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Sunglasses - Polarized yay or nay for cycling?

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Sunglasses - Polarized yay or nay for cycling?

Old 02-20-19, 12:01 AM
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WOW! Blast from the past. A thread from 2006.
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Old 02-20-19, 12:10 AM
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I'm using circularly-polarized lenses.
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Old 02-20-19, 12:13 AM
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I wear these ...

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Old 02-20-19, 12:32 AM
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We!l, if 13 y.o. threads pop up, nice challenge to add something new.

I am mildly colorblind, a condition that is made worse by either green or brown tinted sunglasses. I mention this because of one very dangerous effect of that-- if I wear those color sunglasses, I can't tell whether the green or red light is lit up. It's a bit of a problem at intersections.

I don't have the problem with gray sunglasses.

I mention this because it's quite possible to not be aware of being mildly colorblind, and I only found out about the stoplight thing by dangerous experience.
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Old 02-20-19, 12:45 AM
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I had a similar problem with the glasses I used to wear under my motor helmet. I liked amber lenses for early morning when it wasn’t bright enough for full tint, but I still wanted to cut down on the glare.

I kept getting caught by traffic lights that changed to red ‘out of nowhere’ and couldn’t figure out why. After the 3rd or 4th time I realized that this was a pattern and not just me not paying attention.
i was waiting for a left turn arrow to clear, and when it turned yellow, it had no color. The glasses were the same shade as the yellow signal, and when it changed, I couldn’t see it.
Those glasses were great for trails, since they really made the reds and greens pop, especially in low light, but never wore them on the street again.
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Old 02-20-19, 01:00 AM
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Polarized turned my bike computer display black while I wore them. My cell was a displeasure to use. Gladly not using polarized now for that reason.
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Old 02-20-19, 02:13 AM
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I used to do a form of competition (not cycling) where polarized sunglasses very effectively deleted key information - sailboat racing on San Fransisco Bay with its often race defining tides and currents. The water surface was the key to reading both wind and current. I briefly went to polarized glasses. Quickly became apparent I was getting a lot of fascinating information re: the world of the fish but zero on what the wind was doing to the water surface. Retired those (brand new) glasses to a life of cycling only and ordered up some very expensive prescription Vaurnets (mirrored, gradient-ed density but no polarizing! Best racing sailing glasses I have ever worn.

Ben
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Old 02-20-19, 02:52 AM
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The story I heard about polarized for cycling was shaded or dim areas, (under trees, low shrubs, etc.), stuff bordering roadways in other words...lost even more details visually. Just exactly where small critters are going to intersect your travel path from. Info I had on the topic...
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of polarized lenses. My go to in just about every situation except for low light conditions is a brown. Like a Serengeti Driver Series. Find details sharp, and less tiring to view thru for extended periods than anything else. I do believe that lens color and type is somewhat physiological thing. I have a buddy that feels as strongly about greens as I do browns. Green to me is especially tiring and will ultimately give me a headache.
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Old 02-20-19, 05:40 AM
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I ride with polarized all the time. I've never had a problem with them.
Otherwise, I pick up safety glasses whenever I am in getting welding glasses. They fit well and some in varying shades. Plus they are only about $3.00 a pair.
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Old 02-20-19, 05:58 AM
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Originally Posted by robncircus
So I'm in the market for a new pair of sunglasses….

I mentioned that I like them polarized and the sales person said that polarized are actually dangerious for cycling due to the fact they block glare which could potentially make a cyclist miss water, ice, etc... on the road.

I have never heard of this before but I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were? I will always used polarized while driving but now I wonder if I need another pair for cycling.

Discuss.
Zombie thread from 2006, as noted by @Doctor Morbius
Originally Posted by Doctor Morbius
WOW! Blast from the past. A thread from 2006.
re-awoken by @jansolotravel10 (newbie) 2/20/19.


Nonetheless, here’s my 2 cents.
Originally Posted by wedgeSG
The story I heard about polarized for cycling was shaded or dim areas, (under trees, low shrubs, etc.), stuff bordering roadways in other words...lost even more details visually.

Just exactly where small critters are going to intersect your travel path from. Info I had on the topic...
I have not worn polarizing lenses, but I do have the self darkening photochromic lenses on my prescription eyeglasses.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
I have posted I don't like them, and I wear my non-tinted glasses when riding in bright sunlight. I never wore sunglasses anyways before I got them. I find they diminish contrast on bright days.

In particular when riding into the sun, I especially lose contrast when looking into my rearview mirror
. I think it's because my pupils constrict even with the photochromes on, yet the lenses are already darkened.

My preference is for a billed baseball cap under my helmet.
Also, as a pet peeve on Bike Forums,
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
...BTW, IMHO ending an OP with the single line, "Discuss." is imperious and arrogant...Just sayin'.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 02-20-19 at 07:21 AM.
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Old 02-20-19, 07:14 AM
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I have found that blue block polaroid sun glasses are the best.
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Old 02-20-19, 08:36 AM
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I don't know anything about the glasses sold on the site, but this is a pretty good test for colorblindness--a lot of people aren't aware they have it, so not a bad thing to check out before you choose sunglasses:

https://enchroma.com/pages/test

I didn't know I had it until I was in my 20s--mild color blindness is not something you'd likely notice until it either was picked up by testing or you missed an important visual cue---nothing that isn't gray appears gray to me, for example. It's a matter of lowered contrasts.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:37 AM
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My other hobby is racing sailboats. On the water, polarized lenses are an absolute must. Things can hide in the glare off the water and you need polarized lenses to see them. Now, on the bike, it really doesn't matter in my experience. I just wear regular non-polarized biking glasses and never have felt the need for polarization while I ride.

