Buggington

Hello

I'm not sure if I'm writing in the right place at the moment, but I thought it would be quite appropriate as winter is fast approaching.

I'm quite a keen cyclist (about as much as a normal teenager is) so I can spend up to a whole day out on my bike. I have the problem of sensitive eyes, so the slightest wind (of which there is a lot at this time of the year) can send my eyes streaming, which is not ideal when trying to pick your way around the pot holes on country roads.

So, I thought I'd try some wraparound glasses like you'd find most road cyclists wearing, but the issue is that I wear glasses. So, my question is; are there any glasses that will go over my existing pair, or are there any prescription ones I can find? (I'm in the UK by the way, don't know how much difference that will make).

Thanks,
Buggington

himespau 

I don't know if they'd go over your glasses, but I just bought some cheap ski goggles for my first attempts a cycling when it gets truly cold out. I've noticed some wind getting through my wraparound glasses and if I pull my balaclava up over my nose they tend to fog, so the ski goggles are my next try. Seems like if they were loose enough they'd go over your frames without crushing them. I'm sure it won't look as cool, but I'm just trying to stay alive out there.

Jim from Boston

I perenially post on this subject. Here's my latest, complete with pictures:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sing-your-eyes post #19

Hezz

I would read Jim from Boston's threads on this topic. In the last five years probably a hundred people have asked this same question. Basically, your cheap large lab safety glasses that have side protection and fit over regular glasses is one of the cheapest and best working solutions. Goggles don't work so well when you get hot and stop. They fog up really bad unless you tear out nearly all of the foam ventilation covers which ends up making them about as breezy as glasses. Though they are warmer than glasses when it gets really cold. IF you stay moving goggles will generally stay fog free when being used without glasses. But once they fog up, goggles are much harder to get unfogged than glasses are. When used over glasses goggles don't often give good results unless you buy some expensive high end goggles that have batteries or other advanced anti-fog measures. Another problem with goggles is that the ones large enough to fit over your glasses don't work well with a bike helmet. They are too big.

DJConspicious

I used to use motorcycle goggles but they didn't work well with the rest of my headgear, they would fog up when I was moving, it was just pointless. This year I went out and looked at different kinds of eyewear. I found some ski goggles, though they may look funny on you, they work really well. The ones I picked up are clear lenses (it's coldest at night, I can usually get by with sunglasses in the day time). They use double lenses to prevent fogging, I haven't had them fog up on me during my week of riding.

The ones I got take a bit of tweeking to get it right, so you don't have any air leaking into your head gear, but that is more of a discomfort than anything. They are Smith Transit Pros; https://www.amazon.com/Smith-Transit-...1193980&sr=8-5

Jim from Boston

Hi Hezz,

Thanks for your endorsement. On that same thread I quoted, there is a subsequent discussion as to whether tight-fitting goggles that provide a barrier to exhaled vapor are more effective than wide open safety goggles:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...sing-your-eyes
see posts #’s 20 and 24

Jim

Drakonchik

Many high-wrap sunglasses (up to say base curve 8) can be converted to Rx, if you have a fairly weak prescription.

You also might consider Oakley M-frames with the prescription lens embedded in the stock visor-type lenses.

Blues Frog

I use Scott brand OTG ski gogles. I used them all last winter for my daily commute. The ski goggles seem to seldom fog. YMMV

hairytoes

The issue I have with glasses in cold weather is the metal frames; these really take the heat out from my nose and my temples. Compared to you guys in North America, it doesn't get particularly cold over here (yorkshire). This morning was my coldest ever ride -15C (5F). I was warm, apart from the bridge of my nose, which really hurt until I got thoroughly warmed up after a half-hour or so.

nashcommguy

I use a pair of plastic goggles from Home Depot(HUGE hardware store in US) I've purchased for 5.00. Then drill a series of four 3/32" holes across the lense on each side above the sight line. When I come to a stop the heat rises out of the holes and the goggles don't fog up. When it's really cold I use a nice ski goggle that works real well in covering the whole opening in my balaclava.

tpelle

I have a pair of Wiley-X wrap-around glasses that accept a prescription insert. The ones that I have are the "Talon" model:

https://www.wileyx.com/EcommSuite/Pro...temCode=CHTAL1

Besides bicycling, I am a competitive shooter in Highpower Rifle/Service Rifle, and I purchased these for that sport, but found that they work well for cycling as well. I have a very strong prescription, and the Talons were recommended to me by the customer service people at Wiley-X. I originally purchased their "PT-3" glasses, but the PT-3's have much more curvature to the outer lens which prevented them from working well with my strength of prescription. The Talons are fine, though.

The prescription insert is similar to a regular pair of eyeglasses, but without the temple pieces. They have a set of clips that snap into the main glasses frame over the nose bridge. The glasses come with three outer lenses - clear, dark grey, and amber, for different light conditions.

As it turns out, I had no problem with them steaming up while cycling, but I did have issues with them steaming up in cold wet weather while shooting my rifle. It seems that my breath is deflected back and upwards by the stock/action of the rifle right on to the glasses.

There are several manufacturers of this type of eyeglass, Oakley included. You may have to do a web search for "tactical glasses" or some such.