blindbat

Does anyone have any experience with Oakley jackets (Valve specifically) for riding?

I just got contacts after a long and depressing search for prescription sunglasses (my prescription is so high that nothing with wrap, and hence good protection, could be found). I love the close fit of the Valves but there is no telling until your screaming downhill at 37 mph if they provide good "protection."

Ive tried the Smith BuzzSaws at speed and while they do provide protection, there seems to be a constant flow of air across the eyes. It was disconcerting at first but didnt seem to cause any harm. In retrospect maybe that flow was a good thing?

I want a pair of sunglasses that I can wear in general and then provide that extra ooomph when riding. Rather than have my riding sunglasses and my "this occasion" sunglasses, Id rather just have sunglasses. Any comments, anecdotal or from experience, much appreciated.

bb

FFinestTrekie

I have Oakley half-jackets but I don't wear them for riding. Lately it hasn't been sunny enough to warrant for the black lenses I have and replacement lenses are $40 so I just ordered a pair of Performance Athenas from Performance Bikes that are made for smaller faces and come with three different color lenses. And sense they're from a bicycling company, I would think they would provide good protection. Don't get me wrong, the Oakleys are great glasses, but they're too expensive (even though I got them as a gift) to risk being blown off and to get the replacement lenses you could just as well buy a pair of glasses made for biking and that comes with three different replacement lenses.

velo

I know plenty of people who ride with the Oakley Jackets. You don't have to worry about them "blowing off"; they fit very snuggly.

I, myself, ride Oakley M-Frames, which don't fit as close to the face as the Jackets, and I hardly ever feel any airflow between the glasses and my face. You don't have to worry about your contacts drying out from wind. Mine never have, and I haven't heard anybody else complain about it, either, who wear Oakleys.

MI_rider

I have the Straight Jackets and I also wear contacts. I don't know specifically about the valve jackets you are wearing but they look pretty similiar. The Straight Jackets provide great protection for me. Mine would never blow off and there is only a minimal airflow behind the glasses. I don't think it would be enough to cause problems with contact lenses. However I sometimes ride without any glasses on and still don't have problems with my contacts. I would not go on a two hour ride without them but for short rides I don't have a problem with the contacts.

Jason T. Martin

I wear Oakley jalf jackets. Been wearing them since they first came out. I ride a lot and they have never come off while I have been riding or racing and this incudes a couple of crashes...I swear by them...jtm

ohsfan

I have a pair of both the Straight Jackets and the M Frames. Both provide great wind (and light) protection while riding.

I've been using the M Frames more often because they feel a tad bit more secure on the face because of the rubber nose piece. I also use them for other sports like softball and golf while I use the Straight Jackets for everyday wear. I recently bought a clear lens for riding on cloudy days. (I wear contacts too!)

I think you'll be fine using your Valves for riding.

blindbat

Ok after riding with the BuzzSaws for a pretty long ride in the hills they started to hurt my temples. Good coverage but sore temples is not acceptable.

So I went out and got the Valves... man they look cool. My wife says I look like a spy and all the neighborhood kids are jealous.

I went on two test rides and here are the results:

The first ride was in the hills and a beautiful day. A little more airflow than the Buzzsaws and Im pretty convinced that the air flow makes your eyes naturally water so the contacts really fall into place nicely (I have torics and they have to fall right). The best vision I've had so far is while riding. Then the big test. As Im riding I feel "rain" but its a beautiful day. I look down and I am absolutely covered with these greasy black bugs. My arms, jersey, helmet, hair, glasses (but not eyes) are covered. Im disgusted and wipe off my arms. But pass through about 4 or 5 more of these "rain" clouds. Finally I get to an open area (open from trees) and there are about 20 other bikers stopped wiping themselves off. I take the glasses off and they are covered but nothing in my eyes. So far so good.

Things I notice about the Valves: the optics are stunning. It was just a perception I had but it seems to be borne out by some actual testing (see https://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/eyewear.htm). The other thing I notice is that the glasses dont seem to have presence on my head or temples. After 3 hours I still couldnt feel the temples and the nose padding kept them glued to my face with no slippage.

The second ride was blisteringly hot on about 30 miles of flat road. I averaged 22 mph. The pace kept a good wind blowing in my face, nice airflow around eyes. No crud or anything getting in. Again the airflow seemed to wet the eyes perfectly and the contacts really fell into place. Again stunning optics and great adhesion to face with no presence (I really like that). I got to a bike shop where I wanted a spare tube. I sat around and chatted with a guy. Due to stopping and not having the 90 degree wind blowing past me I really started to sweat (from being so warm). Sweat was dripping down my forehead and into my eyebrows. The nose grippers really held well and the glasses did not slip a bit.

On the way back I stopped for dinner with the family at Whole Foods and it got kinda late. The Iridium Black lenses only transmit 9% of the available light so it looked a lot darker than it was. Still it was getting dark and the bugs were out in full force. Riding at about 17 mph back I felt a bug hit me every second (or there abouts) and nothing got in my eyes. By the time I got home, I was very buggy but my eyes were fine (albeit very confused about the amount of light; it seemed night had fallen when in reality there was still light)

In conclusion:

The optics are absolutely stunning
The coverage is good but not as good as bigger glasses
- the smaller glasses make them more rounded as all purpose glasses (Im rationalizing)
The way they fit on my face is very good, no temple presence at all and the nose grips very well even in extreme heat with a lot of sweat
Im worried about scratching them as they are obscenely expensive.
They are very dark which is good for the bright days but not good for twilight riding (you can almost look directly in the sun which of course I would never do)
They are darker and more glare reducing than my clip-on polarized lenses
The neighborhood kids are jealous and the neighborhood women love them

So all in all, Im returning the Buzzsaws and keeping the Valves. Thanks for the confident replies.

bb

StormBringer

Just a suggestion as I assume that you are used to wearing contacts. A company called Gator's makes really light aluminum frame glasses that are 9 point frames. I.E they keep the most wind out of your eyes on a 1:10 scale. 9 is the highest that I have ever seen in a true not ugly.

I have a set of half wires from the big O and they are fine for riding my mountian bike, it's just that I use the gator's at the track as it keeps the wind out quite a bit better.