Oakley Polarized

greasedscotsman

OK, I understand the principal of Oakley polarized glasses is to cut down glare, but are they any good? Worth the extra money? Better than regular Iridium? Suppose what I'm really asking is should I get a pair?

bendertherobot

For me? Not really.

In fact I wear my Polarised Jawbones off the bike only.

When on I use Gold Iridium and G30 lenses.

greasedscotsman

bendertherobot wrote:

For me? Not really.

In fact I wear my Polarised Jawbones off the bike only.

When on I use Gold Iridium and G30 lenses.

Interesting, but why?

bendertherobot

Why? Because the two lenses I use are in no way inferior to the polarised ones. In fact, they make manhole covers look far less weird.

Now, if you stop by a river for a quick fish, they are far better.

sungod

i've got polarised oakleys

when on riding holiday somewhere sunny they cut down glare a lot vs. non-polarised ones, and as my other favourite hobby is being on the beach they come in handy there too

i actually like the odd effect that manhole covers etc. can show, it makes them a bit more noticeable sometimes, more chance to decide if action is needed

in the uk the main use is to cut down reflections off the wet roads, so it's easier to see the potholes etc. :-)

Finbar Saunders

A few years ago I was at a bike show and was talking to someone on the Rudy Project stand about getting polarized lenses for my Rudy's. They said that they don't recommend polarized lenses for cycling as it can make it difficult to broken glass and puddles etc on the road. I didn't get them as it's not often you hear someone advising about upgrading one of their products so I took it to be true. It's interesting to see that they don't seem to be such a problem after all.

cougie

Jawbones used off the bike ? Sacrilege !

I dont see the benefit of polarized for cycling - for watersports though - sure.

bendertherobot

cougie wrote:

Jawbones used off the bike ? Sacrilege !

I dont see the benefit of polarized for cycling - for watersports though - sure.

Lovely glasses mun. I might swap my Radars to Jawbones, special pair for on the bike.

ride_whenever

cougie wrote:

I dont see the benefit of polarized for cycling - for watersports though - sure.

Yeah stops pi$$ going in your eyes...


I'd agree with this, I use polarised glasses for coaching rowing because it makes it doable where all other lenses fail, notably when the sun is low over the water in the early morning and evenings.

For riding photochromatic lenses are far more useful as long as they have a fairly decent response time.

leejdavies

I have some polarised Radars and the lenses are very dark for cycling especially when the light starts to go in the early evening.

Manholes, tar lines and rear windscreens look wierd. Takes a while to adjust to it.

Great for driving in though :oops: Good at cutting glare and reflection…

Thinking about getting some different lenses so great thread greasedscotsman. 8)

rjh299

I've got polarized Oakleys and really rate them. Like the effect they have on manhole covers and water on the road, seem to make them more noticeable. They cut out the glare of the sun and not just black out the light like some cheaper lenses.

racingcondor

Well timed thread guys, I've been considering some Light Grey Polarised for my Flak Jackets and hadn't realised that Polarised lenses made things look strange.

Bender, how light are the G30's you normally use? OK in really strong sun or not? The Light Grey Polarised are 35% so should be pretty similar, I'm just wondering if they'll make a good all year round lense (paired with clear for night riding).

OP - I've found normal Iridium very good except in autumn when you get glare off a wet road from the low evening sun. Always found that completely blinding whatever I've had on. You really can't beat Oakley lenses though, I hadn't realised how good they are until recently when I put some cheap riding glasses on and everything went curvy (fish eye lense effect).

bendertherobot

racingcondor wrote:

Well timed thread guys, I've been considering some Light Grey Polarised for my Flak Jackets and hadn't realised that Polarised lenses made things look strange.

Bender, how light are the G30's you normally use? OK in really strong sun or not? The Light Grey Polarised are 35% so should be pretty similar, I'm just wondering if they'll make a good all year round lense (paired with clear for night riding).

OP - I've found normal Iridium very good except in autumn when you get glare off a wet road from the low evening sun. Always found that completely blinding whatever I've had on. You really can't beat Oakley lenses though, I hadn't realised how good they are until recently when I put some cheap riding glasses on and everything went curvy (fish eye lense effect).

Great lens is the G30.

Put it this way, was going to start the Dragon in Gold iridium. Looked the clouds. Changed to G30. Lots of the route was bright and very sunny. Didn't notice at all. Good enough for bright, though perhaps not cloudless, conditions.

greasedscotsman

Hey thanks everyone for all your thoughts, interesting stuff. Almost want to get a pair just to see what they're like. Maybe a trip to the Oakley shop is required!

Paul E

Just ordered G30 iridiums for me and a mate, I needed something that more light through than the black iridiums half jackets come with.

Wheelspinner

WTF? You are all kidding me, right? You pay HOW MUCH for Oakleys and they aren't even polarised lenses?? That costs extra?

alfablue

even on dull days I find the Oakley polarizing lenses make my vision sharper. Well worth it IMHO.