When it comes to sunglasses for cycling, you have a seemingly endless array of options. Sunglass frames in colors to match your bike, lenses for every possible lighting situation, and some even have a built-in MP3 player!

But just one of these options will really affect your performance - the lens color. I’m no optometrist, but I’ve worn many a sunglass lens and have a pretty darn good feel as to what to wear, and when. (Plus, I’ve studied light as a photographer, and the principles apply here, too.)

Here’s a guide covering what lens to use for the conditions in which you ride:

 

Black/Gray Lenses

Black, gray, and/or smoke lenses are best for bright conditions - they dim the bright sunlight to ease the strain on your eyes. While the lenses do darken your vision, gray does not alter color, so everything remains the same color.

Gray also makes a great lens color for driving sunglasses.

Best for: road rides, especially on sunny days.

Not for: mountain biking. The dark lens may be too dark for trail use, especially if you are dealing with shady areas and shadows. Gray won’t improve contrast, clarity, or depth perception, either, and those things come in handy on singletrack.

 

Brown Lenses

Brown is a good “all around” lens color choice. It is dark enough to save your eyes in bright conditions, but brown also improves contrast, clarity, and depth perception. Plus, it really enhances shades of green (i.e. trees, bushes, and grass.)

Brown does this by filtering out blue light waves.

Best for: mountain biking in good weather.

Not for: night riding.

 

Amber Lenses

Amber is somewhere between a light brown and a dark yellow lens. It will block blue light, which greatly increases contrast, making it a good choice when rocks and roots are jumping out at you from the shadows.

Best for: mountain biking under cloudy skies or on dimly lit trails.

Not for: bright, sunny days.

 

Red, Rose, and Vermilion Lenses

Red lenses, usually referred to as “rose” or “vermilion,” will increase contrast and brighten cloudy, dreary days. These lenses will distort colors, however, so don’t wear them in situations where you need to see perfect shades of color. (That’s not necessarily bad, though, because sometimes this distortion is pleasant and easy on your eyes.)

Best for: rides in cloudy, hazy conditions.

Not for: bright, sunny days, or situations where you must identify poisonous snakes by their color.

 

Orange Lenses

Orange comes in somewhere between red, brown, and yellow lenses, and as such, works well in darker, cloudy weather.

Best for: mountain biking on hazy, cloudy days.

Not for: bright, sunny days.

 

Yellow Lenses

I have found yellow lenses to be my favorite for foggy, hazy conditions. Yellow increases clarity so you can actually see where you are going, even if you’re in dense fog.

Best for: road rides in the early morning fog.

Not for: bright, sunny days.

 

Clear Lenses

Clear lenses do not alter your vision, so they work great in dark conditions when you still need to protect your eyes from dirt, debris, and harmful UV rays.

Best for: dark conditions, such as night riding.

Not for: bright, sunny days.

 

Green Lenses

I had a pair of fishing sunglasses that used green lenses. They will enhance your perception of red and yellow light, and increase contrast much like brown lenses.

Best for: a fishing trip (when the fishing hole requires some mountain biking to reach it.)

Not for: bright, sunny days on the road bike.

 

Blue Lenses

I haven’t found a good use for blue lenses when it comes to cycling, because they make things look funky. And if you want to filter out blue light to increase contrast and depth-perception, blue lenses just ruin that.

Best for: a fashion show.

Not for: road or mountain biking.

 

Photochromic (or “Transitions”) Lenses

These are the lenses that transition from clear to a dark gray color depending on the sun. If you’re out in the sun, they’ll be dark gray; if you’re in the shade, they will be either a very light gray or clear.

Best for: road rides, when the weather is changing or you’re going in and out of wooded areas. They may also be a good choice for 24 hour mountain bike races if you only want to carry one pair of sunglasses.

Not for: mountain biking during the afternoon. The lens won’t transition quickly enough if you go from a sunny section into a dark, shadowy section, and brown would be a better choice, anyway.

 

Sunglass Lens Summary

In the end, you only need a few different lenses to get by. It seems it would be ideal to own 10 different lenses, but in reality, it’s a hassle to change your lenses all the time (especially if you are on vacation or doing a multi-day race.)

