Cycling sunglasses - Oakley Flak Jacket but which lenses?

elffy

I am looking to purchase some sunglasses in the hope we have a decent summer and to help me through the hayfever season. I have been looking at buying either some Oakley Livestrong Flak Jacket glasses which have black iridium lenses or some normal Oakley Flak Jacket glasses with polarized lenses but I am confused to which would be better for cycling. I have been told conflicting information regarding the need for polarized lenses and the fact the glasses endorsed by Lance Armstrong dont have these lenses seems to suggest that paying the extra isn't really neccessary when being used for cycling. Has anyone had experience of these glasses / lenses?

GavH

Have you visited Oakley.com? They have a number of different 'scenes' that you can view through different lenses to see how it varies. Might help you decide what you're after.

cougie

I thought polarized was better for glare - so fishermen - yachting - that kinda thing. Not needed for cycling.

I have Iridium lenses - and they're great for sunny days. Dont go OTT though and get lensed too dark or you'll not be able to use them on dull days. I cant find the % light transmission chart on the site - but it must be somewhere....

k-dog

The Flak Jacket is a great choice - although if you want to wait a month or so the new Jawbone should be available - the one Lance is wearing at the moment.

The big advantage of those is they have really easy to change lenses if you want a couple of different sets.

Tintwise it is really a personal thing - dependant on you and the conditions you will ride in.

Lance actually uses the G30 lens which is a reasonably dark golf specific lens - you can see in pictures that he often seems to have a pink tint to them.

Polarized lenses are a great choice - they have a nice tint and stop glare - as cougie says probably more important for fishing or driving but they are still a nice choice for any purpose - just more expensive.

The black iridium is one of Oakley's darkest lenses - and I would suggest too dark for most wear in the UK - except a bright sunny day. Good if you are riding in Spain in July but a bit much for over here.

You can get a VR28 Black Iridium which basically looks the same from the outside (shiny black) but lets more light through (18% compared to 10% for the black iridium) which is a good choice - it's a warmer shade of tint and a more useful depth for riding in the UK.

The light transmission numbers are all in the lens part of each page - go to the flak jacket part of the site and then under the picture click on lens tints and then change tint - you'll see all the available options and then the numbers beside them.

Often a lens has a number that indicates its light transmission too - e.g. a G40 is darker than a G50. The iridium coating blocks a little more light too.

Doesn't make any difference to the protection factor though - they all block 100% of everything.

graemenm

I bought a set of custom oakley flak jackets and three sets of lenses from the US.

I went for Black Iridium (not so dark that they are unusable) yellow and clear. This gives me a useful range of lenses.

One thing I would say is buy the XLJ lenses as the standard lenses are just too small.

Overall Im very chuffed with them, comfortable, dont steam up and stylish. The custom options are great too.

G

HonestAl

I've got a pair of Flak Jacket XLJs with photochromic lenses. I wear sunnies all the time on the basis that I wear contacts and have a lot of trouble with grit in my eyes so I needed something that would cope with dull to bright conditions. They're great.

In terms of polarised, I recall an incident a long time ago where I drove somewhat overenthusiastically over a wet patch and had a few heart stopping moments as I slithered around. I was wearing polarised sunnies at the time and am convinced that they were responsible for me not spotting the water, so I've always avoided polarised lenses whilst on the road ever since

diarmuid

On a related note, have you found an online store with a good price on Flak Jackets?

bendertherobot

ebay is the best for flak jackets.

diarmuid

bendertherobot wrote:

ebay is the best for flak jackets.

Thanks

bendertherobot

Just get someone with a store or excellent feedback.

bobtbuilder

I agree with K-dog. The black iridium are very dark, and probably overkill for the UK about 95% of the time. Something like a VR28 or G30 (both of which I use) might work for you. I find them dark anough to keep the glare of the sun out, but they are also excellent at helping me see potholes on roads with tree cover, shadows, etc.

Here is a chart of all Oakley lense types: http://www.steptoes.co.uk/oakley-sunglasses-lenses.ghtml

topher9

The black iridium lenses are VERY dark. I thought they were too dark in the Algarve last Summer so I would definitely say that they'll be too much to ride in the UK. The spectrum is so wide, you shouldn't have any issue getting the right ones. If you're near a stockist, they tend to have a variety in stock so you could always try them...

il_principe

I use Flak Jackets with Transitions Black Persimmon Iridium XLJ lenses. Very happy with them: