Hi team,
I have been trying to find a solution for cycling glasses.
I am currently using a safety glasses with prescription. It is great but with few things I would like to improve.
Inner side of the glasses becoming foggy when slowed down.
It does not look good.
Some potential solution I thought about:
Contact lens - does not work for me as my eye keep flickering when I try to insert the contact lens.
Cycling glasses with RX insert - seems like a good solution but it is expensive. typically cost about $400-$500 and I am not sure if it fits my face physically and appearancely.
Is there anything that I have been missed?
Can you recommend some solution based on your experience?
When you’re new to contact lenses, it can be a serious effort to learn to put them in and take them out. Give it time, and work with your doctor’s office if needed to figure it out. It can take a few weeks to start to get used to it.
As for glasses, are you saying you are nearsighted (which means you can see close up, but not far away)? If so, there are lots of prescriptions cycling glasses out there to choose from.
On fog, I’ve never found glasses that don’t fog up when stopped under certain atmospheric conditions, and I’ve tried many brands. It’s just something you get used to and learn to look over the top or put them on your helmet. They will de-fog when you start rolling again.
Thank you for the advise.
I prefer using contact lens because non-prescribed cycling glass is much cheaper than the prescribed one.
And contact lens has less mass and moving parts but last time I visited the vision doctor, she did not permit me to use it due to my eye flickering when putting it on.
For glasses, do you have any recommended brands? I was looking at Rudy project. The review seems promising.
I would get a second opinion from a different doctor.
I had Rudy Project inserts many years ago. They do work, but like you said, they look a little odd. I then bought a pair of prescription wraparounds, but they gave me vertigo, so for me the solution was contacts.
Unfortunately, this is one of those things where different things work for different people. Good luck!
I tried Optical because I thought the options looked better but their support is non existant. In the last year Zenni has some new options that I’m open to trying out and I would go with them (again) next.
Will the coloring on the lens make it hard to see in a relatively dark area? I used to wear clear glasses all the time. Not sure if I can get used to the coloring.
First things first - I have used http://Sportrx.com for my cycling and shooting glasses for 15 years or more. They are great people to talk to about your specific application, preferences, prescription, and available options. Highly recommended.
On a personal level, the price of my prescription cycling glasses is one of the easiest expenses for me to justify. Having a great pair of glasses that feel good, have the particular features you need, offer great protection, perform in the heat/cold/rain/wind/etc. and still look good are worth every cent you pay for them. If you choose wisely, you’ve wear them for years, and the cost will amortize over time.
FWIW, my Rudy Project glasses likely saved my eye when I skidded down the pavement on my face during a fondo a few years ago. The lens was trashed, but stayed in the frame, and I was able to bend the frame back into shape. Rudy Project stood by their lifetime warranty, SportRX had new lenses on the way within a day or two, and my glasses were ready to ride before I was. Having two intact eyes and new glasses made the price I paid seem like a great investment.
I’m not a fan of contacts. Bought these in 2015 and put prescription lenses in them:
Default lens is really dark, which is great on the water in Hawaii or on bright summer days of California. But a bit too dark when riding near sunset. A couple years ago my prescription changed and I went with the 2nd darkest Maui Jim lens - perfect.
Wrap sunglasses, look great on and off the bike. No issues with wind even on really high-speed descents in the mountains.
Ive no experience of them myself as contacts thankfully work fir me at the moment but folk on UK forums usually recommend https://www.optilabs.com/ According to the site its ÂŁ14 to ship overseas.
Oakley Base6 semi-wrap glasses. A lot less distortion than normal full wrap but with most of the coverage and you can use them casually without looking stupid. You can save a bit of money by buying the frames and sending them off to somewhere like Lensabl (transitions XtraActive mirrors are awesome if you ride at dusk/dawn). Glasses USA is cheap too.
I will be awaiting your review for this one. I have ordered Luke. With a discount, I was able to buy it at the price of $50, which is pretty awesome…
One question though, why do you buy new one when you are satisfied with the one you already have (Luke)?
I’m going to purchase these in the next couple days:
I’m new to the prescription glasses club… I’ve been in denial the last few years and what a game changer! At any rate, I’ve got three pairs of Sutros that I still want to wear but they aren’t offered in prescription directly from Oakley. The SVED inserts are very appealing as they can be easily swapped (and the company is apparently semi-local to me).
The price makes it ok to see how they fare - you don’t know what’s “good” until you try different things. And this is trying new things every 1.5 -2 years. If my prescription changes, then I might as well try new glasses because I don’t know how to just get new inserts.
The Luke are good, but they’re certainly not perfect (as detailed in the review).
