DTownDave22

Do these types of lenses allow full light transmission at night and make proper adjustments for the light in varying conditions?

I guess I am just skeptical. I want more flexibility of when I can go riding and will likely be doing some more late evening/night riding than what I've been doing and I want protection for my eyes from both light, debris and wind.

So, I'm looking at some Rudy Project photochromic sunglasses, specifically the Noyz and Exowind models and checked some out at a nearby store today. I really like the fact that changing out lenses or changing glasses wouldn't be needed apparently though I'm skeptical like I said. The deterrant of price is much less of a factor, FYI with a helpful poste who shared a code for a percentage off, myseteriously it was his first and last post.

Any advice related to riding in light and night and keeping my eyes protected would be appreiciated but especially if you have experience with such lenses, even these specific models.

Thanks

Thirstyman

I have the ones from performance (may be the CAT1s) and they wrok surprisingly well from bright sun to past 9p on summer rides. The key is to look for the amount of light that they allow throught the lense. I think mine are 12-85% (if I recall correctly but could be higher) most don't allow enough light for use in low light and also adjust to be dark enough in the bright but those are fine. Don't buy glasseswith any less than 85% if you want to use them in low light. If I was planning to do extended night only rides I would get clear lenses.

WSKB

I've got the Specialized Half Times with yellow lenses and they're awesome. Great for daytime, just the right darkening, and good at night - pretty much the same riding without glasses at night. Having said that, usually when I'm riding at night I'm commuting so there's usually some artificial light about as well.

DTownDave22

I'm not doing night only rides though I should have specified that. I would like to do more evening rides with the last hour or more of my ride after sunset. Apparently Rudy Project's clear photochromic impactX lens lets in 20-78% of the light though they have lens that are transparent at 92% and not sure if they could be switched into the frame of the models I'm looking at though it appears so. I guess that large of a range is not in a lens that I've looked or they don't exist.

DigiK

I have no knowledge of Rudy Project gear, but do have extensive experience with Ski goggle lenses and also own a pair of Smith Polarchromic sunglasses which are both polarized and photochromic. If you're doing night and evening riding you'll want to start with a base lens coating that has a high enough transmittance value and increases contrast for evening/night use.

Furthermore, I can attest that the photo/polar chromic lenses do a great job of adjusting to varying degrees of brightness. My Smith glasses will exhibit localized darkened areas that correspond to hotspots or adjust the whole field of view. I would imagine though, that there is an upper limit to to the photochromic transition range; so you'll probably need to strike a balance between optimal night use with absolute tint darkness for extremely bright days. My Smiths are a probably close to the mid-grey in the Rudy Project but they are too dark for use after dusk. **Additionally, my Oakley hi-intensity persimmon lenses are just about the perfect balance for all-around night/day use. The only time I encounter issues is on the brightest, clear skiing days where there is a TON of reflected ambient light off the snow. You shouldn't encounter conditions this bright though unless you're riding your bike through a snowdrift due to low reflectivity values of asphault, dirt, foilage, etc. Try to approximate something like this lens to start with for your use.

Go to a store that sells the glasses you're interested in, and try to simulate the range of dark/bright conditions you would encounter to see which lens will suit you best-- darkened changing room to bright clear sky outside. At worst, you're looking at two optimized lenses if you're really particular.

Hope this helps!
-dave

johnny99

My photocromatic prescription glasses are perfectly clear indoors or at night. They do not get as dark as my regular sunglasses when outdoors, though. Some photocromatic lenses have an added tint so they can get as dark as regular sunglasses, but they don't get perfectly clear in dark conditions.

MONGO!

Specialized adaptalite lenses are great for this.

urbanknight

Agreeing with ThirstyMan, it depends on each individual model as the light transmission varies. I also have a pair of Cat-1 sunglasses, and I love them for my commute because I start in the black of night and ride away from the sunrise, and then my return home is in the bright afternoon sun. They don't darken things like normal dark sunglasses, but it's enough to keep the glare and brightness down enough for my sensitve eyes. They do darken the night just a tad, but not enough to worry about, especially since I use a rather bright headlight.

ColorChange

I used to be in the photochromic business so you're in my wheelhouse. I have Rudy Project Rydon prescription photochromic lenses and it's probably the best piece of kit for my bike. Love them.

You really want to stick with Transitions photochromic coatings as it's quite the best. It has a very high transmittance (clear at night) and gets darker than most others during the day: not as dark as sunglasses but dark enough that you won't be bothered by the sun.

Riding is a great use for them. Many people buy them hoping they won't need sunglasses for regular use and they don't perfrom well in cars because many cars have UV absorbing glass that will not allow the glasses to darken much. Outdoors, they work great.

nitropowered

I've got a pair of Oakley Jawbone Photochromatics (VR50 lens) and it works well in all conditions. I originally bought them for mountain biking but its become my everyday sunglasses. It won't truly replace a real dark lens or a clear/yellow lens but its very close.

Most manufacturers list light transmission of their lenses so take a look at the range on the photochromatic and the transmission on your ideal dark lens and ideal low light lens.

mcoomer

I have Specialized Arc II's and ride with them at night. I wish that they were a bit darker in bright sunlight but they're good until it's nearly full dark and then if I'm riding with my HID I can just turn that on and keep rolling.

bwunger

I have the Oakley Photochromatic Radars with the VR50 lens and my experience is the same. I use them for 95% of my riding and they work great. That 95% includes early morning riding by headlight on my commute. The 5% are those bright summer days where I know it's going to be sunny all ride I just stick with some dark polarized lenses.

SpongeDad

My problem with photochromatics is going in and out of bright light / shadows. They really don't transition fast enough. This is aggravated by the fact that I need prescription lenses, so it's not like I can simply move the glasses out of the way when I'm in the shade.

ColorChange

Sponge, and you regular sunglasses do? I don't quite understand the point unless you're saying you wish they were faster. They are certainly better than normal lenses.

SpongeDad

They're only better than normal lenses if we're talking about dark normal lenses. For riding, I generally only use light or untinted prescription lenses and avoid the problem of quick light/dark transitions that way.

I get that the benefit for photochromatics is that you can have a lens that gets significantly darker or lighter, as needed. This works fine for me for some things - I have photochromatic sunglasses that I use when skiing. Doesn't work for me when it comes to cycling though.