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Answered Sun Glasses Advice Please

Ian986

Active member
Apr 21, 2021
108
43
Surrey
Hi All
I need to get my self some sunglasses for riding in I bought a cheap pair from wiggle and just steam up all the time.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have alway bought Oakley for casual wearing. I Have seen some oakleys with vents is but also quick like the look of Poc too. I don’t need prescription lens.

Thank you
 

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
995
Tasmania
I use safety glasses. Incredibly light weight, great visibility, UV protection, and cheap. I've left a few trackside, so no great loss (someone will have found them). I mostly use clear because of the shadow and light. If it is a really glarey day I wear yellow tint - it cuts out some available light but still great visibility. They never fog up. Ironically the cheaper ones seem to be better.

safety glasses.jpg
 

Peaky Rider

E*POWAH Master
Feb 9, 2019
849
544
Derbyshire Dales
Here you go, £10 and brilliant. Super light and super cheap. Several different styles and lense colours on website, including anti mist, although I have never had misting up with any of mine (occasionally wash in Fairy Liquid).


I've have five pairs and have used them for a couple of years and now all my mates use them.
 

dobbyhasfriends

🌹Old Bloke 🎸
Subscriber
Sep 19, 2019
3,257
4,645
Llandovery, Wales
I caved in after wearing cheap ones for years and bought a set of Melon alleycats..
very good, change the lens to clear in the winter and the red chrome lens in the summer, very comfy all day but more than I wanted to pay for any glasses
 

R120

Moderator
Subscriber
Apr 13, 2018
7,819
9,190
Surrey
The best "cheap" but proper riding glasses are made by Madison IMO. I have the Enigmas and they are as good as if no better than several pairs of expensive Oakley, 100% and other brand sunglasses I have. They are also cheap enough that you dont feel too bad when you inevitably ride over them or have a crash and they go flying!

 

Tubby G

❤️‍🔥 Hot Stuff ❤️‍🔥
Dec 15, 2020
2,696
5,421
North Yorkshire
The best "cheap" but proper riding glasses are made by Madison IMO. I have the Enigmas and they are as good as if no better than several pairs of expensive Oakley, 100% and other brand sunglasses I have. They are also cheap enough that you dont feel too bad when you inevitably ride over them or have a crash and they go flying!


Do these glasses fog up when stationary or climbing hills ?
 

Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,746
2,133
FoD
Do these glasses fog up when stationary or climbing hills ?

fogging is a function of humidity, airflow, temperature of lenses. Humidity and temperature are mostly a feature of your environment, although the amount you are breathing makes a difference if you are wearing full face. Airflow is down to the shape of the glasses, shape of your face, helmet design and if you are moving.

So glasses that don’t fog up for one person (because there’s a lot of airflow for that person due to face shape) or a lack of humidity (because they are in Arizona), may fog up for another person if they have a larger face, wear a helmet that doesnt breath well or are in a very wet/cold environment.

Personally I have been wearing Oakley Flak Jackets with photochromic lenses (which are excellent, because they adapt to the light and are basically fit and forget) for years, they occasionally fog up when stationary in winter, but when we get moving again they clear.

Some glasses are designed to increase airflow which reduces fogging, the Oakley Flight Jacket on the right has a lever to lift them away from your face to increase airflow…I’ve never ridden with them myself so can’t say how well it works, but they seem like decent glasses (other than looking utterly ridiculous) and provide goggle like coverage in a pair of glasses. My Flak sunnies on the left for size comparison:
D9049139-3C56-4582-BC07-40A71C13796A.jpeg
 
Last edited:

RustyIron

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Jun 5, 2021
1,864
2,924
La Habra, California
I have alway bought Oakley for casual wearing. I Have seen some oakleys with vents is but also quick like the look of Poc too.

Hey, Ian.
For outdoor sports, there is nothing better than Oakley. The clarity of their lenses is unmatched. There is no distortion, and when your sweat rains down onto the lenses, it somehow just flows away so your vision is not obscured. It's as if they're blessed with some magical powers.

Just last week I bought a new pair of Oakleys, and a new lens for my 10 year old pair. The old ones are Jawbreakers, which offer a lot of coverage, and they have little vents to allow greater airflow. The new pair is the Radar EV Advancer. I think these look better, and they have a little lever that moves the lens away from your face for those times when you need more airflow. Both lenses are the Trail Torch.

