# Sunglasses?



## TheTravMo (Apr 12, 2017)

Hi there, wondering what a good brand of sunglasses/ eye protection would be to get? For a while now I've just worn whatever pair of BS sunglasses I had laying around, but with a birthday coming up I'm looking into getting some nicer ones. Thanks for any advice, have a nice day!


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

TheTravMo said:


> Hi there, wondering what a good brand of sunglasses/ eye protection would be to get? For a while now I've just worn whatever pair of BS sunglasses I had laying around, but with a birthday coming up I'm looking into getting some nicer ones. Thanks for any advice, have a nice day!


Maybe it's just my head......but I'd suggest not using recommendations as they can be like shoes in that what's comfortable and fits one person won't for another and visa versa.
I actually just use my regular glasses with transition lenses....but my comment above comes from recent shopping for glasses and noticing when trying them on in stores that fit varies greatly.


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## TheTravMo (Apr 12, 2017)

Thats a good point, thanks!


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## jjaguar (Oct 11, 2011)

Personally, I usually wear tinted safety glasses from a hardware store. They're scratch resistant and impact rated for protection, plus they were only like $10 so it's not a big loss if I break or lose them.


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

Smith Pivilocs are nice for riding - no frame up top to block your view in an agressive position. And they can be found on sale often. On sale I'd say they are a good value. Tifos are another option that are popular.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

jjaguar said:


> Personally, I usually wear tinted safety glasses from a hardware store. They're scratch resistant and impact rated for protection, plus they were only like $10 so it's not a big loss if I break or lose them.


This, or polarized Faux-kleys off aliexpress. The later usually take a month to ship but you can get 3 pair for $25


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

I wear Rudy Project Rydon IIs with Rx lenses.

my best cycling gear purchase.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Marc said:


> polarized


Not smart for riding. Camouflages wet spots, tram lines, manhole covers.

--

I have two pairs of the Assos Zegho, one Noire and one Amplify. Rob a bank. Make that two.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

jjaguar said:


> Personally, I usually wear tinted safety glasses from a hardware store. They're scratch resistant and impact rated for protection, plus they were only like $10 so it's not a big loss if I break or lose them.


This is a perfect example of the type of bizarre posts that keep the internet entertaining and me coming back. There' nothing wrong with wearing hardware store glasses per se. It's just the casual and straight faced manner in which you threw this out there that got me chuckling. 

TravMo, you have Okaley (I'm sure you've heard of that brand). Oakley is a juggernaut and has a bunch of expensively priced options. Then there's Smith which makes the now old but tested Pivloc line. Between these two you can find what you need. If you would like then there are niche brands Bolle, 100%, open Peleton magazine and there are ads for a dozen more. 

With cycling glasses I believe points of interest are: coverage, ventilation, lens quality and weight. 

Since you are spending money I humbly suggests looking into variable tint photo-chromatic lenses. They're dark in open sunlight but become much lighter when you are on your way home in the early evening or riding under tree cover, or rainy days.


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

FWIW, I will stick to the real thing. I was crashed by a car and ended up on my face. The sunglass frame broke and while I had over 30 sutures from my forehead into my ear, the lenses held together.And while there is no way of predicting an outcome, by looking at how badly damaged the lenses are I believe my Oakley's saved my eyes.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

kbwh said:


> Not smart for riding. Camouflages wet spots, tram lines, manhole covers.
> 
> --
> 
> I have two pairs of the Assos Zegho, one Noire and one Amplify. Rob a bank. Make that two.



What species of manhole covers and tram lines do you have that are camo'd by polarized lenses?


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

kbwh said:


> Not smart for riding. Camouflages wet spots, tram lines, manhole covers.


my polarized lenses don't limit me from seeing any of those things.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2017)

Polarized lenses reduce glare from water (or reflective) surfaces. Any photographer knows that.


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

I prefer polarized to non-polarized for riding. That said, I like frames with interchangeable lenses because I often just wear clear lenses but want the eye protection and need wind protection for contact lenses.

