Today’s question is about finding sunglasses that keep wind out of your eyes when cycling…

Q: I have problems with my eyes when wearing cycling glasses. The wind comes over the top and stings my eyes, i wear contact lenses and find that the wind drys them. Over long distance i struggle. I have tried loads of different types and found nothing. Can you help?

Thanks,
Winded Willy

Hi Willy,

Sorry to hear about your problems. I wear contacts too so I am almost always wearing sunglasses. I never ride without them. Luckily, regular cycling sunglasses have been sufficient for me.

In your case, the best suggestion I can make is to look at the sunglasses that are like a combination of sunglasses and goggles. There are quite a few that look like sunglasses, but then they have a foam ring around the frame which seals out the wind. Typically these are favored by motorcyclists dealing with lots of wind and an open face helmet, but would probably work for bicycling as well.

Here are a couple examples:

There are sunglasses called Guard Dogs. Here is a neat looking pair.

There are others, such as these, available to online motorcycle retailers.

Those look like they would keep wind out without making you look too obnoxious. If those don’t help, though, the only other thing I can think of would be to go with the full-on goggles.

Get this – not only can you find super duper deals on cycling clothing online, you can even find extreme discounts on prescription eye wear! “Extreme” as in $8 for frames and prescription lenses!

I guess this isn’t something new, but this was the first I’ve heard of Zenni Optical, a discount online store for prescription glasses. Prices start at $8 for frames and lenses, which sounds too good to be true, considering how I pay $200-300 for a pair of prescription glasses from the optometrist.

It’s not that bad if you wear glasses every day, but normally I wear my Focus Night & Day contact lenses, and only wear my glasses on rare occasions. So I’d rather not spend too much money on the rare occasions I wear glasses.

Unfortunately, some of those “rare occasions” when I wear glasses are days I want to ride, but I hate to ride in my prescription glasses. They’re not very sporty, they’re expensive, and they’re fragile. And they’re not sunglasses!

So if I had a sportier pair of prescription sunglasses, I’d be pretty happy. Too bad the good ones from Rudy Project cost $300, and it’s just not worth it for all the more I’d wear them.

But for $17.90 ($8 glasses, $4.95 tint, and $4.95 shipping,) Zenni Optical is worth a shot. (FatWallet.com and Yelp.com show both good and bad reviews of ZenniOptical.com, so I’ll just hope for the best.)

Worst case scenario, I only wasted $18, and I could probably even donate the glasses to charity if they’re not too screwed up. And if I get plastic frames, they should be fairly comparable to some cheap sunglasses. Check this…

“All of our single vison, lined bi-focal and progressive bi-focal lens are of a premium-quality, high-index, polycarbonate composite polymer, high-impact resistant lens with full UV protection and a special strong anti-scratch coating.”

A plastic frame with polycarbonate lens – exactly what I wanted for mountain biking! These should be lightweight, tough, and safe.

I’m sold, let me order a pair…

ZenniOptical.com – The Ordering Process

Starting at www.zennioptical.com…

First, you have to pick out your frames. I thought these ones looked good:

They’re fairly nice, plastic, and only eight bucks. I picked the brown/yellow frames, and then scrolled down for ordering options…

Now, you do need to know your prescription details. If you have a form from your optometrist, you’re all set. Just follow the instructions provided by Zenni Optical on how to input your info. I was confused at first with all the numbers, but their simple instructions solved everything in a matter of seconds. (So this is a time when it pays to read the instructions first!)

Once you fill that out and add the glasses to your cart, the ordering process itself is very simple. You just go through a few steps to give them your name, address, billing info, etc. There’s no need for your optometrist info or prescription verification.

You don’t even need to sign-up for a customer account, so the checkout was fast and easy.

I placed my order on July 20th at 8 AM. The site says, “most orders will be delivered in two weeks. Orders which require some extra, special or custom lab work like progressives, bi-focals, custom suntint, or extra strength prescriptions can take three to six days extra.” So mine should arrive between August 2-8.

So I sit back and wait…

Fast forward to August 4th. The glasses arrived nicely, packed safely with a case and cleaning cloth. The case is hard plastic – nothing special, but nice and sturdy. The glasses are also plastic, with one arm too tight and the other one a little loose. I expected that, especially because I’ve had some more expensive sunglasses come like that.

I messed with my eyeglasses screwdriver a little bit and got the glasses a little better, but not perfect.

Overall, the glasses are not spectacular, but they are nice. I really like the 80% amber tint – as I mentioned in my sunglasses lens color guide, amber is great for sunny and cloudy days. The prescription seems correct and on par with my other glasses, too.

Unfortunately there is some sort of glare with these when I’m riding towards the sun. I’ve never had that with my real sunglasses or with my regular prescription glasses.

That’s kind of annoying, not to mention unsafe, depending on the road or trail you’re riding. Maybe I should have spent another $4.95 for the anti-reflective lens coating?

If I did, we’d be getting a little too far off the $8 price tag!

My final verdict is…

These are decent glasses. They are not quite “good,” but what do you expect for $8.00? I might buy another pair someday, but I don’t want to press my luck any more. I mean, I kind of got lucky that the glasses fit. Since you can’t try them on, you have to go by the measurements listed on the site.

So the glasses are low quality, but very usable in normal circumstances. They’re not that great for riding, though. But $8 glasses and $4.95 shipping is worth the gamble if you want some cheap, backup prescription glasses for lawn work or something.

Official website: www.zennioptical.com

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

Getting prescription sunglasses is something I was looking at, especially after having a few problems with wearing contacts during rides. Thing is, there are plenty of problems to be had while wearing sunglasses… What if they fog up?

Nevertheless, it might be nice to have the choice. Now that you can get sunglasses with prescription lenses, not just the special inserts, it’s a lot more tempting.

Here is a one-stop shop for prescription sunglasses if you have yet to find it: http://www.bicyclerx.com/

I was just browsing the store and they have a decent selection, but not a great one. However, they had quite a few nice options Rudy Project.