Cycling glasses: How to choose the perfect pair?
Cycling Glasses
Glasses are not only a fashion accessory to add to your looks when you’re on a bike. While they can do that job perfectly, they are also able to protect your eyes during intense sports. Whether it’s about protecting your eyes from the sun or keeping away road grit, the only solution to eye safety during sports are sports glasses.
From athletes to commuters, cycling glasses are worth your money. They have several features to make your commute comfortable and safe. The frames are lightweight and the lenses are loaded with all the right filters to keep out UV light and glare.
No matter if you’re searching for clear cycling glasses for your daily commute or racing down the roads, here’s what you should look out for.
1. Frame
Those stylish aviators or wayfarers are of no use when you’re dealing with high wind speed, bugs getting in your eyes and unwanted light reflections from the sun. Metal is not a safe material for riders as it can get hot in the sunlight and burn your skin. And if you take a hit, it’s possible to acquire an eye injury from the metal. Thus, your cycling glasses need to be safer than that.
Polycarbonate plastic and TR89 are the best materials for cycling glasses. Where TR89 frames provide you with a nice grip, they are also sweat resistant. They are durable, lightweight and don’t break into pieces even when you take a fall.
They are comfortable and are perfect to have a wrap-around fit. Thus, these glasses fit more securely on your face than other frame materials.
If you tend to get a lot sweaty around the eyes, look for frames that allow a little ventilation around the eyes. This will keep you more comfortable and cooler while keeping the lenses from fogging up.
Even when you’re buying clear cycling glasses, make sure they have all these properties.
2. Lenses
Along with wraparound frame style, the lenses should be curved too to give you an enhanced peripheral vision. These will magnify your vision field and help you see things clearly. You’ll barely feel that you’re wearing glasses as the lenses will cover all of your visual fields.
Clear cycling glasses don’t have any lens tint. But, you can get them in tinted lenses as well. No matter how long you spend outdoors, your cycling glasses should have anti-UV and anti-glare coatings.
The nasty rays of the sun can cause sunburns and may even have a temporary effect on your cornea. They may even lead to premature ageing by damaging the delicate skin around the eyes. If your cycling glasses don’t have these filters, then you don’t need to buy them.
Another thing that your glasses need is shatterproof lenses. For example, if you’re hit by a stone on the face, the lenses should not break. And even when you drop your glasses, the lenses should be intact. Polycarbonate lens material is the best for this matter.
If your lenses fog up, you can solve this problem with a couple of tips. Use an anti-fogging coating on your clear cycling glasses or leave little vents around the lenses to let out the air as you’re riding.
Choosing the right lens tint is the biggest challenge that people face when buying cycling glasses. Here’s what different lens colours do for your vision and how they help you on the road.
Dark, grey – Most common lens colours in cycling glasses for men. They reduce glare and block UV light without altering colour perception.
Brown – This lens colour heightens contrast so you can see the little details on the road with more clarity.
Clear Lenses – These are the most useful on overcast days or when driving at night.
Orange or yellow – These lens tints are perfect for low light conditions as they increase contrast which makes it easier to spot details and road bumps.
Photochromic – These light adaptive lenses go from light to dark in the presence of UV light. While photochromic lenses are perfect for cycling glasses for men, they won’t help much in sun-dappled forests as the lenses may not change colour quickly.
Mirror Coating – This lens coating reduces any reflections on the lenses making it perfect during those bright and shiny days.
Polarizing – Polarised lenses are known for reducing glare and UV light. Thus, they are perfect to use while driving down wet roads.
3. Eye prescription
If you’re going to buy tinted or clear cycling glasses, then there’s one more thing you need to think about.
If you wear glasses for your vision problem, then many opticians can fit your eye prescription in the lenses of your cycling glasses. But you have to make sure that you only get this done from reputed opticians and don’t fall for those cheap cycling glasses that don’t correct your vision
Having an anti-fog solution on the lenses is also a smart idea. There’s no point in having cool cycling glasses if your lenses get fogged up every 2 minutes.
Alternatively, you can fit your prescription in cycling sunglasses as well. But make sure that you buy branded cycling glasses and don’t settle for those low-quality ones just because they’re cheap.
4. Fit
When it comes to the perfect fit for cycling glasses for men, there’s absolutely no other alternative than trying your glasses in person. You want to aim for a snug fit but your glasses shouldn’t press too hard on your skin. The arms should touch the sides of your head but not too tightly.
Make sure that the frame style is not obstructing your peripheral vision. Watch out for other things such as whether your eyelashes are touching the lenses when you blink. This may seem trivial but it can become annoying after a few hours.
A good fit is crucial particularly when you’re riding down bumpy roads. When trying out clear cycling glasses make sure to shake your head to see if the glasses fall off your face. It might sound silly to do but you can check the fit of the frame so your glasses don’t fall off while you’re on the trail.
There are so many cycling glasses out there in different lens colours, styles and price points. You don’t have to settle for a pair if you don’t like its look or performance.
But if you’ve found a pair of glasses that you like, buy them to avoid eye injuries and enhance your visual performance on the road.
