Glasses For Cross Country - Are They Essential?

Torres

Just wondering what the buzz is on glasses for riding.
I've been riding XC for a short while now and haven't got round to getting a pair of glasses, and then i came to thinking, are they really necessary?
So what's everyones opinion on them, are they essential or a novelty?

p.s. Sorry about the spelling, has been amended.

lost-time

I've said essential but that's because I'm a little myopic! But, I wore clear or tinted lenses long before the need of prescription specs. It stops all the crap flying up into your eyes and in my opinion stops you looking too much of mushroom head with your helmet on.

PS not having a go but you spell necessary like that <<<<

I was told this About 20 years ago.....

Never Eat Cake, Eat Super Salad And Remain Young = necessary

schmako

In the 5 years i've been riding i've never worn shades. There have been plenty of instances where they'd have come in handy, but nah not essential.

whyamihere

Very handy for keeping crap out of the eyes.

toasty

I seem to catch an insane amount of insects in mine, normally 2/3 a night on my evening rides which is why I've started using them. It depends where you ride really.

hednesfordxcer

I had visit to hospital that could have been prevented if I'd been wearing shades. Besides a broken eye is a lot more difficult to repair than a broken bone.

Mog Uk

I wear glasses everytime I ride the bike, be it clear, smoked, yellow lens...

Genuinely hate the thought of anything going in my eye and potentially losing my sight, call me weird, it's just one of those things...

ginsterdrz

Long climbs-they steam up.
Long decents-they stop me 'crying' and let me see where I'm going.
Tree's and branche's-they'll save your eyes!

Buy a pair of Rockriders from Decathlon-around £8, colour choice, look fantastic and won't matter if you lose/trash them.

whyamihere

Ginsterdrz wrote:

Long climbs-they steam up.

Get some anti-fog spray from a swimming shop. Works wonders.

Pagem

Mog Uk wrote:

I wear glasses everytime I ride the bike, be it clear, smoked, yellow lens...

Genuinely hate the thought of anything going in my eye and potentially losing my sight, call me weird, it's just one of those things...

i'm the same and think it quite sensibe. eyes are too important to risk imho.

Pagem

whyamihere wrote:

Very handy for keeping crap out of the eyes.

you're not one of those naturist pack riders are you?

dav1

I think they are good. I don't have any atm but there is nothing worse then a fly in the eye mid ride and a blinding with dust from the back tyre of the person ahead of you.

jibbber

The amount of little flies and gnats that have gone in my eyes recently on evening rides has prompted me to buy some specs. They'll help in the rain and against cold wind in the winter too.

hastings

i finally bit the bullet after starting cycling and finally getting fed up of getting flies in my eyes etc... which required my mates pouring water into my eyes (which the found hilarious) to get them out

mine only cost £10 and apart from the bike and helmet (obviously) i would say that to me they are one of the more essential parts of my kit and i dont leave the house without them

Big n Daft

Another who wears them all the time.

Clear, shades or yellows depending on the light.

Having scraped many a large fly and a few wasps off my motorbike helmet visor, I think its the safest thing.

jayson

I wear glasses anyways so its a mute point for me but i have to say if i dint i would defo get a pair cos they really do help with crap/flies/wind etc.

Lowride

I always ride with glasses. They help protect from low branches, mud, dirt, flies etc

Spanky

Get some decent ones with proper sports lenses ie ones designed to be hit by things are a fair old lick.

Otherwise all they that happens is you have little bits of platic and a stone/branch stuck in your eye when something hits them.

I'd say they are well worth the investment. Can't really buy a replacement eye and you'll be a lot quicker on the trails if you can see than if you blew the £50-70 a decent set would cost you on a carbon seatpost or whatever else you might buy.

Bromski

I've asked before on this forum but never seem to get a reply -

Does anyone wear prescription trail specs? I am looking for a recomendation.

I normally wear just my normal prescription glasses but there are times when I would like sun protection or high contrast.

Spanky

You can get perscription Oakleys can't you?

Gunna cost you but the optics are very good on them and should last assuming you don't stack it into a tree or something!

Bromski

I have looked a few times.

Oakley do offer prescription eyewear but they seem to be just general glasses.

The sports eyewear always looks amazing but I can never see an option for prescription versions.

nferrar

I consider glasses as essential as a helmet, I quite often get stones or insects etc bouncing off my glasses and my eyes stream with tears on a fast downhill without glasses which makes it hard to see :P Also one time I came off over the bars the bike flipped over me and landed on me, with the nose of the saddle hitting me right in front of my left eye on the glasses lens. Broke the frame of my glasses and cracked the lens but better than bursting my eye ball...

shin0r

I would normally not bother with glasses, but after completing the Cwmcarn trail yesterday in the pouring rain and getting huge amounts of sandy sludge in my eyes, I have ordered a pair of Bolle anti-fog safety glasses!

Torres

Ginsterdrz wrote:

Buy a pair of Rockriders from Decathlon-around £8, colour choice, look fantastic and won't matter if you lose/trash them.

Has anyone got a link to a site that sells these? Did a quick google but couldn't find anything.

Mog Uk

Torres wrote:

Ginsterdrz wrote:

Buy a pair of Rockriders from Decathlon-around £8, colour choice, look fantastic and won't matter if you lose/trash them.

Has anyone got a link to a site that sells these? Did a quick google but couldn't find anything.

It's Decathlons own brand....

nicklouse

some of these?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/Product_a ... index.html

lanky85

i say they definately help! i never used to wear them but about 2 months ago i had an incident where i was bombing down a hill and a fly went straight into my eye, it hurt and i closed my eyes haha! not the best thing to do as i ended up scratched to fook upside down in a ditch... i then bought some lenses, so much better, although takes a lil to get used to i think especially if you dont normally wear glasses.

Aux1

I think they are essential. They annoy me on long sweaty climbs a bit so I don't wear them then, but they're absolutely necessary during everything else. They keep the dust, flying bits of mud from your own tires or those in front of you, branches, insects, rain, UV rays and pretty much everything else away from your eyes. There were quite a few times a branch slapped me in the glasses on a fast ride...

The best ones are with exchangeable lenses... Dark for sunlight, grey when in the shade of trees, orange for fog and clear for rain and night.

nicklouse

dont forget that they can keep the dog crap out of your eyes and therefore protect from some serious infections.

Noodoo

I have a pair of the Decathlon Xud 700's they're cheap as chips.

I've not marked them as 'essential', but 'they help' because you can get by without them.
I have a front mudguard which protrudes out over the front wheel, so I don't often get things hitting me in the face, however, on muddy rides, I wear the glasses just in case.
They have saved my eyes from branches a few times when nipping through the unbeaten trails in the woods.

alaric@epicmtb

I never bothered until I scratched my eye on a low hanging holly branch. No lasting damage, but boy did it smart - hours afterwards!

Always ride with them now - interchangeable lenses etc. mean there's no excuse not to.