I think I need glasses. . . .

[MadDad]

I have come to the conclusion that I need to invest in a pair of sunglasses. If I ride trails I wake up the following morning with eye’s full of grit, and on the odd occasion that I ride on the road I seem to choose a day when it rains and get a face full of spray and can't see past the end of my nose.

I really like to Oakley Flack Jacket specs but there is no way I can justify that sort of spend on sunglasses that I will only wear when cycling.

What do you lot wear when you are out and about, and what would you recommend?

[matty_doh]

Those cheap ones from Aldi/Lidl when they have the deals on are fantastic IMO.

<£5 and come with clear, yellow and dark lenses in their own little case. Do the job perfectly and if you break them it's not a big deal!

[john_p]

I don't like riding with sunglasses as in woody bits you have to faff about.

Get some safety specs - clear ones. Oakley shaped, so you won't look like a GCSE Chemistry student

[louiebaby]

MadDad said:

I really like to Oakley Flack Jacket specs but there is no way I can justify that sort of spend on sunglasses that I will only wear when cycling.

They're not cheap, but the lenses are good. My personal opinion is that the Flack Jackets are a nice enough design to wear off the bike too, so that might help you justify them. The replacement lenses mean you can switch to clear lenses for night rides, and if you fall off and scratch them, it's not a whole new pair.

/oakley fanboy



Jet black with polarised black iridium ftw.

[sjg]

I just got some Oakley Half Jackets - the "array" pack which has 3 sets of lenses. Persimmon for overcast days, grey for bright sun and G20 for anything in between. Can find them for around the £90 mark which isn't bad if you think of it as 3 pairs! Got mine via the sunglassshop offer though.

On a budget though, you can't fault safety specs like Bolle Siliums - can pick them up for about a fiver and come in clear or smoked tints (I'm sure I've seen yellow too). They scratch easily and aren't brilliant optically, but will protect your eyes from flying objects (unlike most "fashion" sunglasses), don't fog up and are cheap enough to not worry about.

[P-Jay]

Yeah I've been put off sunglasses...

Couple of years back..Shooting down an open trail, straight into a darker wooded section and into the nearest tree.

[snotrag]

Decent sunglasses (M-frames) are perfect for road riding, for MTB forget it.

Get yourself to a Decathlon, pick up 2 or 3 pairs of their 'blue product' cycling glasses - flexy frame, 3 pairs of lenses, soft bag, £7.

Wear them, when they smash/you lose them/you sit on them/You leave them on the car roof in the carpark/You rub them with your glove and ruin the lens - throw em away.

Madison, Endura, and also Wiggle own brand DHB also do some cheap ones too, but the Decathlons are the best value.

I NEVER ride bicylces without eye protection, particularly important as I wear contact lenses.

[slomax]

I got some cheapo ones from Decathlon. The lenses are actually really good and when diving from sunny sections into shadowed areas you dont get affected that much. For rain and low light uses there are also a pair of clear lenses too and are dead easy to change.

[langy]

We use 'light eye protection' at work and I got myself a load of these for about £5-6 a pair.
http://www.greenham.com/c/pl/101380/Contour-Safety...
I don't see the need to spend a fortune on a pair of fashion glasses that are likely to get scratched and abused when riding.

[SoliD]

Got myself some of the cheapy Dhb ones from wiggle few years back, when they done the spend £25 get a pair free offer, broke one pair last summer but the other is still going strong. Come with 3 sets of lenses and a hard case. cheap but very useful.

[Allblackdup]

I went for a pair of these:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...

Far better quality than i was expecting and for cycling back and for to work on road and trail they've been perfect.

[Stuart]

My problem is that I have quite a large face, so I need some quite big lenses to keep the wind out of my eyes. I really suffer from streaming eyes when I'm on the bike. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on oakleys, and can't find anything else suitable. Anyone got any suggestions?

[AyBee]

SoliD said:

Got myself some of the cheapy Dhb ones from wiggle few years back, when they done the spend £25 get a pair free offer, broke one pair last summer but the other is still going strong. Come with 3 sets of lenses and a hard case. cheap but very useful.

I have quite a large head and got the above on the same deal (do they still do it?) - I only really road ride but like the way I can change lenses for the varying weather I ride in. If I had a bit of money to spend, I'd be getting some monster dogs but then I mainly do road riding so light changes don't affect me as much as riding through woods would!

[Gnarlybluesurf]

I tried lots of cheaper ones and they all seem to look ridiculous... Spent the money on Jawbones and very happy with them. They come with 2 lenses, spares and excellent foam protective case.

Bought them from here and were excellent service:

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDetails.asp?pro...

[baxb]

Stuart said:

My problem is that I have quite a large face, so I need some quite big lenses to keep the wind out of my eyes. I really suffer from streaming eyes when I'm on the bike. I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on oakleys, and can't find anything else suitable. Anyone got any suggestions?

I bought a pair of these a few weeks ago when the freebie DHB ones died, I'm also a big 'ed & have been very pleased, two pairs of lenses very light & comfy, not that cheap but not Oakley prices either.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

[Stuart]

Had those. They don't work for me.

[anonymous-user]

My long suffering wife bought me some Oakley jawbones for my birthday, they are excellent. Both lenses work really well and are easy to change. They are quite large framed and great if you have a big noggin.

Edited by el stovey on Friday 4th June 08:43

[MadDad]

OK peoples, thank you for all of the tips'n'hints. In the spirit of not wanting to spend too much I have invested a whole tenner and picked these up from the interweb;

Tints;



Clear;



Once they have arrived and I have had a chance to use them I will let you know how I get on, still hankering for the Flack Jackets though. . . .