sunglasses?

[violette]

I want to buy a good pair of sunglasses. I've read up on it and i'm more confused that before. Lens; yellow, blue, grey etc...
Brand: oakley, bollé rayban, mauijim...

what do you all suggest for running/biking.

[tulip]

The most important thing is that they block both UVA and UVB rays. Other than that, it's personal preference.

[ny biker]

I used to wear a pair of Rudy Project sunglasses for cycling. Then I bought a pair of polarized Oakleys for everyday use and was super-impressed. The lens clarity is excellent, like there's nothing at all in front of your eyes even though I have the darkest lens color available. After that I bought a pair of Flak Jackets for cycling and am extremely happy with them. The unobtainium that they use to make the nosepads and stem sleeves really does keep the glasses from slipping down, so they fit much better and give much better protection than my old glasses did. I love my Oakleys.

I wear the very dark gray polarized lenses most of the time, and switch to yellow for dusk/sunless conditions.

[AnnieBikes]

I love my Tifosi Slips. They fit me well, come with four lenses, and are not terribly expensive. When I had a bad fall in August and they broke, I emailed Tifosi and they sent me a replacement pair. Can't get much better than that! I think that the optics are good and the lenses wrap around a little bit on the sides so that I have peripheral sun and wind protection. Some people have had trouble with the lenses breaking at the narrow part in the center but I have been careful and never had a problem. I now have one pair in my car as well as my cycling pair!

http://www.tifosioptics.com/interchangeable/slip.html

[Bike Chick]

I love my Tifosi Slips. They fit me well, come with four lenses, and are not terribly expensive. When I had a bad fall in August and they broke, I emailed Tifosi and they sent me a replacement pair. Can't get much better than that! I think that the optics are good and the lenses wrap around a little bit on the sides so that I have peripheral sun and wind protection. Some people have had trouble with the lenses breaking at the narrow part in the center but I have been careful and never had a problem. I now have one pair in my car as well as my cycling pair!

http://www.tifosioptics.com/interchangeable/slip.html

I have the same pair, Annie, and love mine too. I rode in Oakleys prior to buying the Tifosi's but really prefer the Tifosi's for my small face. The price can't be beat and they come with a case and 4 interchangeable lenses.

[smilingcat]

just clicked on tifosi sunglasses. I WANT ONE!!! It's not mean looking like the jawbone and its stylish... Its very nice.

[MartianDestiny]

Depends on you really.

I have Oakleys and yes the lenses and build quality are better than the $25 Performance Bike sunglasses that I got sick of replacing every 6 months. Are they $150 better? Maybe not for you; the Performance Bike sunglasses worked perfectly well as sunglasses (until I destroyed them; mean lifetime based on 3 pairs was ~6 months, but that's me)

I almost have to have interchangeable lenses or multiple glasses (currently going with changeable lenses). I, personally, NEED a nice dark grey lens if the sun is out, period, but I have sensitive eyes and have had eye surgery. I use the grey Iridium colored Oakley lenses that block an insane percentage of light. That of course causes a problem on cloudy days, so I have a set of amber lenses for those days (still block some light and increase contrast).

Ideally I'd have 3 lenses:
1) Dark (grey most likely polarized would be nice too, but $$$$) for sunny days
2) Contrast enhancing (amber, orange, yellow, rose) for cloudy/overcast days
3) Clear for night riding or very cloudy days (I've been hit in the face while biking (both road and mountain) enough to always try to wear glasses sheerly for the protection factor. I've even had (shatter resistant sport) lenses destroyed before and thanked God it wasn't my eye!)

If I could only have one lens I'd go with a medium grey, polarized, or maybe amber (but I hate the color change unless it's very overcast) that would be a good compromise lens between very sunny and overcast.

[oz rider]

Rudy photochromic here. I don't like the idea of changing lenses all the time. Sometimes these might not be quite dark enough, but I like being able to ride out early without having to change to clear (nearly) lenses. And they just stay put.

[zoom-zoom]

I have a pair of Optic Nerve Eyeques...love them. They are photochromic, cheap, and have served me well on the bike and running. I love that on an overcast, windy day they are nearly clear and offer protection from flying debris, but when it's super bright and sunny they get VERY dark.

[VeloVT]

I am a big fan of Tifosi, they are a bargain. I have the Slip (which I use primarily for the clear and yellow lenses which come in handy riding at dusk, and also for really cold days since the vented lenses don't fog as easily) as well as several pairs with photochromic lenses. My favorites by far are my photochromic Vogels. I was kind of expecting the frameless design to look/feel gimmicky, but I love them. They are very light and comfortable and flattering, but best of all, I LOVE not having an upper frame in my field of vision while riding.

