Road Bike Racing - How about sunglasses advice?

As many of youu know, I had a nasty fall last season in August. During this fall, my sunglasses were thrown from my face and I did not have the presence of mind to have my teammates search for them. Net result: No riding shades now.

My question is: What do you like to ride with? I am thinking of just buying another pair of the same sunglasses which fit snug, are shatterproof and most importantly keep the wind out of my eyes so that I don't lose a contact lens to high speeds on a descent (my eyes tend to be dry and dry out very quickly). However, I didn't like not having interchangable lenses (clear would have been nice methinks for rainy races). So what do you think? Most people ride Oakley's but there are others and I am curious what you like/don't like about your eye protection?

My old shades: http://www.julbousa.com/Products/Outdoor/Nomad.htm
They look ugly and are meant for people on moutaintops, but they worked quite well for cycling!

been wearing oakley M frames for 15+ years. i don't see any reason to change now. :)

who says most people ride oakleys? ive tried everything from $200 sunglasses to $10 sunglasses and you know what ive realized? that the only difference between the the $200 sunglasses is you lose more money when you lose/break them. some people have holes burning in their pocket though and will make some sort of excuse to blow the money. if you look around you can find a pair for $10 that fit well and look as good if not better than rediculously expensive models.

+1 on interchangable lenses tho. good for those overcast days when you just need the eye protection

been wearing oakley M frames for 15+ years. i don't see any reason to change now. :)

+1, I've been using them for about the same lenght of time. I've tried other, Rudy Project and Smith but I always come back to the M Frames. I did just order a pair of Tifosi's with the Fototec lens just to see how they work.

I've had my Oakley Valves thrown off my face and slide on pavement several times. I would recommend them.

Any sunglasses that provide adequate side coverage as well as top-to-bottom coverage work for me. I like glasses that don't have any distortion, so that usually keeps the cheaper brands out of the running.

I currently have a pair of Smith Axis (http://www.smithsport.com/products/sunglass/interchangeable_axis.html) because I found them on sale at Campmor for $20. These have a lot more side coverage than the Smith Sequels I used to wear.

been wearing oakley M frames for 15+ years. i don't see any reason to change now. :)

Half Jackets for me

who says most people ride oakleys? ive tried everything from $200 sunglasses to $10 sunglasses and you know what ive realized? that the only difference between the the $200 sunglasses is you lose more money when you lose/break them. some people have holes burning in their pocket though and will make some sort of excuse to blow the money. if you look around you can find a pair for $10 that fit well and look as good if not better than rediculously expensive models.

+1 on interchangable lenses tho. good for those overcast days when you just need the eye protection

I'll just speculate that you've got less than 20/20 vision...

I notice a highly pronounced difference between my Oakleys (lens quality is the same on my 70.00 and 150.00 units...) my 50 dollar Bolles, and my cheap-o 10 dollar glasses. I've got 20/15 vision courtesy of LASEK/PRK.

I used to ride with M-Frames, but after a crash they cut the heck out of the area around my eye. Literally, 5mm further and I'd have had some major eye trauma to deal with. They didn't shatter, which speaks to the lens quality, but from that day forward I started riding with full enclosed lenses.

Tifosi also makes a very nice product for about half the cost of Oakley.

I ride the Rudy Project Ekynox for everyday and the Ekynox Team for racing. I like them since they fit my big head.

I've had my Rudy Project Freeons for a couple seasons now. They fit a little closer than the M frames I had before, mainly because the ear/nosepieces are adjustable so you can get a nice fit. They protect the eyes from wind, etc. even in the drops. And they're not Oakleys, which may be a big selling point for some. :D

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p85/dr_pete177/pkshades.jpg

I've had my Rudy Project Freeons for a couple seasons now. They fit a little closer than the M frames I had before, mainly because the ear/nosepieces are adjustable so you can get a nice fit. They protect the eyes from wind, etc. even in the drops. And they're not Oakleys, which may be a big selling point for some. :D

thanks for posting such a hi-res pic my man. saved and stored for future photoshop fun. ;)

I'm a fan of the amber-colored lenses and I strongly prefer polarized lenses. I pay about $20/pair for my sunglasses and always buy a couple pair so I have a backup.

I wear the glasses on the outside of the helmet straps which supposedly means they will be more likely to fly off in an accident (which is desired).

--Steve

I wear the glasses on the outside of the helmet straps which supposedly means they will be more likely to fly off in an accident (which is desired).

--Steve

+1, and i'm not the only one.

http://2003.tour-de-france.cz/images/foto/17-07-2003/armstrong.jpghttp://img1.eurosport.com/imgbk/cyclng/all/big_md-i193359.jpghttp://external.cache.el-mundo.net/elmundodeporte/imagenes/2005/08/03/1123094360_1.jpg
http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/site/general/whats_new/images/7_6/Ullrich-Blk-Bike_03a.jpghttp://www.toursite.nl/images/wallpapers/boonen_800.jpg

I'll just speculate that you've got less than 20/20 vision...

I notice a highly pronounced difference between my Oakleys (lens quality is the same on my 70.00 and 150.00 units...) my 50 dollar Bolles, and my cheap-o 10 dollar glasses. I've got 20/15 vision courtesy of LASEK/PRK.