So here are the popular lenses…

Get gray lenses if most of your rides are on the road in nice weather.

Go with brown lenses if you are a mountain biker.

If you venture out in rain or fog, get some red, yellow, or orange lenses for those conditions.

But… if you were getting just one pair, I’d say brown is the way to go. Brown is great in the woods, especially on shadowy singletrack (due to increased contrast and depth perception offered,) and it’s not bad on the road, even in the sun (since it is dark enough to dim the brightness.)

*TIP* Whatever lens color you get, be sure the lens is shatterproof. Most lenses will be polycarbonate, which is the ideal material. Polycarbonate lenses are shatterproof, durable, and they filter out 100% of the harmful UVA and UVB rays. (Yes, even the clear lenses do this.)

Photo credits: Oakley | Smith | Tifosi

I have been shaving my legs for so long that I don’t even remember why I do it. It’s just instinct. Kind of like putting on my helmet or lathering up with chamois butter, I don’t think about why I do it, I just do it. And hey, it works fine that way.

But there are so many myths and misconceptions about leg shaving, and so many articles that don’t quite get it right, I decided to put on my thinking cap and remember exactly why I shave my legs. You should always be able to make informed decisions, even if your information comes from some loon on the internet! So all my reasons to shave are listed below…

Shaving Your Legs for All The Wrong Reasons

First, we’ll start with a few reasons people give for shaving their legs that are actually myths or just dumb reasons.

To ride faster (due to better aerodynamics.)

The first thing most people think of with smooth legs is better aerodynamics. Surely a smooth leg slices through the wind much, much faster than a leg covered in thin little hairs!

But guess what - this lack of leg hair does not make you more aerodynamic. While there are a variety of wind tunnel tests for time trial positioning, along with big studies about air turbulence for golf ball dimple designs, drag from leg hair has not been studied. Why? Because it is way too minimal to even matter.

If you are a triathlete or swimmer, though, you’re dealing with water, and that’s a different story. (One which doesn’t even matter these days, thanks to super fast suits that even smooth skin can’t compare to.)

For sheer joy and excitement.

You might be thinking “hey, that might be neat to shave my legs once.” Trust me, it’s not. Ask any cyclist (or any female, for that matter) that shaves their legs how fun and exciting it is, and you’ll get blank stares and confused looks.

The first time is alright, and smooth legs do make for a good conversation piece, but then you have to shave again at least twice a week. It’s a hassle, and if you don’t do it, well, the stubble is not fun. So then you are forced to keep shaving or deal with stubble for a couple weeks.

Good Reasons to Shave Your Legs

Now here are the real reasons to shave your legs that actually justify the time, expense, and possible ridicule you’ll experience once you begin shaving your legs.

Reason 1 - To look good.

This is what it’s all about right here. You can have a fancy kit, sleek helmet, and top-of-the-line bike, but if you pair hairy legs with tight spandex, the cycling fashion police will be forced to haul you away.

Best of all, hairless legs emphasize your muscles. With hair, your legs will still be big, but once they’re shaved, every little ripple in your muscles stands out for the world to see. (Just look at Bobby Julich’s legs, pictured above!)

Reason 2 - To feel like a pro.

All the pros shave their legs. Not once have I seen a professional racer (on the road, at least) that foregos shaving, and even the majority of recreational roadies and amateur racers shave their legs. If you shave yours, too, it makes you feel like part of the group.

You’ll feel faster, too, just like the pros. Heck, you might even get motivated enough that your mind is driven to ride faster. This is a placebo effect, not aerodynamics, but it could very well result in faster times!

Reason 3 - To treat road rash easily.

The less you race or do group rides, the less you’ll have to worry about road rash, but it’s always a concern. But if you do a lot of group rides and races, there’s a good chance you’ll experience road rash first-hand.

