Prescription Sunglasses

thexvw
thexvw Posts: 135
edited May 2008 in Road beginners
Ok, I need a pair of prescription sunglasses. Where is the best place to buy these from, and what brands do you recommend ?

Comments

  • master_grunthos
    master_grunthos Posts: 161
    This is a difficult question. what's your prescription? I'm worse than -8 in both eyes so it's difficult (impossible) to get wrapping sunglasses. I have some Rudy Project Perception glasses. these take normal lenses behind a flip up wrapping tinted (interchangeable) lens. they're expensive but very good indeed and add great flexibility. you can change the tint and prescription independently and if you go under trees or in a pub flip them up to see in darker places (though you look like one of the robots from short circuit). I have various tints from clear to very dark polarized i use for skiing. costly but worth it for the flexibility.

    The frames i have are no longer available but Rudy project do plenty of them. www.gosportspex.co.uk is a good start. if i were you i'd get the prescription part glazed at your own optician though if you have a difficult prescription. makes it easier to send back etc.
    M_G
  • thexvw
    thexvw Posts: 135
    Not too bad, less than -2 I think
  • keith57
    keith57 Posts: 164
    I too wrestled with this for a while - I did have some fixed lens Oakley prescription sunglasses I used for sea kayaking and mountaineering - I used these on the bike but they were really too dark for low light situations - I couldn't see where I was going at dusk!

    A friend sat on them a few months ago and they broke - and I lashed out for some Oakley half-jackets where the lenses are removable - I now have some prescription lenses which are super dark (& polarised for the paddling) and some completely clear ones too for low light riding. I'm very happy with their performance - but they aren't cheap! I did manage a bit of a 'deal' buying both lenses from my optician.

    Used them recently on a weeks biking up some tough hills in the Pyrenees, photos here:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/fachwen/se ... 521871445/
    http://www.fachwen.org
    https://www.strava.com/athletes/303457

    Please note: I’ll no longer engage deeply with anonymous forum users :D
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    I'm ordering a pair of Rudy Project Kalyos with the optical inserts at the weekend.

    I'm sick of having to put in contact lenses whenever I'm going out for a ride...

    http://www.gosportspex.com/RudyProject_Kalyos.asp
  • Stu247
    Stu247 Posts: 53
    Optilabs ?

    http://www.optilabs.com/site/product.php?prodid=11

    I have not got any myself yet but I know some people on here have them.
  • P_J_Rogers
    P_J_Rogers Posts: 29
    Gosportspexs are excellent. I would recommed Rudy Project Horus however as this gives you the option of using the glasses with contact lenses as well.
  • schlepcycling
    schlepcycling Posts: 1,614
    I have a pair from optilabs they are the reactions ones so they work in all lights cost me about £120 a couple of years ago.
    'Hello to Jason Isaacs'
  • MegaCycle
    MegaCycle Posts: 236
    Optilabs. They are superb. Really good quality and they spend lots of time getting them exactly right, I was very impressed.
  • thexvw
    thexvw Posts: 135
    Thanks for the advice
  • pneumatic
    pneumatic Posts: 1,989
    MegaCycle wrote:
    Optilabs. They are superb. Really good quality and they spend lots of time getting them exactly right, I was very impressed.

    ditto for Optilabs. Great specs. Great service. Great price.

    Fast and Bulbous
    Peregrinations
    Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
  • Mossrider
    Mossrider Posts: 226
    Again - Optilabs reactions; I use them all year round, including at night on the local country lanes.
  • garnett
    garnett Posts: 196
    Contact lenses.

    Then you can wear whatever sunglaases you like.
  • Nuggs
    Nuggs Posts: 1,804
    Garnett wrote:
    Contact lenses.

    Then you can wear whatever sunglaases you like.
    I hate the things. If you get a speck of dust in your eye, it says there!
  • thexvw
    thexvw Posts: 135
    Sorry, cant do contacts either, optilabs look like the main choice. What frames have you chosen
  • Phekdra
    Phekdra Posts: 137
    thexvw wrote:
    Ok, I need a pair of prescription sunglasses. Where is the best place to buy these from, and what brands do you recommend ?

    If you're tight like me you could try the Bloc Stealth with optical insert. Mine came with three different lenses and I got the insert glazed at a local optician. It's pretty basic, but it stays on and I've ridden with it every day throughout the winter and for the primary criteria of letting me see and protecting me from wind and grit it does just fine.

    Having said that, one of those Optilabs glasses would be something to aspire to! :shock:

    Phekdra
  • schlepcycling
    schlepcycling Posts: 1,614
    thexvw wrote:
    Sorry, cant do contacts either, optilabs look like the main choice. What frames have you chosen

    Frames wise I went for These
    'Hello to Jason Isaacs'
  • thexvw
    thexvw Posts: 135
    Phekdra wrote:
    thexvw wrote:
    Ok, I need a pair of prescription sunglasses. Where is the best place to buy these from, and what brands do you recommend ?

    If you're tight like me you could try the Bloc Stealth with optical insert. Mine came with three different lenses and I got the insert glazed at a local optician. It's pretty basic, but it stays on and I've ridden with it every day throughout the winter and for the primary criteria of letting me see and protecting me from wind and grit it does just fine.

