Sunglasses for summer
 

Morning all,

I am new to this forum and wondered if anyone could help me with this question:
I am a keen bike rider and cycle to work and back every day. With the spring starting I wanted to buy myself a new pair of of sunglasses I could use not only for bike riding but for running as well. I was thinking of Oakleys like this one. There look great and thats the design I am after but I was wondering if anyone could suggest a brand which is cheaper with a decent quality but same style?

I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks so much!

Look at Rudy Project. I think they tend to be a little cheaper than Oakleys. I really like mine. (Horus, direct RX)

I always get the cheapest sunglasses I can find. Cycling, running, driving... they work for everything. Eventually, they get lost or broken. Either way, I replace with another cheap find and life goes on.

I used to have scroca's policy about sunglasses until I started having to wear eyeglasses for vision correction. I became much more aware of the value and fragile nature of glasses, mostly as a result of losing a pair, and breaking another. At any rate, I wear contact lenses now, but I always have some type of UVA/UVB eye protection for when I'm outside.

To the OP, I'm a big fan of the Native line of eyewear. http://www.nativeyewear.com/eyewear/sunglasses/list

2 main reasons:

1. Lifetime Warranty - I've had 2 issues with my first pair and they were taken care of seamlessly by the company
2. Interchangeable Lenses - this is really nice - you get varying degrees of transparency with a typical set of lenses - I wear the clear or yellow lenses for my dark commutes, switch to the orange ones on overcast days, and put the dark ones in for bright days.

3. Bonus - the dark lenses are polarized, which is a big plus for me as a flyfisherman

Are you looking Rx or non-Rx? Can get prescription wrap-arounds for ~$40-$60 for the frames at Costco; not precisely the same as the oakleys but not precisely the same price either.

It's amazing how relatively inexpensive Rx polarized shades are compared to 15-20 yrs ago

+1 on the cheap sunglasses. If you need sunglasses with reading magnifiers for us old folks with bike computers or Garmins, go to fishing section of Walmart and they sell nice wrap around polarized suglasses +1.50 to +2.50 correction for 14-18 bucks.

Dollar store. You'll find an awesome selection of cheap sunglasses.

I still vote Oakley's - to be frank. I've carried a cell phone, wallet and other important items for at least the last 22 years, I'm pretty sure I won't forget the $220 pair of sunglasses on my face/head.

In my experience, the odds of crushing them under a car hood, losing them, falling on my face and scratching them, somehow flinging them off into the ocean, getting in a fight with them on, is directly proportional to the expense of purchase.

The cheaper they are, the less chance of these things happening.

After playing around with a couple of cheap ones, I found that I prefer glasses with a yellowish tint, especially if riding when it's cloudy. I found the contrast better during those light conditions.

Tifosi is a pretty much recommended brand in the Roadie forum, i got some Paves with 3 sets of lenses (clear, smoke and red) and they are great. The only thing that i can say is that they doesn't follow my face profile as i'd like, but besides that, they are good, and pretty cheap.

Thanks guys! I really apprecaite your answers and help!
I guess I will get a cheap one so I wont have any problems or worries.
Thanks again.

Frequent deals at Performance and Bike Nashbar. Also occasionally some "hot deals" at Campmor

Did you mean to say inversely proportional?

+1000 I have been wearing Native shades for years, I have utilized the warranty 4 times in the last 8 years and only had to pay the $20 service charge once. 3 of the warranty claims were due to damage that I caused and the other was a part that failed after a year. I think the fact that I own a $110 pair of sunglasses forces me to take care of them and not damage or lose them.

If you're going the 'cheap' route, you might consider tinted safety glasses (Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes, pretty much anywhere has them for around $5-10) they tend to be tough, flexible, fit well under helmets and if you lose them, its no biggie. This is what I use for most of my riding (I also use clear for winter/night/etc...) -- I bought 10 pairs (mix of clear and tinted) from costco.com for around $32 including shipping...

That said - I prefer good sunglasses - they really do make a difference, and your eyes will know the difference. But they require more care and respect that I can always give them for commuting. Thus the cheapos.