polychromatic and/or polarized glasses - worth it?

kieranb

Hi, my old cycling glasses are falling apart and so time to buy new ones, I have only bought the ones with separate lenses for the differing light conditions. I am thinking about upgrading to a polychromatic pair and maybe a polarised one, what are your experiences like using these? Do they make much of a difference? polychromatic v polarised, which option makes the best improvement, if you could only pick one? Any recommendations?

Thanks.

cougie

I just have a summer pair of shades and a winter pair - so tinted lens and yellow lens.
Isnt polarised better for water sports than cycling ?

ride_whenever

Polarised is generally for glare off surfaces like roads and water, i've got a few pairs but they're not overly useful for riding (unless it's down at the river!!!!).

I have a set of uvex track 2 pro glasses that I love, and when i bought them they came with loads of lenses and extra arms so from one set I got a dark pair, a clear pair and a yellow/orange pair, and that's great for a lot of conditions.

I've also got a set of photochromic glasses that I like for dawn/dusk rides or if it's going to be changeable, they're fast enough that even when heading in and out of tree cover they balance out the light conditions. Personally if I could only have one set then it'd be the photochromic ones as they're the most useful, even if they're not my favourite fit.

moonshine

I bought a set of Oakley half jackets with VR50 Transitions lenses from http://www.eyewearoutlet.co.uk/ for £65 rather than £140 rrp- They seem perfect for the bike - this is a link to the actual pair. http://au.oakley.com/products/3688/11811

These go from 50% transmission in low UV conditions to 10% transmission in high UV conditions - They seem fine in grey overcast conditions - i'm afraid it hasn't been sunny to try them out in bright conditions.

I couldn't find any fault with them when they arrived - - no idea why they were seconds

I have black iriduim polarised lensed i use for sailing, and the polarising is good for high glare conditions.[/url]

flasher

I have 2 pairs of Rudy project photochromic's they're fantastic, wouldn't change them for anything else! Perfect for the UK's conditions..........overcast, sunny, rain, all in the space of an hours ride, fit and forget 8)

chrisba

With polarised lenses, you may have difficulty reading LCD instruments. I agree that they are best for water, skiing or other high glare situations.

I too have a pair for sailing, and they are the best I've ever had, but I find I can't read the instruments properly if my head is tilted to one side. Changing the angle of tilt helps, but it is never perfect.

moonshine

chrisba wrote:

With polarised lenses, you may have difficulty reading LCD instruments. I agree that they are best for water, skiing or other high glare situations.

I too have a pair for sailing, and they are the best I've ever had, but I find I can't read the instruments properly if my head is tilted to one side. Changing the angle of tilt helps, but it is never perfect.

yip - Our instruments have a polarised filter on them too and i need to tilt my head about 25 degrees to see the instruments properly - but otherwise, they are great...

FransJacques

There was a thread on this 2-3 months ago and we killed it there.

When I'm somewhere sunny and am riding on worn, smooth pavement the glasses are a real boon. I love them!

I sail on 2 boats - one with Taktic micronet and one with B&G and I can see both instruments without issues - even the big ones far away on the mast.

Skerryman

moonshine wrote:

I bought a set of Oakley half jackets with VR50 Transitions lenses from http://www.eyewearoutlet.co.uk/ for £65 rather than £140 rrp- They seem perfect for the bike - this is a link to the actual pair. http://au.oakley.com/products/3688/11811

These go from 50% transmission in low UV conditions to 10% transmission in high UV conditions - They seem fine in grey overcast conditions - i'm afraid it hasn't been sunny to try them out in bright conditions.

I couldn't find any fault with them when they arrived - - no idea why they were seconds

I have black iriduim polarised lensed i use for sailing, and the polarising is good for high glare conditions.[/url]

Did the glasses from Eyewearoutlet come with hard case and full warranty? Been mulling over buying a pair from them the last week.

moonshine

no hard case, but they came boxed in pukka packaging - see photos -





not sure about warranty.... i'll need to ask them

ps... the marks on the lenses are dirt from this mornings ride which i haven't washed off yet!.... they appear to be perfect.

Skerryman

Cheers for the effort there Moonshine, appreciate it. Emailed them about warranty and such but haven't heard back from them. How do you find the photochromatic lenses. I'm stuck between ordering a pair with the g40 photochrmoatic lenses or going for a pair with dark lenses and get a spare pair of clear or yellow lenses for duller days and trails. Both working out about the same.

Edit: Just got an email back from Eyewearoutlet now. They said they come with no paperwork but they guarantee them for 12 months. Not sure how that stacks up with Oakleys warranty or maybe its the same thing. I presume Oakley will still fix them if anything happens after 12 months for a nominal fee.

moonshine

Skerryman wrote:

Cheers for the effort there Moonshine, appreciate it. Emailed them about warranty and such but haven't heard back from them. How do you find the photochromatic lenses. I'm stuck between ordering a pair with the g40 photochrmoatic lenses or going for a pair with dark lenses and get a spare pair of clear or yellow lenses for duller days and trails. Both working out about the same.