The previous two reasons (looking good and feeling good) will help you on each ride, but the (hopefully) rare cases when you get road rash will be the most memorable “I’m so glad I shaved my legs!” moments. That’s because cleaning your raw skin is much easier if you don’t have hair in the way. Not to mention, the hair will likely trap more dust, dirt, and gravel in your wounds.

If you end up in the hospital to get your hairy road rash cleaned out, chances are a tired, unsympathetic nurse will bust out the wire brush to scrub your wounds. Ouch! So in this case, leg shaving is kind of like wearing a helmet - you hope you don’t need it, but it’s there just in case.

Smooth legs also come in handy if you’re a mountain biker and get scratched up or cut; then you can put a band-aid on your wounds without it pulling out your hair (which can sometimes me more painful than the cut itself!)

Reason 4 - For better massages.

Again, this probably doesn’t matter on a day-to-day basis (unless you’re a pro,) but getting a massage feels so much better if your legs are smooth. Part of the reason is that the hair gets sticky and creates friction, which makes it harder for the masseuse, which translates into a sub-par experience for you.

Try it yourself: rub some massage oil on a hairy leg, and then do a little self-massage. Then try the same thing on a smooth leg, and you’ll see a big difference. Your hands will glide easily, and it will feel oh so good!

Reason 5 - To deter ticks.

If you ride in the woods (or even on back roads,) ticks can jump off weeds and grab your leg hair, then make their way around your body until they decide to bite. Smooth legs don’t leave them much to grab onto, so it’s less likely that a tick will stay on your body.

It will also be easier to spot a tick if there isn’t a mass of hair obscuring your vision.

I’ve found five ticks on me so far this year, but with my smooth legs, most have been stuck hiding on my clothes. With hairy legs, I probably would have had at least twice as many ticks, some of which may have crawled through my leg hair and made a nice home somewhere on my upper thigh!

(One did stick itself into my hamstring, but that bugger got there one evening when I was sitting around in the grass. I don’t think he would have made it there had I been wearing lycra!)

So there you have it. Five solid reasons to shave your legs that have nothing to do with aerodynamics.

Photo credits: Bobby Julich by The Dublin Reeds | Aero cyclist by Gaetan Lee | George Hincapie’s legs by TimothyJ | Tick by ninjapoodles

If you have read my guide to shaving your legs, you might be wondering just what to use when you shave your legs. (I don’t actually use what you saw in the video!)

While I can’t say exactly what to use, I can tell you what has worked for me…

A well-lit bathroom. It’s very easy to miss hairs if you don’t have good lighting, so I like a very well-lit bathroom for leg shaving. (And if you miss hairs, you won’t notice until you leave the bathroom and head outside into the bright sun, where your riding buddies will make fun of you for doing such a poor job shaving.)

Bathtub with running water. Sitting on the edge of a bath tub makes things much easier (and safer) than standing in a shower and balancing on one leg while sliding a razor blade across your skin.

Little plastic container. A little plastic container, such as a Cool Whip container, has a few important uses. First, before shaving, I fill it with warm water and dump that over my legs to get them wet. Second, while shaving, I rinse the hair out of my razor by swishing it around in the container. Third, after shaving, I use the container to dump cold water over my legs.

Gillette Mach3 Turbo razor. Skip the girly razors. While they might come in pretty colors and have wider, more comfortable grips, they just don’t cut the hair as well as a mens razor. I’ve been using the Gillette Mach3 for years (along with the 5-blade Gillette Fusion shown above,) although if you like the Shick Quattro or whatever they have now, that probably works too.

I’d also avoid those cheap disposable razors.

Cheap bodywash. No need for true shaving cream for this job. I prefer to lather up with a nice bodywash, which creates a smooth lather that goes a long way. I’ve been doing it this way for years and I’ve had no problems with razor burn. Plus, bodywash is cheap, especially if you get a store brand.

I’m partial to scents like vanilla and mango, which might sound girly, but they smell pretty good. If you go with something like “alpine fresh” you’ll just smell like cheap cologne!

Lubriderm skin lotion. My Nivea aftershave balm is too expensive to use on my legs, and I don’t think they need it anyway. I’ve had good luck with skin lotions instead, and I’m quite partial to this Lubriderm skin nourishing lotion with shea and cocoa butters. It goes on smooth and doesn’t leave a residue.