    Having said that, one of those Optilabs glasses would be something to aspire to! :shock:

    Phekdra

    Where did you get the Bloc Stealth from ?
  • Phekdra
    Phekdra Posts: 137
    thexvw wrote:
    Where did you get the Bloc Stealth from ?

    I think I got them from www.cyclestore.co.uk , although I just had a quick scan on Google and there appear to be plenty of places selling them. They're a tiny bit flimsy but I've dropped them a few times with no ill effects.

    Phekdra
  • McHattie
    McHattie Posts: 146
    The main issue I have with glasses is that they can slip down my nose easily once I start to perspire. How do the Optilabs glasses cope with a bit of sweat (hopefully no blood or tears)?
  • peter_andrew
    peter_andrew Posts: 373
    I use adidas evil eye with precription insert. No problems at all, just make sure the insert lenses are plastic .
    Peter

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/range.aspx?rang ... uwodSHYC4w
  • TheHatter
    TheHatter Posts: 122
    I cam recomend The Specs Place where I recently got these Rudy Projects : http://www.thespecsplace.com/product_detail.cfm?id=396 from. With an insert they came to £100 and the good thing is that you can buy other lenses (though the laser blues I got are great even on overcaset days like today).
  • pneumatic
    pneumatic Posts: 1,989
    McHattie wrote:
    The main issue I have with glasses is that they can slip down my nose easily once I start to perspire. How do the Optilabs glasses cope with a bit of sweat (hopefully no blood or tears)?

    I wore my optilabs specs all last summer in the South of France, where it was incredibly hot. I always sweat loads on the bike and the specs never slid a millimetre. I think it must be a combination of their being lightweight, well shaped and having grippy legs at the point where they meet your head above the ear. To be honest, I forgot I had them on most of the time.

    Also, thinking about it, I put them on before doing up the helmet straps, so they might be helping to keep the glasses in place, too.

    Fast and Bulbous
    Peregrinations
    Eddingtons: 80 (Metric); 60 (Imperial)
  • Phekdra
    Phekdra Posts: 137
    TheHatter wrote:
    I cam recomend The Specs Place where I recently got these Rudy Projects : http://www.thespecsplace.com/product_detail.cfm?id=396 from. With an insert they came to £100 and the good thing is that you can buy other lenses (though the laser blues I got are great even on overcaset days like today).

    Those look very nice, Hatter - I'm tempted myself! Those arms look a bit flat, though - do you find them slipping off? And do they fit under or over the helmet straps?

    Phekdra
  • Rich Hcp
    Rich Hcp Posts: 1,355
    Oakleys.....
    Richard

    Giving it Large
  • Nomen
    Nomen Posts: 5
    I was somewhat restricted in the choice of sunglasses as contacts isn't an option for me, and I needed some that wraps around a good deal to stop the wind as my eyes start to water at the slightest gust. Very curved lenses is apparently hard to get grinded to prescription, so I had to look at ones were it was possible to use optical inserts. I finally settled at Evil Eye Pro from Adidas. Bit pricey, but I don't regret the purchase one bit. They are sold in two sizes, slipping due to sweating hasn't been a problem, there are multiple adjustments possible, as well as a range of different tinted lenses.
  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,076
    http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... s&start=15

    another thread on this subject.
  • TheHatter
    TheHatter Posts: 122
    Phekdra wrote:
    TheHatter wrote:
    I cam recomend The Specs Place where I recently got these Rudy Projects : http://www.thespecsplace.com/product_detail.cfm?id=396 from. With an insert they came to £100 and the good thing is that you can buy other lenses (though the laser blues I got are great even on overcaset days like today).

    Those look very nice, Hatter - I'm tempted myself! Those arms look a bit flat, though - do you find them slipping off? And do they fit under or over the helmet straps?

    Phekdra

    I slide them under the helmet straps and they are very comfortable. I've had problems with other glasses int the past that wrap around the ears as I've found them to press in and be uncomfortable but i guess its a very personal prefernce. The only critisicm I'd have of the Rudy's is that the arms feel cheap when you hold them but on the plus side they are very light and the lenses are great - I've been wearing them to commute down a shaded path where the light goes from dark to full on sunshine and the Rudy's work great.
  • Diver-m
    Diver-m Posts: 158
    I am about to choose some frames from optilabs.

    I had a pair a couple of years ago and think they are the sprint frames, I was going to choose them again, but they seem to have a bigger choice now.

    What optilab frames are other using?
  • McHattie
    McHattie Posts: 146
    Diver-m,

    I just bought some Sprint frames a couple of weeks ago. I don't really like them, to be honest. They're much thicker and goggle-like than I had imagined from the images on the web. I really had to bend the frames quite a bit too to get them to fit reasonably on my fairly slim face. It depends on your face and on your prescription, but I personally would look for some less chunky frames.

    Hope that helps, rather than confuses.
  • CrookedCucumber
    CrookedCucumber Posts: 324
    I got prescription sunglasses for free last time I got a new pair of real glasses. They from a high street optician -- nothing special, and I can't remember which. But I think they all have offers like this from time to time.

    They are neither as light nor as stylish as specialist sports glasses, but free is free :)

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