Spectacles - does cycling damage them?
 

Can sweat from cycling and indoor cycling ruin a metal framed spectacles? I"ve asked my optician he said it should be fine - especially as mine is titanium. I read that sweat is actually very corrosive - I recall seeing incredible holes in aluminium handlebars from sweating cycling on an indoor trainer.

Does a plastic frame spectacles fare any better against sweat?

I've got no opinion on the sweat question, but I will tell you about a member of our riding group who always wore his metal-framed eyeglasses. One day he had a nasty crash and was knocked unconscious. When we got to him, he was bleeding from the face...After a couple minutes, we figured out that his glasses frames had broken, and a sharp piece of the metal had impaled his cheek, right near his eye.

At the hospital, they called in an ophthalmic surgeon to remove the glasses, since they were embedded close to his optic nerve - which, thankfully, was not damaged.

My experience has been YES, some eyeglass frames and frame parts are damaged by prolonged contact with sweat. I try to rinse mine off with clean water after a ride or other activity that gets them coated with sweat.

I would say a lot depends on the quality of the frames. A Titanium frame should be relatively corrosion resistant. A lot of the less expensive frames are plated brass or brass-soldered, which is much more reactive.

I switched over to (extended-wear) contact lenses many years ago, but always wear plastic-framed sport glasses on the bike, for wind and debris protection. Sunglasses during the day, and light/clear shields during bad weather or at night.

Plastic or metal, it wouldn't hurt to give them a good soap-and-water rinse, then blow dry on a regular basis, to eliminate the salts, oils and other stuff that builds up over time.

Are they metal? (You tell me)

Does your sweat contain water and salt? (The answer is yes)

Then yes. Sweat CAN rust the metal frames. Plastic frames? No problem. Just wipe them down so you don't get a nasty sweaty residue build up because...ew.

Metal...they are probably painted and/or clear coated or are stainless steel. So they should be fine if you sweat on them then wipe them off when you're done and clean them regularly. Wipe them down when you're done riding for the same reason as plastic, and by doing so you remove the moisture and salt that will speed up corrosion.

The craftsman who built my custom ti frame told me I could dip in the ocean and it would not be harmed, so I think you will be fine.


But...There is the issue of damaging your eyes and/or face if you crash wearing lenses that are not shatter-proof and metal frames which could more easily pierce you. It can happen with sports glasses (I have seen it), but it's less likely.

As the OP notes, his frames are ti. Shouldn't be a problem.

IME, yes sweat CAN eventually damage glasses. Surface treatment might start to flake, even plastics can become matted.
There's nothing special about cycling sweat WRT any other kind of sweat.

Just checked over my prescription glasses that I've worn for well over 100,000 miles of riding and don't see any evidence of damage. They're metal frames but I'm not sure of the material. They were one of zenni's better frames - cost almost $20 for frames&lenses.

Titanium eyeglass frames.. It is very corrosion resistant .. because the metal is flexible they can be made without temple hinges.. (& screws to lose)

But you may like wrap around sport glasses with prescription lens inserts...








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I went with Oakley RX frames as they seem to be a better fit for active sports then my standard every day glasses.

For Road cycling I've found the Prizm Road lenses to be pretty amazing in broad daylight for cycling.

I can't distinguish what's normal wear damage vs sweat damage on my glasses. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I think they probably have it figured out to some degree. It isn't as if sweating is a new phenomenon nor are eyeglasses. I would imagine lots of other things are going to go wrong with your glasses before sweat renders them unwearable.

I've had scratches accumulate on lens of glasses worn while riding until they need to be replaced, but I've never had to replace metal frames because of corrosion.

seems plastic would be better and lighter

Yes, over time the metal frames I've had do corrode from sweat/salt exposure. I rinse mine in fresh water after rides/runs, etc...but they eventually corrode anyway. Mine are lowest bidder mil issue, however, not titanium.

Don't have Ti, but yes, metal frames do corrode but that doesn't affect them until the nose pads fall off. Even then they work OK in my experience.

scott s.
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Mine don't and I'm a pretty profuse sweater.

Lots of bulldust in this thread, and it looks like most of it is from people who don't ride with specs.

I'm as blind as a bat without glasses, so they are always on my face. I have to live with the rotten things which is a bloody sight different to those who buy expensive sunglasses because they imagine they help their cycling/life/fashion/whatever.
I don't bother about them very much except to try to keep the lenses clean - not always possible with sweat or oil or any of the other zillion things we seem to cop in our faces. Anyone who genuinely lives with glasses will tell you that sometimes, nothing will get them clean and, when out on a ride, sweat is the worst of the lot.
My glasses frames last for years, far longer than the optometrists would like to see them last for the simple reason that I can not afford to keep changing glasses every time time the fashion industry dictates something different. I typically get five years or more out of a set of lenses and frames, and that is with riding almost daily and from a person who sweats like blazes, even in cold weather. The ONLY time I've seen a deterioration in frames was from metal fatigue, never from sweat related corrosion.

So, will sweat affect your glasses?
Probably, but it's not a problem, especially if you're someone who likes new glasses every twelve months or so. Just ignore them and replace them when they don't give you the clear vision you need.

Titanium tubing for bicycles originally came from the chemical industry. Titanium is used because it is inert to most chemicals and highly reactive materials that will corrode through other, less exotic pipe. It stands up to hydrochloric acid, aqua regia (which is hydrochloric acid with nitric acid added and will rip through most metals) and, most importantly for your question, sea water. Not too many other metals will take that kind of abuse.

Bottom line: They'll be fine.

Titanium or plastic or whatnot frame material.. The smallest piece in eyeglass construction, and therefore the soonest to fail from corrosion, would be the teeny tiny screws/pins that the hinged arms rotate on.. and it's likely most folks don't know for sure what material their eyeglasses use for these.

After doing a faceplant on pavement wearing a nice pair of Carrera metal frames, I made the switch to plastic frames. Mine are made by Liberty from Lenscrafters. The old metal frames cut a chunk out of my face and left a deep scratch 1/4" from my eyeball. I haven't pavement tested the plastic frames, but they have to be better than metal vs. skin. Back when I did wear metal frames, never saw any corrosion problems, and I'm a heavy sweater (?).
The zip tie in the picture was temporary due to a broken mirror support.

Regarding injuries from metal framed eyeglasses: it happens with plastic frames, too. I had glasses with nylon frames (specifically designed for sports), got into a crash on my bike, the frames broke and I ended up with 70+ stitches (3 layers) above my right eye. Fortunately, most of the scar is in my eyebrow, so it isn't really noticeable.

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My daily glasses have metal frames and my wrap around sunglasses are plastic. I've never had a problem with either being damaged by sweat. I can't imagine how much you would have to sweat and how long you would have to leave the sweat on your glasses to cause a problem.

A big +1!!


I've covered 167,512 km over the past 28 years of cycling wearing metal framed prescription glasses and I've never once worried about or been affected by sweat corrosion.

I've gotten similar mileage out of my glasses as well, except for one case where a (not cheap) pair just kinda melted where the arms hit the ear. Outside of weird incidents like that I doubt OP would have any problems running whatever glasses he has.

That said, I've got a set of prescription Oakley sunglasses with transition lenses that are freaking amazing.