dark as the gray ones.  I am thinking of taking both on future tours, the second pair is in part a backup pair in case I break a pair.

If you decide to order the ones I cite above, or anything else at their website, sometimes they have a 30 percent off sale.  I would check their site every other day or so (on weekdays) for a week or two and wait for a sale to see if one comes along.  When I ordered two of these glasses, I needed to order something else too to qualify for free shipping, so I clicked on the clearance tab and found another pair of glasses that were listed at less than $4 that I added to my order to get the free shipping.  Or, if you are not patient, they have a 15 percent sale right now with a coupon code.

I have two pair of wrap around yellow lens glasses for rain or night or dark conditions, have had them for over a decade and I am sure they are no longer made.  So, I am not elaborating on them.

Andre Jute

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2017, 05:06:13 PM »
It's no secret that I like German gear. My sunglasses from Breitfeld & Schliekert are about ten years old but the makers still sell the design and have all the spare parts, including the tiny parts.

I wear the orange lenses all the time, day and night, unless it is really bright, in which case I swap to grey or brown or very infrequently polarizing; if I'm going a long way at night, I wear the yellow lenses.

In the ten years I've broken a small plastic clip piece on the orange overlenses, which was replaced with no trouble by my village optician, and I ordered a spare orange clip (both lenses are attached to the small black clip that in turn attaches to the frame) in case my beloved everyday set should be scratched, but so far the lenses seem immune. I don't know what hardening process they undergo but it is very effective.

I also have a spare frame but the original is firm at all joints and clipping points, and the plastic does not seem to have deteriorated in ten years, so the spare is unused.

Two pairs of frames with Rx clips, special clear glass prescription lenses, and all the different colors of overlenses, including polarizing, came to about 115 Euro (from memory -- seems low, but that's what I remember). Compared to what I normally pay for reading, computer, TV and walking spectacles, that seems extraordinarily cheap.

Some of the overlenses I have (it may be that I received some of a special promotion, but I seem to remember that two of the lenses came "free" with the frame and the very nice hard zipper storage bag, still looking new after ten years of use).

Breitfeld & Schliekert 8918 Rx system lenses: clear nightime windbreaks, orange (good for dusk and dawn cycling), yellow shooter's (good at night); I also have grey, brown and polarized (rarely necessary in Ireland).

B&S model 8918 Rx System parts:
https://shop.b-s.de/de/search/?q=8918&models=wshop.artikel&models=cms.pagede&x=0&y=0
These are the double-lens type I have. Normally the prescription lens is also plastic, but I have glass in my Rx clip, and the extra weight has caused no problems whatsoever. When I recently had other spectacles renewed or replaced, I also gave the optician the B&S sunglasses "to be serviced as new" and he gave them a quick look and tested the rubber lock on the Rx clip holding the prescription glass in, and gave them back to me immediately.

They have non-Rx models for people who don't need corrective prescriptions.

B&S has the further advantage that nowhere on them does it say "Rayban" or "Oakley". There's no logo on mine anywhere, and I've never seen a B&S advertisement, so I'm not paying for a whole lot of extravagant marketing, but for engineering that has proven itself on my face and on my bike.

rualexander

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2017, 05:13:56 PM »
I've been using Endura Spectral glasses for a few years, had a dark pair and a yellow pair, very good glasses.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/endura-spectral-glasses-antifog/rp-prod26714

But just bought a three lens set from Lomo a couple of weeks ago, a bargain at £15 for the frames plus dark, yellow and clear lenses, the dark ones are polarized. So far so good, a bit more ventilated than the Enduras, so less prone to fogging up but also let more wind in, still good protection though.
https://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/cycling-sunglasses-polarised.html

jags

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #5 on: March 16, 2017, 06:20:56 PM »
3euro safety glasses as good as any. ;D

jags

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #6 on: March 16, 2017, 06:25:15 PM »
they look good  Rual the Lomo but probably double in price if i were to order them  :'(

anto.

