Commuting - how to keep stuff from getting into eyes?

not really exclusive to commuting but it seems like every time i ride i get dust/debris in my eyes from passing cars/trucks, garden blowers on the sidewalk, etc. i don't usually wear sunglasses but i wonder if shades will even help when going through those dust clouds? also i ride at night a lot so obviously sunglasses won't do the trick. any advice/tips?

Yes, sunglasses will help tremendously. If you ride at night, wear clear safety glasses! There are lots of options out there; you can get safety glasses for the price of a coffee and biscotti at most home centers.

I found a big difference just going from "regular" RX sunglasses to sunglasses that are more wraparound. There's just less room for crap to get around them and into my eyes.

I wear polarized, photochromic shades even on cloudy days. Not only do they keep debris from getting in your eyes, they protect your eyes from UV rays.

I wear sunglasses when it's bright out (i.e. daylight). In the dark, I usually wear nothing over my eyes except when it's raining, snowing, windy, bug season, etc... In that case, I wear safety glasses.

if you commute 30 miles or less then tifosi deas may be of service.

dont wear longer for that because the top of the lenses fog/condensate.

but they come with pink, black, and clear lenses.

found some on ebay for 30 bucks, new.

S&W Magnums (http://www.tasco-safety.com/sglasses/sglasses02.html#b) , the fog-free clear ones for night and gold mirror for daytime. Light and comfy and haven't had any dust or debris (or kicked up rocks) get pass them. Plus the price is right.

I wear Bolle's, if it matters, which it probably doesn't, during day rides and they work fine for bugs, dust and uv protection; but in the evening I wear either yellow or clear safety glasses. Don't buy the Walmart safety glasses though, they have more distortion then good ones at Lowe's or Home Depot; just don't buy the cheapest and you'll be ok. Look for a wrap around design, and none of my glasses have fogging problems not even the cheap safety glasses. Another source for top brand glasses cheap is a place called Campmor for mail order but you have to request their catalog to see their best deals; and Big 5 Sporting Stores when sales are going on, Big 5 right now has Bolle's for under $45, and their polorized.

Get some sunglasses for day and clear lens glasses for night. Protect your eyes. The glasses have saved me a couple of times from taking a pebble, thrown up by cars, in the eye.

Lots of good brands. I prefer Oakley; they have excellent optics and stay on during sweat filled rides.

glasses like this: http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/review/reviewproduct/mps/RPN/41516/prod/BBB-Challenge-Sunglasses/RCN/58/rgn/14/sp//v/1

3 sets of interchangeable lenses

I rooted around and found the oakley M strike frame kit that has a clear and shades lenses for around 80 bucks.

there's one on sale right now on ebay, but i say you test it out first. It fits me and most of my friends well, but theres a few that just didn't look right with it on =P

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oakley-Ballistic-M-Frame-SI-Glasses-Strike-Array-NEW_W0QQitemZ350245402377QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Sunglasses?hash=item518c40b709&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Performance Bike carries a decent multi-lens set (clear, amber and smoke/mirror) for around $25. I've been using those. If you opt for the home-center safety glasses (which I did for a long time), take your helmet along, and try the glasses with the helmet if possible. A lot of them have bulky enough frames that your helmet rests on the frame, which then puts the weight of the helmet on the bridge of your nose. Annoying to say the least.

I bought some cheap glasses from ebay - £10 - they came with 4 lenses I mainly use the yellow and the grey. Very good purchase after I foolishly took off my rayban sunglasses and they fell out of my pocket - I turned around just in time to see them run over by a bus! Won't be using expensive glasses on my bike any more (also no glass ones!).

Smiths with interchangeable lenses. It's the way to go.

Glasses are mandatory IMO. I don't ride a bike without them. Keeps debris out, helps keep my eyes from drying out so bad, and keeps them from watering so bad in the winter.

I use a photochromic that starts out clear so I can wear them in any light condition. Lately, that's been a Tifosi with the "light night" lens. Decent compromise between price and quality.

I have contact lenses so I get grit in my eyes all the time if I ride without glasses. I have dark ones for sunny days, and ones with interchangeable yellow/clear lenses for dark days or evenings.

Cheap bifocal safety glasses. Tinted in the day, clear at night.

Smiths with interchangeable lenses. It's the way to go.

Ditto, I still miss the wraparound smiths that I used to have. Best glasses for riding IMHO.

You can find pairs of smith sequels on steepandcheap.com for cheap. They'll come with black, clear, and yellow lenses.

There is a pinkish coloured lens that you can get for them that is awesome in lowlight (used to use them hunting in early hours)

S&W Magnums (http://www.tasco-safety.com/sglasses/sglasses02.html#b) , the fog-free clear ones for night and gold mirror for daytime. Light and comfy and haven't had any dust or debris (or kicked up rocks) get pass them. Plus the price is right.

+1 I was turned on to these by similar comments from someone else on BF earlier this year and bought a clear pair and a smoke pair (both "anti-fog") I was not disappointed. They have been awesome for commuting. I just placed an order for the gold mirror and the blue-blockers to see how they work (the smoke is a bit light when I'm heading directly into the morning sun). As for fogging up, they only seem to fog up when I stop. As long as I'm moving, they stay clear. And they do a great job of keeping junk and wind out of my eyes.

I got safety glasses in clear, amber, and smoke. The amber ones really help for night/twilight rides and reduce the pain of glaring car headlights. They are what I usually wear when bike commuting. My eye doctor asked to make sure I was wearing something on all rides.

