bykemike 

Try this (I do) Next time you are in a restaurant tell them you think you left a pair of sunglasses there a week or so ago. Usually they hand you a box of recovered glasses...pick one that fits!

aadhils

Yep

miamimike

Go to your local CVS or Walgreen Pharmacy where they carry the "As Seen on TV" Products(sometimes they have these located in the Optical Dept. These Sunglasses are a wrap-a-round style and the come with a built in factory prescription ranging from 1.75 to 2.50(approx) They run around $10. I have two pair and they work fine for rides or other outdoor activities and have great peripheal protection.

Booger1

I hope your Ray-Bans are not Wayfarers (blues brothers style)because they quit making that model.

enine

What makes sunglasses bike specific, is there anything? Reason I asked is I thought about getting some but if I can use for more than just biking then thats easier on the budget. For example I see safety sunglasses at lowes and home depot so I could use them when maiing sawdust in the backyard and while biking instead of having a pair for each. Or buy a pair for shooting glasses and use for three things.

AdamDZ

I lose glasses or break them so $160 is way too freaking much. I buy $50 Tifosi photochromatic transition shades - they work great, kind of like the ones that cyclist2000 linked to in the 2nd post. I owned Specialized sunglasses once (lost them...) and they'd structurally stronger than Tifosi but otherwise they work the same IMHO.

zac

As for bike specific:
1) I would say most important is the ability to not obstruct your forward view when you are in the drops. Having a good clear unobstructed field of view out of the top of the glasses.
2) The ability to stay up on the bridge of your nose without creeping down while you are sweating and/or riding. (see number 1)
3) Hydrophobic lenses or whatever they are called. Getting sweat or rain across the lens while going 20+ mph is no fun.
4) Having ear pieces that are comfortable, grip well and stay put. Whether you wear your glasses over your straps or under, some glasses dig in and they hurt after a while. Having to constantly readjust them is a pain in the ass too.
5) Lenses that don't distort your vision. I love the fact my Tifosi's are optically distortion free and very clear. I am sure that many other good sunglasses do the same thing too.

I'm sure there are other things that are relevant too, but those are the big ones for me.

corkscrew

Bleh! My budget doesn't support such spending when I can't manage to keep sunglasses around long enough to justify the cost.

If my one pair of $15 gas station polarized glasses makes it through the summer, I'm pretty happy. I use hardware store safety glasses for dark riding, which are equally replaceable if lost/broken.

Rotty

My Tifosi Tyrant Photochromic Sunglasses arrived yesterday, and I got a chance to use them today. Was cloudy though and the sun didn't break through completely so I could test the glasses out effectively. I can say that visibility is great even in the shade. Got use to them real quick. When I first wore them the middle nose area was annoying me because I could see the black of the frame. After a few minutes of riding I couldn't notice it.
Thanks to cyclist2000 for the tip and the feedback on them by others, plus the tips on looking for a good cycling specific glasses.

clink83

This isn't true at all. Quality sunglasses have both UV and UVB protection, while many cheap ones don't. Quality sunglasses have tapered lenses so they don't distort your vision, cheap ones don't. The optical quality and clarity on good sunglasses is light years better than cheap ones. Sunglasses are as important to eye health as sunscreen is to skin health, they are not a place to go cheap.

colombo357

$160 is not enough. $200 is the minimum I'll pay for sunglasses. Any less and I don't feel rich and elite.

LVRider

If you have any buddies in law enforcement, they can get you Oakleys for $60-$80.

serra

Haha $160 for glasses? Why? I got a pair with 4 lenses for ~$40. What more do you get for the extra $120? Laser cannons? Don't those mp3 player glasses cost less than this? Get a reasonably priced pair and a new pair of shorts or something.