I used to ride with M-Frames, but after a crash they cut the heck out of the area around my eye. Literally, 5mm further and I'd have had some major eye trauma to deal with. They didn't shatter, which speaks to the lens quality, but from that day forward I started riding with full enclosed lenses.

Tifosi also makes a very nice product for about half the cost of Oakley.

good guess. i wear contacts so my vision is slightly less than 20/20. yeah there are $10 sunglasses that are terrible, just saying there are some that are good though.

The better your vision is, the more you'll appreciate a quality pair of sunglasses. The differences in optical clarity are easy to show with a camera, so it can be categorically proven that there IS a difference and it's not just hype.

Most important is to find a pair that fits your face. The differences in clarity are pretty subtle in most high-end lenses (Oakleys, for better or worse, are the clearest I've found) so you won't go wrong if you find that Ketyums fit you better than M-frames. I'm an eyewear nut (with better than 20/20 with contacts), I've got a couple pairs of Smiths, 3 pairs of Rudys and my trusty Pro-Ms with a whole quiver of lenses.

Nowadays the big rage in cycling glasses is photochromic lenses, and my vote goes to Rudy Project and Specialized...the range is broad (50% down to 15%VLT) and tint is cycling-specific and they change a LOT faster these days than the old 'transitions' coating on prescription glasses. One point to consider if you're thinking about photochromic lenses...they respond to UV and most car windshields *block* UV so if you use your cycling glasses for driving as well they may not be the best choice.

Smiths. New set of V Ti's are on their way as we speak.

Anything but the Cat-1 (I think they are performance's house brand) with the "photochromatic" lenses.

They don't darken at all.

I use optic nerves after watching my training buddy run over my M's. They work well, come with 3 sets of lenses and for some reason even with accidents involved I've still managed to not lose or break them. Oh, and they're fairly inexpensive. Also have Rudy's that I think are the $hit but those are thanks to the girlfriend.

+1 on Smiths, I tried a pair of Tifosi Pave' but found that they didn't fit my face (gaps between nose piece, and under the lenses near the cheek bones. Made it very distracting when riding.

since bought 2 pairs of Smith Axis (Polarized for everyday, and Blue mirror for riding). Great sunglasses and they come with 4 sets of lenses: Polarized, Amber, Yellow, and clear.

Normally $129.99 but I bought my pair on ebay for $79.99 (polarized) and $54.99 for the non-polarized.


FWIW, Dave Z used to wear them until the new TI model came out:
http://www.ironstring.com/wp/portfolio/galleries/sports/cycling/2006_tour_of_california/image_03.jpg
http://www.speedplay.com/images/toc/big/IW8L9908.jpg

Have worn a variety, including Rudy's and Tifosi's. I was alittle dissapointed in the quality on the Rudy's, I currently am riding on 2 different styles of Tifosi's and have been pretty pleased with them.

There's a variety of frames, like saddles go with what fits.

I've read on BF that the Tifosi's are optically as good as the Oakly's, the frames are slightly downscale in quality.

Since you were looking for advice, here's mine. When you try them on, get into a tuck like you would be in the drops or a TT. Now look up the road, are the frames in your field of vision? I look for glasses that sit fairly high up so they are never restricting my vision. I have a few pairs of Bolle's that do the trick for me.

I used to use some Smith's (I forget the model but I got them for 60% off and they were lime green with an amber lens) however once they were stolen in a bowling alley, go figure with the dark lights, I bought a pair of Oakley Half Jackets. I got an "array" package so I just swap out lens depending on conditions as I go. I use the "Fire" lens the most, and then the "Rose" one for overcast days. Overall the difference in visual clarity of the Oakley's over my old Smith's and a friends Ryder's is definetly noticeable. As well I love the option of customizing my vision for conditions, I just need to buy a set of clear lens for dark rainy days and I'll be set! So that's a resounding +1 for the Oakleys of any type (I don't wear M-Frames because they make me look really old school 80's in the worst of ways, Lance can do it, I cannot :P)

Obviously this is a very subjective topic, but here's my two cents:

I've been riding since the mid 80's, and I've used different styles of Oakleys, Bolle, Rudy Project, and Smith glasses. The Oakleys looked the best, but I was disappointed with the durability of their frames and lenses. The Bolle and Rudy Project glasses were definitely more durable, and I can't say anything bad about either of them.

However, my favorite by far has been the Smiths. I bought a set for an extended trip when I wanted to have just one set of glasses for both casual wear and riding. I've had them for over two years now, and there have been no problems with the durability. The optical quality seems to be better than the Rudy Projects. They included two extra sets of lenses at a price where most other companies include just one set, so they easily win the contest for best value.

I have the "Mainline" model which uses a frame all of the way around the lens. My next pair of glasses will probably be a style with the frame across the top of the lens only (rather than all of the way around), so there is nothing to interfere with my field of view when looking back over my shoulder. However, that is a minor point, and they are still my first choice for riding glasses in almost all conditions.

Edit: I still sometimes use my Rudy Project glasses during winter riding because they have a bigger lens, which can be helpful on very cold days.