Sunglasses - help???

[DrBee]

I've finally received my contacts and I'm slowly getting used to them. Now (as all of you have told me) I need to find some sunglasses. I bought a cheap-o pair at Walmart :( that the cashier scratched during checkout to hold me over until I could get a good pair. So now - finally to my question...

What kind do you recommend? I've been looking online at Native, Smith, and Wiley-X. There are NO stores around here where I can try them on - so I'm going to have to rely upon you ladies to help me. Is there a particular style that seems to work particularly well? I'm guessing I need a medium sized frame.

Thanks :)

[bouncybouncy]

hey doc...i have the smith theory (with interchangable lenses...great for any situation!!! i love them!!!) and they got a great write-up in a cycling mag (which one slips my mind now) as a top choice! they are great for the smaller face too..(my computer/reading glasses are from the kids section:o )

http://www.smithsport.com/products/sunglass/interchangeable_theory.html

*** i googled "smith sunglasses" and got a ton of stores that carried them...you may even find a store you can use a coupon or find them on sale

anyway...my dh (who wears contacts/glasses as well) is saving for a pair of rudy projects so eventually he can have the option of inserting Rx lenses BEHIND the tinted lenses for those days he is too lazy to put in his contacts. pricey tho!!!

http://www.rudyprojectusa.com/splash-landing.htm

i am hoping someday santa will bring me rudy's too...but i have got quite the list!!!

[SalsaMTB]

I think this will vary with each person, but I'll let you know what I like and look for.

I have a pair of Oakleys that I absolutely love. They do not have interchangeable lenses, but fit is excellent. I would recommend though if you only want to purchase one pair, get one that does have 3 different lenses. I like to have really tinted for road riding with a lot of sun, clear for night riding, and either yellor or red for overcast or cloudy mountain riding days.

For style, I normally look for ones that have rubber on the area that touches my head and are a bit larger to give good coverage. I like it when the part the rests on the nose is integrated into the frame instead of having little plastic/rubber nose pieces that can move around (hope that makes sense).

I like to make sure they fight tightly against my head so they don't move around when I ride but also are not squeezing my head so it hurts. I have found the ones that are just plastic against your head (above your ears) really dig in and bother me.

Hope that helped a litttle. Maybe you can find a store that has similar brands and can try on a bunch to find what style is more comfortable.

[MelC]

I have a pair of Adidas Evil Eye for small faces and quite like them particularly because the ear pieces don't stretch when you wear them on top of your head :) They do have interchangeable lenses but you have to order them separately. If I were looking to replace them now I would think about getting a pair of photochromic lenses though which seem like a great idea. The idea is that they adjust for different light conditions automatically. I haven't tried them though so would be interested to hear from anyone who has. Specialized makes a pair for road and one for mtb (grey vs. red based tint) in a small and large size. Tifoso also had some that were quite reasonably priced. I think Rudy Project makes them now too for their Jekylls and probably some of their other styles.

Mel

[Blueberry]

I have a pair of Native Silencers that I *love*. Natives are all polarized, which I find to be a big bonus on days with lots of glare. These also have orange, yellow and clear lenses included. They also have something called the anti-occular intrustion system which supposedly keeps the lens from ending up in your face in the event that you land hard on your face. These wrap pretty well, and seem to protect the entire eye area without having *huge* lenses.

The nice thing about natives: the lifetime warranty. If you scratch them (or land on your face and demolish them as I did), you send the glasses and $20 to Native and they send you a new pair. No questions asked.

REI and LLBean both carry this style, and both have a great return policy. Sometimes you can find them locally as well.

Cheers,

Carrie Anne

[bluerider]

I have the Oakley Half Jackets and they are great. I have three sets of interchangeable lenses (one being polarized) that I swop in and out depending on the light conditions. I think any pair that gives you abundant coverage is a safe bet. Try to avoid sunglasses with “air vents”. At least from personal experience, this is not great for road riding as more than air gets in. Also, look for durable sweat-adhesive frames that will take a little beating. One thing about the HJs is that they are kind of pricey but they have lasted me a long time.

[Grog]

I don't know if Ryders are available in the US (I guess they're a US brand, so probably), but I sure love them, and they are fairly cheap (CDN$40 for most of them, CDN$60 for those with interchangeable lenses). I just got my third pair, which has interchangeables, because my club is sponsored by them so we got a free pair (how nice!). My two other pairs were very satisfying so far, not a scratch on them, and very comfortable. Two quite different designs. I have a small face, but the ones I got were not "small face specific designs" I think.

[Deanna]

I can't say enough good things about interchangeable lenses. I wear the Smith Toasters, but they have a variety of styles, and you get three pairs of lenses with your glasses.

[Robbin_G]

I have the Native Tare interchangeable. Love 'em! Didn't really understand the value of the orange lens until this past cloudy Sat. I almost forgot it was cloudy everything was so crisp. Now if I knew what the yellow was for.... ;)

The odd thing about these is that the frame color will affect the primary lens color. I wanted the "Iron" frames, but they come with green lenses. But, the "smoke" frames came with the grey lenses so thats what I got. They aren't as translucent as they seem in this picture. All that studio lighting I guess.

[DrBee]

Thanks so much for the ind-depth responses. You all gave good advice. No-one mentioned Wiley-x. Have you heard of them? Apparently the military uses them...

All of the brands/styles you mentioned are running around $100-$130, so I guess I just need to make up my mind. Lots to think about now - thanks!

[Deanna]

I have the Native Tare interchangeable. Love 'em! Didn't really understand the value of the orange lens until this past cloudy Sat. I almost forgot it was cloudy everything was so crisp. Now if I knew what the yellow was for.... ;)


I think the yellow is for snow, to cut down on glare. I use them for riding in fog.

[madisongrrl]

I wear Zeals...

http://www.zealoptics.com/eus/finder/

[DrBee]

I have the Native Tare interchangeable.

Do the Tare style have good peripheral vision? I have also been considering Dash - did you look at them as well?

[profàvélo]

Guy at the tri shop recommended Tifosi. He pointed me to a smaller frame. They came with clear, gray and amber lenses and a nice case. I have been very pleased with them, and they were under $50. I highly recommend buying something with switch-out lenses.

[Robbin_G]

Do the Tare style have good peripheral vision? I have also been considering Dash - did you look at them as well?

I did not look at those because I really wanted the frame to go all the way around the lens. I have not noticed peripheral issues, but I'm only 2 months out of lasik and wore my glasses daily since I was 10. :-D

[tulip]

Just make sure they have UVA/UVB protection. Otherwise, you could do permanent damage to your eyes. No cheap-o sunglasses!