I can honestly say that the Trail Torch lens is the BEST lens I've ever had for mountain bike riding. It's not so dark that its hard to see when riding from bright sunlight into shadows. But the HUGE benefit of these lenses is the way they improve contrast. You can put them on and see a difference, but it was on a ride last weekend where it became evident how the lens could improve my riding. Sometimes at the top of rock gardens under the mid-day sun, the rocks all seem to blend together. You can't see the contour and texture except on the rocks that you're right on top of. With the Trail Torch lens, I could sit at the top of a familiar rock garden and see WAY out into the distance. Where before I could see counters 10-20 feet out, with the Trail Torch, I could pick my intended line 100 feet out. It was AMAZING. My elapsed times showed a marked improvement.

My advice is get whatever Oakley frame that works for your face, but get it with the Trail Torch lens.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
9,095
9,576
Lincolnshire, UK
The other benefit of the Oakley specs is the material that the nose piece and side arm socks are made from. It rejects sweat and rain and just sticks to your skin. I have some proper crashes and superman offs; I have broken every helmet I have ever owned except my current two) and I have never parted company with the Oakleys. They just stay on my head where they belong. :love:
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Dax

James_C

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2019
546
283
Kent, UK
have a look at photochromic lenses. I go in and out of woods a lot and these have really improved things.

I went with these but there are cheaper options

 

RustyIron

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Subscriber
Jun 5, 2021
1,864
2,924
La Habra, California
have a look at photochromic lenses. I go in and out of woods a lot and these have really improved things.

I've used Oakley photochromic lenses. They're great. I especially like them because I can start riding in the bright sun, and then when it becomes dark, the lenses lighten up enough that I can still use them.

I've also used cheap photochromic lenses. There's a reason why people pay more for Oakleys.
 
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Reactions: Dax

TheRealPoMo

Active member
Apr 18, 2020
200
155
Queensland
I thought Oakley sunglasses came free when you bought the massive windscreen sticker back in the 90s. May have been a localised Australian tosspot phenomenon...
I have some old Wiley-X with a 2* magnifying bifocal arrangement.
 

James_C

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2019
546
283
Kent, UK
I've used Oakley photochromic lenses. They're great. I especially like them because I can start riding in the bright sun, and then when it becomes dark, the lenses lighten up enough that I can still use them.

I've also used cheap photochromic lenses. There's a reason why people pay more for Oakleys.


Yes - not as good as dark glasses and clear, but good enough. I use mine at night, and also in bright sunshine. Probably one of the best "upgrades" I've done.
 

urastus

⚡The Whippet⚡
May 4, 2020
1,548
995
Tasmania
meaning the molecular form of the lenses matches the estimated angle that the eye is looking
I seriously doubt that the effect in question in normal safety glasses is too small to comprehend. Consider that they are used in all levels of industry including labs and shooting ranges; I don't believe that is a noticeable effect. Business have to come up with reasons for you to part with more money for their product - that particular point makes me think that they are struggling to find good reasons.
 

Manc44

Member
Jun 22, 2021
120
39
Manchester

High Rock Ruti

Active member
May 13, 2019
432
336
Massachusetts
Hi All
I need to get my self some sunglasses for riding in I bought a cheap pair from wiggle and just steam up all the time.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I have alway bought Oakley for casual wearing. I Have seen some oakleys with vents is but also quick like the look of Poc too. I don’t need prescription lens.

Thank you
High Rock Ruti

Now I buy the $11 saftey glasses on Amazon with readers built, you know my $160 Smiths are somewhere on trail as are my $364 Oakley's I hope someone at least found them; so they have the chance to enjoy/loose them too!

Warm Regards Ruti
 

cappuccino34

Active member
Nov 24, 2020
530
329
Helmshore
If I'm riding alone I like to listen to music, I find it helps me to keep pedalling away.

I recently bought some Bose tempo glasses with some different lens options and I really like them, plus I can very easily take calls hands free without needing to physically access my phone.

They fit perfectly with my Fox full face but my open face Giro helmet sits lower at the front and presses down on the glasses. I still did a 9-hour ride with them like that but it did cause some nose bridge discomfort.

The glasses themselves are great though, and have surprisingly good sound quality.
 

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