The glasses really help with gnats, road splat/rain, wind, and glare. The only time I don't like them is when it's very humid or when they fog up during the winter. I paid about $4 at WalMart (could also get at the home depot places) so I don't stress over losing them. They were indistinguishable from a $40 set of frame + interchangeable lens for "real" cyclists at the bike store. They do give kind of a Poindexter look ... :(

the set i got has clear, orange, and dark lens. the clear is great for nightime or rainy days. the orange lens is great for moderate sunny days and allow you to still see if you ride into a tunnel. the dark lens is great for super sunny days.



http://www.ryderseyewear.com/eyewear/page.ashx

interchangable lens for glasses. made for cycling activties.

http://tinyurl.com/m9vsp8

Smiths with interchangeable lenses. It's the way to go.

That's what I have: Smith Threshold. They come with clear, amber, rose, and dark brown (polarized). I also have a couple pair of cheap safety glasses from Home Depot.

Can't go wrong with ballistic eyepro. Sure it's a bit expensive and can be a bit on the overkill for the road side, but i wouldn't trust my eyes to much else:

http://www.esseyepro.com/ICE-Tactical-Kit_151_detail.html

That came off a bit sales pitchy. These are standard issue for US GI's in Iraq and Afghanistan and they have saved A LOT of eyes. I still have my set and they're great. The amber lenses are great for low light.

I wear shades (and gloves) on EVERY ride just for protection alone.

I wear shades (and gloves) on EVERY ride just for protection alone.

Me too. Serrengetti sunglasses in the light, and generic safety glasses in the dark.

Wraparound sunglasses are a must on the bike, imho.

all good tips, thanks. i ended up ordering a set of those interchangeable lens glasses off of nashbar. came out to be around 25 bucks after tax/shipping/promo code.

i don't like wearing sun/safety glasses when i ride (which really is mostly at night) because of the aforementioned issues (fogging up, fit with helmet), but lately i've been commuting during the day and my old sunglasses don't cover all that much. i have used lab safety glasses in the past (i worked in a bio lab setting last year) but again, fit and fogging take away from the riding experience.

i'll see how the nashbar shades are when they arrive. in the meantime, i might head over to walmart or home depot to see if they have anything cheap and disposable and fit nicely.

http://zedomax.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/diy-bat-goggles.jpg


or:

http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/Motorcycle-Apparel/Motorcycle-Sunglasses/BCA2031AC-Bobster-Cruiser-2-Interchangeable-Goggles-Black-Frame-3-Lenses.jpg


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/Motorcycle-Apparel/Motorcycle-Sunglasses/BA001A-Bobster-Bugeye-Goggles-Black-Frame-Amber-Lens.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/Bobster-Bugeye-Goggles-Black-Frame-Amber-Lens.aspx&usg=__ntqq4evgkB_ueU8LMhjjxOZ1PFY=&h=300&w=300&sz=10&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=BOd7L5m-L5zI6M:&tbnh=116&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgoggles%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

Glasses are mandatory IMO. I don't ride a bike without them. Keeps debris out, helps keep my eyes from drying out so bad, and keeps them from watering so bad in the winter.

+1 - 100% mandatory. I wont ride without some sort of eye protection. Clear lenses at night.

I bought a pair of Optic Nerve sunglasses with photochromatic lenses- the funny thing is that only lens seemed to get dark. Since then, I've been wearing a pair of Walmart yellow safety glasses with a camo frame. Under $6, I think.

Glasses are mandatory IMO. I don't ride a bike without them. Keeps debris out, helps keep my eyes from drying out so bad, and keeps them from watering so bad in the winter.


+1 - 100% mandatory. I wont ride without some sort of eye protection. Clear lenses at night.


I wear shades (and gloves) on EVERY ride just for protection alone.

Cannot agree more with these statements. I've had far too many bugs clacking off my glasses this summer to ride without them. Come winter, I'll need something a bit better to keep my eyes from freezing.

Cannot agree more with these statements. I've had far too many bugs clacking off my glasses this summer to ride without them. Come winter, I'll need something a bit better to keep my eyes from freezing.

Same here. 1 giant gnat in the eye on the way to work and I always wear glasses now. Daytime sunglasses, nightime safety glasses, winter ski goggles.

Stop by a motorcycle shop, and they usually have a good selection of clear and tinted glasses that look like regular/sport glasses, but have foam padding that seal all around or partially around the lens where it meets your face.

+1. Actually, I got mine at Wal-Mart. No dust or bugs, and they "breathe" pretty well too, hardly ever fogging so far.

I agree w/ the other posters- esp on the multiple pairs ideas.
where I live it's foggy but I still need glasses to keep crap out of my eyes and my contacts dry (and less irritated). I really like the cheap Nashbar no-frame plastic glasses (http://preview.tinyurl.com/mfb6rm). They're only $10


Although... maybe I should look at getting some other frames like the other posters recommended as the Nashbar ones don't seem to last me more than a year ...

Cannot agree more with these statements. I've had far too many bugs clacking off my glasses this summer to ride without them. Come winter, I'll need something a bit better to keep my eyes from freezing.

I also agree with the same statements. I wear wrap around glasses all the time; at night I wear clear safety glasses, but not the cheap ones from Walmart, tried those and they made things slight blurry but really blurry trying to read the bike computer, so I got some good ones from Lowes and they cleared up the vision problem. I also always wear gloves and a helmet. When it comes to helmets though try to buy first white, white shows up really well against natural background colors plus it keeps you head a tad cooler; if you can't find white then yellow is your next best color; all other colors can blend into natural surroundings too easily; and then you can put on reflective tape for nightime usefulness.