Good to have a set of frames, clear lenses, sunglass lenses, and low-light lenses for me anyway.


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## igor99 (May 31, 2011)

I've had good luck with photochromic lenses/glasses from Tifosi, Smith and Oakley. I've ridden in the dark with them too and no issues with them being too dark. My favorites are the Smith Pivlocks. You can get them pretty reasonable online at Steep and Cheap, Backcounty.con etc. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Colorado Cyclist is currently having a sale on Oakley. Good prices on a few closeouts.


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## royluke (Apr 24, 2017)

I have the Project Rudy Noyz. Bought one because it was on sale.


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## maximum7 (Apr 24, 2008)

> Not smart for riding. Camouflages wet spots, tram lines, manhole covers.




I concur. I had the same trouble wearing polarized while riding. I went off the road in a shaded spot, that had a dip, on a corner, hit gravel and almost went down. The road lost definition and "shape". Will never wear them again. 

There's another thread here on Oakley's New-ish Prizm lenses. I'd look into those.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Marc said:


> What species of manhole covers and tram lines do you have that are camo'd by polarized lenses?


Shiny ones.


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## ROAD&DIRT (Mar 27, 2009)

maximum7 said:


> I concur. I had the same trouble wearing polarized while riding. I went off the road in a shaded spot, that had a dip, on a corner, hit gravel and almost went down. The road lost definition and "shape". Will never wear them again.
> 
> There's another thread here on Oakley's New-ish Prizm lenses. I'd look into those.


I agree with the polarized issue, I too wore a pair of glasses that hide the wet spots, dips in the road outlined by road tar seams and manholes covers... I currently wear Project Rudy with clip-in inserts


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## ToiletSiphon (Jul 23, 2014)

Srode said:


> Smith Pivilocs are nice for riding - no frame up top to block your view in an agressive position. And they can be found on sale often. On sale I'd say they are a good value. Tifos are another option that are popular.


I hav the Smith Pivlock arena max. Love them - amazing field of vision, 3 interchangeable lenses, comfortable and less expensive than oakley


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

I've never fooled with anything but Oakley. 

Flak Jacket: Fire, Black, Clear, Clear-black Transitions
Racing Jackets: Fire, Clear
Radarlocks: Road Prizm


Go to a store and try a bunch on and see what frame you like best. Some people are more bothered by seeing the frame in their peripheral vision, I generally don't care. Sweat management is bigger for me and the bottom frame like on the racing jackets traps sweat. No frame on the bottom generally means the sweat can clear itself out. The Prizm lens is awesome, that's my most recent purchase. Fire is great for all around, super bright and relatively low light. Transitions are perfect for evening rides when the sun goes from super bright to dusk.


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## Notvintage (May 19, 2013)

kbwh said:


> I have two pairs of the Assos Zegho, one Noire and one Amplify. Rob a bank. Make that two.


hahah I have a pair of the Werksmannschaft models. Crazy expensive, but the Zeiss optics make them worth every penny. Zero distortion all the way to the outer edge of the lens.


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## otoman (Mar 8, 2004)

ToiletSiphon said:


> I hav the Smith Pivlock arena max. Love them - amazing field of vision, 3 interchangeable lenses, comfortable and less expensive than oakley


Agree on all counts. Love mine. Also very light weight.


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## Bill Dobie (Jul 22, 2014)

Tifosi. Good and not too expensive.


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## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

I buy safety sunglasses in bulk here. They work great for cycling, or just about anything else. Some are less than $6 each. If I lose or damage them....pull out another pair. 

Use them for riding, at the beach, on the scuba diving boat, mowing grass, weed eater, anything...

American Safety Eyewear, Prescription Safety Glasses,Polarized Safety Glasses, Bifocal Safety Glasses, Safety Glasses and Goggles


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## ddave12000 (Aug 16, 2013)

I have a pair of Tifosi with interchangeable lenses. Good, but means I have to wear my contacts. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not always my favorite. I recently got a pair of Oakley flak jackets with prescription road prizm lenses with polarization. These are far superior to the Tifosi even without the interchangeable lenses. I've worn them at dusk and getting dark and while visibility decreases, I could still see fine. No issues not seeing hazards due to polarization.