Edit: Just got an email back from Eyewearoutlet now. They said they come with no paperwork but they guarantee them for 12 months. Not sure how that stacks up with Oakleys warranty or maybe its the same thing. I presume Oakley will still fix them if anything happens after 12 months for a nominal fee.

The transitions seem pretty good - i've only really had a chance to use them in overcast conditions so far and they are good -but i've not had the luxury of sun yet. I understand they don't work well as driving glasses as they rely on UV to activate them, and most windscreens block UV.

I'm off skiing to the alps next week so i'll try them there - they are meant to be a lillte bit slow to react in the cold - so i'm going to take a spare pare of glasses i know are ok in bright sun as a backup until i see how they work in -10c.

Good news on the Warranty..thanks

nferrar

I have Rudy Project photo-chromatics and use them a lot (basically any time it's not bright sunshine or a night ride), they work very well IME

Skerryman

Apologies for slight thread hijack. Was looking at a pair of Photochromic lenses but wasn't gone on the frames that were on offer. Ended up going for a pair with Blue Iridium lens instead from Eyewearoutlet.co.uk. They assured me there was no defects on the pair I ordered. Looking to get a lens for duller days and MTBing, either Yellow or Persimmon I was thinking. Anyone out there any experience with these lenses. Edging towards Persimmon I think as they offer some slight UV protection, don't think the yellow ones do. Opinions anyone?

cougie

Even their clear lenses take out all of the UV rays.
Personally i swear by the yellow lenses - fine for night and they make dull days look sunny - its a big psychological boost.

Skerryman

Cheers for that. From what I can tell the persimmon lets slightly less light in but offers better contrast other than that I can't see much difference. Decisions !!

Nylon_Thighs

Avoid Endura photochromic glasses if I were you, I have had 2 pairs of the Merlins and both pairs snapped in the middle while putting them on, as it's a one piece very thin glass they are very fragile. Also don't react to light very much either. I sent my 1st pair back to CRC and they sent me a 2nd pair, after a week they broke, sent them back and this time they gave me a 30% refund as they thought I had misused them the cheeky little blighters. Contacted Endura which were of no help and gave up on my lost 70%.

ride_whenever

cougie wrote:

Personally i swear by the yellow lenses - fine for night and they make dull days look sunny - its a big psychological boost.

I agree with that, it's like it is about 5 degrees warmer.

Paul E

I have a pair of g20 (rose coloured) ones and yellow ones, yellow for night and in overcast the g20 work well at boosting contrast and having the iridium coating they do cut a lot of glare out.

twotyred

Unless Specialised have improved their lenses recently I wouldn't bother with them. I have a pair of their photochromics and I can't really detect any change in transmission. Otherwise they are good sunnies.

graham_g

Flasher wrote:

I have 2 pairs of Rudy project photochromic's they're fantastic, wouldn't change them for anything else! Perfect for the UK's conditions..........overcast, sunny, rain, all in the space of an hours ride, fit and forget 8)

Same here (although just the one pair) - I got the Rydon Impactx. They go from a very low tint (~10% odd) which is even usable at night, through to about 65% odd if I remember right. I was having difficulty choosing until I discovered that the trasition lenses Oakley supply are pretty useless for average UK conditions and are too dark for dusk/dawn/night time use. Have been very happy, no dicking around with different lenses (I normally just took the glasses off if I got it wrong) and can start audax rides in pitch black, wear through midday sun and all without even thinking about it.

ride_whenever

twotyred wrote:

Unless Specialised have improved their lenses recently I wouldn't bother with them. I have a pair of their photochromics and I can't really detect any change in transmission. Otherwise they are good sunnies.

Depends what you mean, ideally you don't see any change, as the glasses keep the light coming into your eyes constant. If you're noticing significant changes in light levels then they are rubbish!

kieranb

well I got the specialized ones in the end, mainly 'cause my LBS had last years model going very cheap. So I was able to try them on, get a bargain and support my LBS, so I'm happy. I've not had much chance to try them in sunny weather yet but the adaptalite ain't great for night time cycling where you don't want any light cut out, so I have ordered the clear lens as well.

bigpikle

I read the review on Road CC of the BBB Impulse photochromatic lenses and am interested but after numerous Google searches I just cant find a stockist anywhere?

I know its early doors and a lot of places probably add stock like this later in spring but anyone have any ideas where i might find some please?

moonshine

A quick update... I'm using the vr50 transitions lenses at the moment skiing in the alps and they are ace.. It has been wall to wall
Sunshine here this week so far and at full activation (10% transmission) they are working brilliantly in the alpine sun, and when I go into shade, they seem to adapt reasonably quickly too.

Happy bunny