Danneaux

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #7 on: March 16, 2017, 06:32:26 PM »
I still enjoy and use my Bolle Edge II cycling glasses with and without the prescription insert. They date from...1979 or so and make me look like a young Greg LeMond...not!  ::) I do enjoy them for their one-piece lens choices, which makes it seem like I'm not wearing glasses. The polycarbonate lenses have saved my eyes from any number of stone strikes and my wind-caused pingueculas ("eye callouses", see: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/pinguecula-pterygium ) don't advance if I wear them. I prefer the wraparound earpieces so I don't lose them when I get hot and sweaty and ride rough roads, and I almost always use the clear lenses even if it is sunny. The polycarbonate blocks UV, helpful to me especially for desert riding. I've had enough exposure to high UV levels that I'm now starting to develop cataracts so any filtering by the lenses can only help.

I sure wish I could duplicate them today. I bought a used pair on eBay a few years ago, but they don't appear in good condition very often. They even allow fitting my Bike Peddler Take-A-Look mirror: https://www.rei.com/product/752285/bike-peddler-take-a-look-mirror

I'm nearsighted, so usually use a plain lens with my one distance contact lens. When I don't wear my contact lens, I use the prescription insert for distance vision and a stick-on bifocal for near vision in one eye to duplicate the monovision of one contact lens. Works great. For more on the stick-on bifocals to fit any glasses, see:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3939.0

When I don't need the prescription insert, I have good luck wearing polycarbonate safety classes like Anto. My favorites are less then USD$4 from Walmart and have adjustable temples, rubber nose pads, and clear lenses. I use them in my garage shop at home daily and often just keep them on when I grab the bike.

Best,

Dan.

leftpoole

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #8 on: March 17, 2017, 10:10:09 AM »
Hello,
Oakley with prescription inserts! Black and yellow lenses. Cost an arm and a leg, actually more than an Audax Mk3 frame!
They are actually fabulous in use.
John

StuntPilot

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2017, 10:29:58 AM »
The Endura Stingray set is pretty good. I have used them on two long tours and they have been good and tough. 100% UV protection, 4 different interchangeable lenses - clear, yellow, dark and polarised. Good hard case too. Tredz site has additional photos, but SJS has a good price at the moment.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/glasses/endura-stingray-glasses-with-4-lens-black/
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Endura-Stingray-Cycling-Glasses-MTB-4-Lens-Set_15685.htm
« Last Edit: March 18, 2017, 10:32:26 AM by StuntPilot »

Mike Ayling

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2017, 09:01:52 AM »
3euro safety glasses as good as any. ;D

Don't disagree.

Mike

Mike Ayling

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2017, 09:07:40 AM »
I wear progressive prescription  transitional lenses which darken in bright light and become clear indoors.

Mike

energyman

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2017, 12:01:40 PM »
I wear progressive prescription  transitional lenses which darken in bright light and become clear indoors.

Mike

So do I but occasionally I wear varifocals if I want to map read on the hoof.
I do have a pair of flip-up clip-ons over the varifocals if the sun shines !
(My son said I looked "cool" but he may have been sarcastic.)
« Last Edit: March 19, 2017, 12:03:19 PM by energyman »

martinf

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #13 on: March 25, 2017, 07:35:26 AM »
I can still cycle (and, if necessary, drive) without any long-sight correction, so have been using plain sports glasses for cycling. But I carry glasses for map-reading, fiddly repairs, etc.

This thread prompted me to do something about the near-sight problem.

I found this site, in the UK:

http://www.straightlines.com/BiFocalSafetySite/full-range

Ordered a pair of clear bifocals (to be used as a fly screen and to reduce eye-watering on most of my rides) and a pair of the more expensive grey polarized lens bifocals for really sunny weather. The whole lot came to £55.26 including (rather expensive) shipping to France.

So far, only tried them for a short time, but they seem to do the trick.

I will also try them for field surveys at work, where I have a similar issue - long sight a lot of the time but near sight for noting observations on a tablet computer.


Danneaux

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Re: Your choice of glasses for riding
« Reply #14 on: March 25, 2017, 07:40:37 AM »
Nice find well shared, Martin; thanks!

Best,

Dan.