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## BCSaltchucker (Jul 20, 2011)

$40 is ALWAYS too much for sports sunglasses.

I've tried the Aliexpress Faux-kley jawbreakers though. Suffer from the same problem as the real oakley - they are not ergonomic for me. I have some Faux-Pocs too, I like them with clear lenses in winter. Paid about $15 each, which included a handful of lenses and case each

my favs have ended up being the MEC brand sport glasses. Excellent product, always under $40 or $30 (MEC is mtn equip co op in Canada), supported and lens options too.

and of course nothing wrong with tinted safety glasses for $10. Everything is wrong with $200 non-Rx sport glasses!


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## HyperCycle (Sep 5, 2012)

igor99 said:


> I've had good luck with photochromic lenses/glasses from *Tifosi,*


I second Tifosi. I have 3 pairs of Tifosi sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. They are the same quality of Oakley, but about 1/3 of the price.


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## beeristasty (Jan 1, 1970)

Rudy Projects all the way. I've owned a bunch of pairs from Smith, Spy, some metal frame Oakleys that don't really count... None of them fit perfectly like RP stuff does, with their adjustable nose pieces _and_ adjustable temples.

I have 4 pairs of RPs: 1st pair were Rydons (mtb). 2nd pair were Ekynox SX's (running, volleyball). 3rd pair were Genetyks(road). 4th pair were prescription photochromic Impulses (when I don't feel like wearing contacts).


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

I have the speedcrafts .. the model Sagan now uses. Although the look is kinda funny ( what bike specific ones aren't) I'd wear them over my many pairs of Oakley any day. I don't get the sweat pooling or fog ups that haunt me with my Oakleys


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## 50x25 (Aug 25, 2015)

I've had a few pair of Smiths that after a few months of use the inner side of the lens, a film that is on them started to bubble and wear off. I don't know maybe my sweat is caustic.

Right now I am using a pair of Native Trangos which have interchangeable lens. It's a brand i had never heard of but i got them on sale and they have been very nice, well built, no issues so far and they are going on there second season.


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

Native is a pretty big will known brand. They have good customer service. Most of their stuff is pretty good although I still prefer Smith. I had a pair of Natives that looked great but the way the venting was designed it let sun in if you were not wearing a hat, which kind of defeated the purpose of sunglasses for me.


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## beeristasty (Jan 1, 1970)

50x25 said:


> I've had a few pair of Smiths that after a few months of use the inner side of the lens, a film that is on them started to bubble and wear off. I don't know maybe my sweat is caustic.


I think it's common for hydrophobic/anti-reflective inner coatings when they receive "less than adequate" maintenance. I have a pair of RP lenses that have bubbled along the edges and are peeling their way to the center of the lenses. Its likely due to few seasons (spring, summer, & fall) of outdoor volleyball from me sweating on them and not rinsing or cleaning them off as often as I should.


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## tommybike (Dec 30, 2015)

I have tried a lot and honestly never been unhappy with a pair, including a no name brand I got on Facebook. But for cycling, I think my favorites are Tifosi. Mainly because I bought the photovoltaic ones and they work great for long rides in varying conditions. I would also recommend Spy and Optic Nerve. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk


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## FeltF75rider (Feb 10, 2012)

Like my Oakley Half Jacket 2.0's and although I've never had the issues stated above with polarized lenses I have a pair with and a pair without so I will investigate this. I have tried Tifosi and they were not bad, priced reasonable and unfortunately lost them. I beleive the Oakley lenses are much better but for the money pretty solid eye wear. I would like to try some Rudy Project some day. I'll leave the safety glasses for the shop however 9 months out of the year they work for rainy day riding, I just hate how the clarity and distortion give me a headache after awhile.


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## smokersteve (May 22, 2016)

I just ordered a couple pair from these guys - dudumasunglasses.com 
They are all around $20. There site has you order from Amazon Prime so if I don't care for them they can be returned for free.


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