Non Prescription Sunglasses
#27
Newbie
first question is, imo: Do you have any specific "special" conditions you frequent, that would benefit from various sunglasses features?
A few decades back, i used to be out in the sunshine several days per week doing various activities. Often around water, so glare could be extreme. Occasionally in windy/dusty conditions. Occasionally in alpine/snow conditions where the lighting needs can be different. I felt some of these features to be of benefit:
A few decades back, i used to be out in the sunshine several days per week doing various activities. Often around water, so glare could be extreme. Occasionally in windy/dusty conditions. Occasionally in alpine/snow conditions where the lighting needs can be different. I felt some of these features to be of benefit:
- 100% uva/uvb protection -- a #1 feature for me, irrespective of any other nicety
- increased contrast -- depending on activity (ie, snow visibility, when snow skiing, or roadway/impediment visiblity when cycling)
- polarized lenses -- for clarity, reduced eye strain
- anti-glare coatings -- for clarity, reduced eye strain
- wrap-around frame/lens -- to help keep the worst of dust/grit out
- "transitions" brightness changing -- useful, but not vital, though can allow for one pair to be used both indoors and out
- easily-replaced lenses -- useful if doing many activities in very bright sunlight, then various other activities in overcast, less-bright conditions, allowing me to simply swap-in the "other" set for the day
#28
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I prefer a brand that makes a full reader lens instead of the too small panel at the bottom of the lens. It makes it easier to read the items I have attached to the stem without having to tilt my head back so far.
#29
Senior Member
I’ve been wearing Oakley Juliets since the late 90’s. They are not bad looking, extremely durable (they’re made of titanium), and there are lots of lens options. They are also a good investment, a used pair now sells for about double what they were when they were new.
For myself, I like polarized lenses. They limit, or eliminate road glare and glare on your windshield when driving. The only negative is that they make it hard to see HUD displays (if your car has one), and certain phone and video screens can be made harder to see. Oddly, I find that they seem brighten the screen on my Wahoo Element Roam cycling computer.
I don’t prefer any particular lens color, except when skiing, where certain lens colors can make it hard to see variations in the snow.
For myself, I like polarized lenses. They limit, or eliminate road glare and glare on your windshield when driving. The only negative is that they make it hard to see HUD displays (if your car has one), and certain phone and video screens can be made harder to see. Oddly, I find that they seem brighten the screen on my Wahoo Element Roam cycling computer.
I don’t prefer any particular lens color, except when skiing, where certain lens colors can make it hard to see variations in the snow.
#30
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Oakley lenses are the best, but the thickness of many Oakley frames partially obscure forward vision when riding in a lower, aero position. I prefer the lightweight oversize frameless POC Elicit when road riding. They have Carl Zeiss lenses which have excellent clarity with enhanced contrast.
#31
don't try this at home.
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I don't require readers. For close up viewing, I have a pair of reading glasses.
I would like a pair that blocks the glare and provides protection from wind and such things as blown sand. I am thinking of ones that get dark because they would be usable if it becomes cloudy. I don't know how well they work however. I would think that gray would be the best color.
I would like a pair that blocks the glare and provides protection from wind and such things as blown sand. I am thinking of ones that get dark because they would be usable if it becomes cloudy. I don't know how well they work however. I would think that gray would be the best color.
My Rudy Project glasses have interchangeable lenses, and I have a clip-in prescription insert behind the lens.
The old photochromic lens from many years ago was okay, but the newer ones (probably 5 years old by now) are astonishing. I have ones that go from slightly tinted to very dark, suitable for sunny noon riding and very usable after sunset. Their website says 9% light transmission (very dark) to 74% transmission. They take maybe 30 seconds to go dark, but minutes to lighten up, not quite fast enough to walk into a dark store and have them be all the way lightened.
Looking at the lenses, they still appear dark on cloudy days, but that's fine. When wearing them, I don't notice anything looking "dark". It needs quite low light to get toward the clear mode.
Expensive, but nice. I used to swap to clear for night rides, yellow for dark, gloomy thick clouds days, and photochromic. The photochromic stay on most all the time now.
They
#32
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I have polarized sunglasses, and for cycling, they cause more problems than they solve. Half the time I can't read my GPS without tilting my head to the side to "de-polarize" its surface. They do cut glare in certain places, but not enough that you will miss having polarization. It's a game-changer for fisherman, but not cyclists.
Get something that fits tightly to your face, so it keep more wind out of your eyes. I have a set of Wynd glasses from Amazon that I like for this. Only problem with them is that they completely block peripheral vision, so if you don't have a good mirror, they're bad news. The Wynd glasses I have have yellow lenses, so they don't dim down sunlight much, but it somehow makes the sunlight easier on the eyes. Then, when it gets dark, they seem to make things look brighter.
Get something that fits tightly to your face, so it keep more wind out of your eyes. I have a set of Wynd glasses from Amazon that I like for this. Only problem with them is that they completely block peripheral vision, so if you don't have a good mirror, they're bad news. The Wynd glasses I have have yellow lenses, so they don't dim down sunlight much, but it somehow makes the sunlight easier on the eyes. Then, when it gets dark, they seem to make things look brighter.
#33
Full Member
Another vote here for the Oakley M-Frame. They've been my dad's go-to favorite anything outdoors for decades now. I used them for a long time as well until I switched to the Oakley Fives-squared, but that was only because they fit better in a motorcycle helmet. A bicycle helmet doesn't enclose the face on the sides so the sections near the temples where they stick out a bit isn't an issue when biking.
My dad has been in a similar boat as the OP for the entire time I've been alive, that is he can see fine when doing daily activities but needs reading glasses for up close. So, he just carries reading glasses for when he needs them. When on the bike, he can manage without so he leaves them at home.
They're available in both folding and non-folding frames. The rubber on the sides and nose piece prevent it from sliding around. They wrap around pretty far and don't distort near the edges. Lenses are easy to swap and many different colors and shades are made, polarized and non-polarized. I find moderately dark polarized works just fine for me. The polarizing does obscure a small corner on my cycling computer but nothing I pay much mind to, it's not a GPS so all I'm missing out on is the tenths of a MPH for my speed and I can even kind of read that.
This is all, of course, if you're not someone who tends to lose or break their glasses. Oakley's are not cheap.
My dad has been in a similar boat as the OP for the entire time I've been alive, that is he can see fine when doing daily activities but needs reading glasses for up close. So, he just carries reading glasses for when he needs them. When on the bike, he can manage without so he leaves them at home.
They're available in both folding and non-folding frames. The rubber on the sides and nose piece prevent it from sliding around. They wrap around pretty far and don't distort near the edges. Lenses are easy to swap and many different colors and shades are made, polarized and non-polarized. I find moderately dark polarized works just fine for me. The polarizing does obscure a small corner on my cycling computer but nothing I pay much mind to, it's not a GPS so all I'm missing out on is the tenths of a MPH for my speed and I can even kind of read that.
This is all, of course, if you're not someone who tends to lose or break their glasses. Oakley's are not cheap.
#34
Grupetto Bob
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If you ride in variable light conditions - clouds, sun, gray - dark - I would highly recommend photochromic lenses. No switching lenses back and forth based on light conditions - a lens that does all well. I have two pair and love them.
Congrats on your corrected vision. Good stuff.
Congrats on your corrected vision. Good stuff.
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