This is the model:

http://www.tifosioptics.com/single/vogel.html

I have the ones with the "EC Fototec" lens, which I also love. It has a super wide range (it goes from 56% light transmission to 17% transmission), so it's really versatile for different days/changing conditions.

[hammertime]

love my oakley flak jacket;s... they totally rock... although i "only" wear them riding... cause they are too macho for me otherwise, LOL!!

[hammertime]

Depends on you really.

I have Oakleys and yes the lenses and build quality are better than the $25 Performance Bike sunglasses that I got sick of replacing every 6 months.

I tried Performance glasses... hated them, they scratched easy and were super dull... what a waste of money.

[Maxxxie]

I have Livestrong-themed Oakleys and love them. They're super-dark and even though I managed to get a big scratch in them, I don't notice it.

I used to have Rudy Project glasses, I think the "Kerosene" model. Even the slightest scratch on them is visible and annoying. These have been retired from biking. Now I just use them to look cool when I'm off the bike :cool:

I don't bother with interchangeable lenses. In low light conditions I wear cheapie yellow safety glasses from the local hardware store. They're light and small enough to carry in a jersey pocket or backpack. These scratch pretty easily, but for $5, I don't really care. I wear them so rarely that it doesn't really matter to me.

In pitch black, I wear clear safety glasses. Same deal, $5 throwaways.

I'm with MartianDestiny on this, no matter the conditions, I wear some form of eye protection. All it takes to give you a bad day is to ride face-first into a spider web or a swarm of bugs!

Max

[silver179951]

im a total Oakleys girl. i use the jawbones with the +red polarized lenses. i absolutely love them. i used to use flak jackets, but i was terrified to change lenses cus i didnt want to break a $140 pair of sunglasses! other than my fear of changing lenses, the flak jackets worked fantastic. the ear stems worked better with a helmet than the radar's ear stems do. the radars stems seemed alittle to big with my helmet straps. i agree with ny biker 100%, you dont even notice there is something between you and what youre looking at. the unobtainium works amazing to, no slipping at all, even in 100+ degree texas summers.
if the price is a deciding point, look on ebay, you can sometimes find a good slightly used pair that is wayyyy under the list price. thats how i got my jawbones :)

[tc1]

for real sun, and daylight riding, I keep going back to my raybans. I have a pair of tifosis for lowlight conditions, but their dark lens is poor compared to the raybans. Raybans have excellent optical quality. I kinda like the really techy glasses like Oakleys, but I think they are frightfully overpriced. I also don't like the no bottom frame quality of the zoomy looking sunglasses, too much like safety glasses for my taste.
Whatever you get, if it is for sun, you will be much happier with their performance if you get polarized lenses, that is worth every extra penny.

Unfortunately the raybans aren't dogproof; I will have to replace mine this season because the beast chewed them a bit.

[OakLeaf]

I'd recommend trying out a cheap pair of polarized sunglasses before you sink a lot of money into an expensive pair. I can't wear polarized - the shimmer just makes me nauseous.

I 'm a big fan of these (http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=4537175&PMT4NO=79408390), as I've posted here before. Impact resistant, scratch resistant, UV blocking, sized for a small face (they come in full size as well); available in smoke, amber and clear; reasonably attractive, and $9 a pair ($8 if you order them by the dozen). What's not to like?

If you'd rather buy them locally, your local shooting sports store probably has them - if you don't mind setting foot in there. :rolleyes: Your local industrial safety house can probably get them if they don't stock them, and farm stores often do as well. When I found that my Oakleys weren't dog-proof either, that was the last pair of expensive sunglasses I bought. :p

[WindingRoad]

POLAR ........ IZED. These are the best lenses if you can swing it. Try non-polar and polar lenses back to back and you'll see a difference. Gets rid of vertical light, so anything off of pavement, snow, ice, water, cars etc. etc. I wouldn't be without mine. They make my eyes feel sooooooo much better after hours of riding, especially on my long rides like RAIN (160 miles in one day).