One thing about polarized lenses: they can make looking at LCD displays difficult. The GPS on our boat has a LCD display and I have to hold my head a certain way to read it -- kinda a pain. Never tried it, but I bet my Element Bolt would be hard to read with polarized lenses.

Last edited by JasonD67; 02-20-19 at 09:41 AM.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:43 AM
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Always polarized. Always. Every pair of sunglasses that I own - and I own a lot of them - are polarized. I don't know if it's been marketing hype but I firmly believe polarized lenses protect your eyes more so than standard lenses. I have never had any issues of not being able to see in shade or see my bike computer. For me, polarized lenses are always worth the extra money.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by wgscott
I'm using circularly-polarized lenses.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:56 AM
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Originally Posted by JasonD67
One thing about polarized lenses: they can make looking at LCD displays difficult. The GPS on our boat has a LCD display and I have to hold my head a certain way to read it -- kinda a pain. Never tried it, but I bet my Element Bolt would be hard to read with polarized lenses.
I have always avoided polarized glasses for that reason.
But I have one polarized pair (Ray-Ban Aviators), only because I found them along a bike path one day.
I carry them on the (motor)bike to wear at rest stops when I take off the helmet (which has built in sun visor).
It is really annoying looking at my iPhone, because they make the screen purple when oriented one way, then green after a 90-degree rotation.
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Old 02-20-19, 10:39 AM
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
I used to do a form of competition (not cycling) where polarized sunglasses very effectively deleted key information - sailboat racing on San Fransisco Bay with its often race defining tides and currents. The water surface was the key to reading both wind and current. I briefly went to polarized glasses. Quickly became apparent I was getting a lot of fascinating information re: the world of the fish but zero on what the wind was doing to the water surface. Retired those (brand new) glasses to a life of cycling only and ordered up some very expensive prescription Vaurnets (mirrored, gradient-ed density but no polarizing! Best racing sailing glasses I have ever worn.

Ben
Originally Posted by JasonD67
My other hobby is racing sailboats. On the water, polarized lenses are an absolute must. Things can hide in the glare off the water and you need polarized lenses to see them. Now, on the bike, it really doesn't matter in my experience. I just wear regular non-polarized biking glasses and never have felt the need for polarization while I ride.

One thing about polarized lenses: they can make looking at LCD displays difficult. The GPS on our boat has a LCD display and I have to hold my head a certain way to read it -- kinda a pain. Never tried it, but I bet my Element Bolt would be hard to read with polarized lenses.
Make up your minds guys.

I use paranoid lenses.
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Old 02-20-19, 04:13 PM
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I just have transitions lenses in my glasses, so polarized is kind of out of the question. However, I've never felt like I needed polarized sunglasses while riding. While fishing, on the other hand, I've had polarized slip-on sunglasses for my glasses which helped me see under the water.
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Old 02-20-19, 05:59 PM
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Did this zombie thread get resurrected by a shill?

Anyway, polarized lenses are a must for me when the ground is damp or reflecting a lot of light and I'm riding into the sun (exactly the conditions on my commute). The glare is unmanageable otherwise. No issues seeing my phone or Garmin 520 displays.

I've started using Oakley Prizm lenses, which offer glare reduction even on the non-polarized options, and they're fine under other conditions, but it took a single ride into the A.M. sun using the Road Prizm lens for me to pick up a Daily Prizm polarized lens.
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Old 02-20-19, 06:37 PM
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Yea!
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Old 02-20-19, 07:41 PM
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When the sun shines here in Northern Ohio (which is rare this time of year), I wear Polarized sunglasses with a brown or yellow tone, vs gray. Brown tones are easier on the eyes, and also provide better contrast/definition. I have brown-lensed Polarized sunglasses in every vehicle, AND hanging on the helmet straps of all of the bikes that I commonly ride....
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Old 02-20-19, 07:46 PM
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I've used both polarized and non polarized while riding in sunny So Calif, I prefer polarized, it cuts more of the reflected light off the pavement and my eyes don't feel as tired after a ride. I also like the polarized when I'm on water too.

Also color is important, I prefer brown tint when cycling, details are sharper I think. I know some websites say bronze (or amber) is better for cycling but brown is a bit darker and my eyes are sensitive to sunlight more than perhaps most, so I prefer brown. On foggy or hazy days I swap out my lens for yellow which I also use at night. Some people like gray when cycling, but I didn't like gray even though it more accurately represented color it muted things too much for my taste, however on the water I prefer the gray because it's a bit darker than brown.

Anyway all the above is just my opinion, doesn't really mean much I guess since I'm no expert in this sort of thing
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Old 02-20-19, 09:04 PM
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I love polarized on the bike. I even love polarized driving, even though I can hardly see my speedometer.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Nachoman
I love polarized on the bike. I even love polarized driving, even though I can hardly see my speedometer.
The only issue I have with Polarized glasses is certain LCD displays, like those found at gas pumps, I have to take the glasses off to read them, but my Sigma bike computer is LCD and I can read it just fine, and I have no problems with my car gauges but those aren't LCD. Not sure why some LCD I can read but others I can't.
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Old 02-20-19, 09:59 PM
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Originally Posted by greatscott
The only issue I have with Polarized glasses is certain LCD displays, like those found at gas pumps, I have to take the glasses off to read them, but my Sigma bike computer is LCD and I can read it just fine, and I have no problems with my car gauges but those aren't LCD. Not sure why some LCD I can read but others I can't.
Some LCDs are very good polarizing filters, so if the light comes out as X-polarized, and your glasses are Y-polarized, you won't be able to read the LCD (unless you turn it, or your head, 90°).
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