And that’s all you need. You probably have most of this stuff anyway.

There you have it. Go ahead and stock up on whatever you need, refresh your memory with my leg shaving guide for cyclists, and then shave!

(Or, if you’re puzzled, read why cyclists shave their legs in the first place.)

Basic bike fitting principles include setting a proper seat height and bar reach, and just getting the correct seat position is going to give you a better position than many riders (some of whom seem to ignore bike fit.)

But even with a “good” bike fit, there are numerous positions to test and tweak before getting a “great” bike fit. Most of these little tweaks never even crossed my mind, but thanks to Cyclo-Club, I’ve had a chance to get some tips from bike fit guru, Paul Swift.

You might not recognize his name, but you’ll probably recognize the products he has worked on - Paul has worked on the design of products including Cannondale’s Track 1000 bicycle, the LeMond RevMaster group fitness indoor bicycle, and the XO dual sided pedal. And he’s in charge of BikeFit.com, so he knows a thing or two about bike fit!

Anyway, I recently put one of his interesting little tips to use. This tip involves repositioning the hoods slightly to achieve a more natural hand position. It’s a very small adjustment - so small I never even considered it - but it works.

The full instructions and video demonstration can be found here, but basically you want to rotate your hoods slightly inwards (towards each other.)

Funny thing though, I went to adjust my hoods and it turns out they were already rotated in slightly! I guess I set them correctly without even thinking about it last year when I switched to my new Ritchey bar and stem.

Anyway, the idea really makes sense when you think about how your hands naturally hang at your sides. They fall inward slightly, so your hoods should match that position.

Here are the pictures to illustrate it…

1. Hood straight in line with bar.

That picture has my hood lined up perfectly straight with the bar. I don’t know if bike shops even sell bikes with the hood that straight, but if you get a bike like that, move that hood inward!

The line demonstrates how my wrist is ever so slightly bent backwards. It doesn’t look that bad, but holding your hands like that for hours on end, every single day, can surely wreak havoc in the long run!

 

2. The hood in an ideal position.

This looks almost like the last picture, but the hood has been rotated inward slightly. It’s just enough rotation to make it ultra-comfortable. Plus, the hood is contoured for an anatomic fit, so it doesn’t take much of a twist on your part to get it in position.

You definitely don’t want to overdo it and rotate the hoods too far in. They could become even less comfortable, and don’t forget about being able to shift and brake properly!

 

These two pictures show the hood straight with the bar and rotated in slightly. Without my arm on there, you can’t even tell the difference! (I can’t remember which picture I took first, so even I can’t tell!)

See, the pictures look the same. But what matters is what your body looks like when it has to conform to the bike. You don’t want to have to twist and bend your body to fit the bike - adjust the bike to fit you!

To make sure you do this right, click here and watch the video demonstration from Paul Swift himself. (It’s free, and it could save your hands, wrists, and shoulders from unnecessary pain.)

Does getting a proper bike fit make you happy?

I’ve read all the virtues of proper bike fit, from riding faster to riding more comfortably, and of course increasing your power output and alleviating lower back pain. But does it make you happy?

I had to ask myself that after seeing the following picture:

That’s a screenshot from the NEXT Bikes website homepage. The girl looks to be on a proper bike for her, but that dude is on a bike that is WAY TOO SMALL! But he still has a huge smile on his face!

Then you look at something like this:

Photo credit: Gaetan Lee

That is a professional racer in the Tour de France, so he must have a proper bike fit. But is that the face of happiness?

What about this guy:

I can’t imagine how many hours he spent in the wind tunnel to get a proper bike fit, but is he any happier now? Doesn’t look like it.

So I can only conclude that getting a proper bike fit is useless!

OK, we all know that that dude just got paid to smile and that you really should get a proper bike fit. Getting a professional bike fitting is great, but expensive, so you can still try some free bike fit tips like setting a natural hand position. Whatever you do, try to get a proper fitting bike!