[kenyonchris]

I wear the Oakley Livestrong if the sun is bright. Love em, but after a while they hurt my ears. I had a pair of Specialized ones that the LBS gave me a great deal on because they were being discontinued...I LOVED them but they died in a tragic crash (remember the bush incident?). Like my Rudy Project ones for the car.
Best Non-Cycling glasses? Maui Jim Kona. They cost an arm and a freaking leg, but they are very light, not too dark, not too light. I am very sensitive to stuff squeezing my head and I forget they are there. Now, if you sit on them, they bend and they never recover. If you drop them they bend and never recover. They are the Paris Hilton of sunglasses....expensive and high maintenance...but they are awesome. Sometimes findable on ebay.
I've worn the Maui Jims on the bike and they don't work, the lenses are too small. But they are very stylish to wear AFTER the bike, if you are into that sort of thing.

[tulip]

I'd recommend trying out a cheap pair of polarized sunglasses before you sink a lot of money into an expensive pair.

If they have UVA/UVB protection, then fine. If not, you are doing your eyes no favors by going cheap. Most of us only have two eyes and they are worth protecting, trust me.

[OakLeaf]

If they have UVA/UVB protection, then fine. If not, you are doing your eyes no favors by going cheap. Most of us only have two eyes and they are worth protecting, trust me.

I just meant to try before she buys. If she has to throw out a pair of polarized sunglasses because they make her nauseous (as I did), better it be a $15 pair than a $150 pair.

[shootingstar]

I just meant to try before she buys. If she has to throw out a pair of polarized sunglasses because they make her nauseous (as I did), better it be a $15 pair than a $150 pair.

I really can't afford to spend $150 pr. of sunglasses.
So how does one know that a pr. of sunglasses is truly UAV/UB vs. fake?

[OakLeaf]

To the best of my knowledge... which may be wrong...

Polycarbonate lenses inherently block UV.

If they're another material, you just have to rely on the manufacturer's representations, regardless of the price of the glasses.

And remember that if you're not wearing wrap-around glasses, then your eyes are still exposed to UV from the sides and possibly the top.


Now, W/R/T polarization, I've heard that not all polarized lenses give the shimmer. But I'm not going to spend a lot of money finding out. Especially since you really can't tell inside a store.

[tulip]

I really can't afford to spend $150 pr. of sunglasses.
So how does one know that a pr. of sunglasses is truly UAV/UB vs. fake?

$150 for sunglasses is not much in my book. But I have Rx sunglasses, so I expect to pay more, and my eyes are worth it (I'm already blind in one eye, so I really go all out to protect my good eye). I rely on a good optician--they know eyes and glasses.

For non-Rx sunglasses, research the manufacturers. Most reputable companies will not fake UVA/UVB, but Walmart glasses might be faked (?)

[Ritamarie]

Good info! I'm generally a dollar store sunglasses wearer, but I'll be sorting through all of this and buying myself a really good pair of sunglasses this week! I just had a very scary thing happen with my vision after shoveling snow last Sunday in the sun for 6 hours with no sunglasses. Diagnosis: snow blindness. I had cataract surgery last April and so have implants with UV protection, but obviously that doesn't mean I can go without sunglasses. BIG wake up call.

[TrekTheKaty]

They did a special on TV and found that cheap sunglasses with UVA/UVB tags were as effective as expensive sunglasses. However I pay extra for women's style and "sport" nosepads that help they stay on my face (particularly during running).

I also love my Tifosi's. I bought them after Lasik--Dr. ordered big, wrap around lenses to protect my eyes from bugs and wind while I healed. Mine came with multiple lenses but I settled on brown.

WARNING: One day I forgot my cycling glasses and slipped on some RayBans. I discovered they gave me almost no peripheral vision, which proved dangerous when I glanced back to pass. So try before you buy, if you can.

Now this I'm not sure on--isn't there something about using lenses that won't crush on impact? Maybe that was skiing?

[tulip]

Now this I'm not sure on--isn't there something about using lenses that won't crush on impact? Maybe that was skiing?

Polycarbonate lenses are best because they don't shatter.

[OakLeaf]

Anything that meets ANSI Z87.1 is impact-resistant. High-impact resistant lenses bear the Z87.1+ mark. I don't think it's only polycarbonate that meets these standards?

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:34LD4YKmpYAJ:www.aosafetysrx.com/aosafetysrx.com/pdf/Ansi%2520Summary%25202003%2520Final%25207-03.pdf+ansi+z87.1&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbTMa5fWpNxqqnUAAH0GEDgJVXEk-Q

[tulip]

I have no idea of what materials meet those standards. My ophthalmologist always gives me a prescription for polycarbonate lenses for safety, though.

[OakLeaf]

Looks like for impact-resistant prescription lenses, it's either polycarbonate or Trivex. I'm guessing Trivex is probably a lot more expensive. It's supposed to be a lot better optically than polycarbonate.