Wearing Glasses while Mountain Biking

Greer_

I usually always wear them when out on the bike - especially over the winter to stop muck getting in my eyes. But yesterday, instead of using the usual green tinted ones, I put on sunglasses due to the weather. Had to take them off half way through my route due to fading light then quickly found out why I always wore them ... went round a corner, through a cloud of midges and I had to skid to a stop and get them out of my eyes. Was having a bit of trouble with them last night, woke up this morning and I couldn't open them through the pain, so went to minor injuries to get the blighters taken out as I couldn't (even though I used water/blinking/poking around in my eye etc yesterday!)

I can say I'll never go out without glasses again - not worth the hassle! :? Edit: Does anyone else always ride with glasses on?!

YeehaaMcgee

Do the same what? Ride into midges without glasses?
No. I've had far too much muck in my eyes over the years to bother riding without some kind of glasses. I also get watery eyes at high speed without them.

cooldad

I don't like riding with glasses.

Beardface

Yep, always ride with glasses. Like you, too many incidents of bugs in eyes.

A decent set of specs with interchangeable lenses will do the job - I have ones with clear, yellow and smoke lenses.

chiefinspector

+1 for interchangeable lenses. Wouldn't ride without them. I too have had plenty of bugs get into my eyes. One of my mates got stung by a wasp just under his eye whilst riding with no glasses. Got swollen up and infected and he was off the bike for 2 weeks.

lostboysaint

Glasses and interchangeable lenses at this time of year.

jndb72

Glasses and interchangeable lenses at all times of the year.

YeehaaMcgee

Actually, I believe that I rode straight into Mothra this morning on the way to work.
Didn't see it, but it left a rather impressive splat of goo on my sunglasses.

chiefinspector

jndb72 wrote:

Glasses and interchangeable lenses at all times of the year.

chiefinspector

lostboysaint wrote:

Glasses and interchangeable lenses at this time of year.

Absolutely at this time of year. Spring time is when you get 4 seasons in a day.

milfredo

I'm like cooldad; I rarely ride with glasses or if I have done they always end up in my pocket or bag. I get more hastle out of them steaming up and being covered in shite than I ever get in my eyes. one day I'm sure some ultra tech specs will suit my needs but so far nothing has worked for me.

p.s. I have got very long eye lashes. Ooo-err

mintedox

I bought some but they haven't found their way into my bag yet. I keep forgetting about them and yesterday i got whipped in the eye by a branch. It hurt

EH_Rob

milfredo wrote:

I'm like cooldad

Gutted.

jehosophat

I never wear glasses in the cooler months, and use crud catchers to keep most of the muck out of my eyes (plus I'm a big girl and often ride on road in the winter if it is really muddy and not frozen!). I often fail to wear them in the summer too, but do regret it a lot - the other day I got endless flies in my eyes and always on the best bits of singletrack, and of the "right into the eye so you have to shut that eye and thus stop" variety not the ones you can blink out. Since then I have been wearing them on every ride - a lot of midges and dust out there right now. I choose very lightly tinted glasses for mtb riding - nothing worse than piling down a hillside into deep woods on a bright day then being totally blind...

I don't actually like the feeling of wearing glasses, but they are something of a necessary evil.

peter413

I don't usually wear glasses when riding but when I would it tends to be goggles, just find them more comfortable and better, especially since you can quickly hang them around your neck for short climbs. I also quite like the way they look with XC helmets even if some absolutely hate it.

This only applies with the XC helmet, I always wear goggles with the full face unless the weather doesn't allow it.

Mental Mickey

Each to their own but I think eyesight is far too valuable to lose.

Road chipping, insects, or even branches can catch me at times in certain places, I'm sure theirs a whole list of other potential hazards too. I've been in the local eye hospital for various reason in the past, not something I enjoy.

Your eyes, your choice at the end of the day though.

Ouija

milfredo wrote:

I'm like cooldad; I rarely ride with glasses or if I have done they always end up in my pocket or bag. I get more hastle out of them steaming up and being covered in shite than I ever get in my eyes. one day I'm sure some ultra tech specs will suit my needs but so far nothing has worked for me.

p.s. I have got very long eye lashes. Ooo-err

You can buy a spray/wipes from your local opticians that stops lenses steaming up in high humidity and cold environments.......

Greer_

I've only ever found that glasses steam up on me when I stop. Doesn't happen quickly enough at traffic lights so it doesn't bother me but I also use anti-fog treatment from my swimming days the odd time on them

diy

Greer_ wrote:

woke up this morning and I couldn't open them through the pain, so went to minor injuries to get the blighters taken out

A bit extreme, were they beyond repair?

I always ride with glasses. I've ridden motorbikes without visors before and your eyes burn for days after. Only takes a fly with poo on to give you something nasty.

Greer_

Well I couldn't open one of them i'm wick at telling stories, get too carried away I had to hold it closed while I was driven there! Never will I leave without glasses again!

Giraffoto

Never mind flies, I need glasses to avoid the trees! Regular ones at the moment, but I'll be wearing my sunglasses when the evenings get a tiny bit lighter and I can take the lights off the bike

YeehaaMcgee

Giraffoto wrote:

Never mind flies, I need glasses to avoid the trees!

Hell yes! The Penmachno trail in particular can get very eye-gougy at times.

agg25

Always wear em, bugs, mud, water, branches in the eye suck and if you don't wear them because they fog up you're not going fast enough!

Greer_

agg25 wrote:

Always wear em, bugs, mud, water, branches in the eye suck and if you don't wear them because they fog up you're not going fast enough!

That seems to apply to A LOT of stuff!

andrewjoseph

Always wear glasses, but i need prescription lenses anyway.

Stopped using sunglasses 8 years ago after too many crashes going from light to dark. i now only use a yellow tint that allows me to ride in any condition, even at night.

Get fogged up occasionally, but generally only in humid weather.

Getting a set of photochromic varifocals from optilabs for the road bike and especially for our 3 week end to end in may. Won't consider photochromic for mtb use though, no lenses change quick enough from sudden light to dark.

AMcK

I always wear glasses with interchangeable lenses - but as with andrewjoseph, I only ever use the clear or low light lenses.

The switch from light to dark is always tricky, and if my eyes are rubbish at adjusting, I'm pretty sure photochromatic lenses aren't the answer either!

timpop

Always. I tend not to wear sunghlasses because of light when in the trees so I use either a yellow or blue lense. Sunglasses only if I'm in the open all day. I also prefer a glasses without a full rim to keep a full scope of vision when looking down.

Anonymous

Many annoyances from bugs and mud in the eyes (they seem to home in on my eyes). Worse is as I wear contacts, stuff gets stuck under the contact and can scratch the eye. Also had a bug get stuck under an eyelid and got infected.

So shades generally, except for slow climbs. Interchangeable definitely useful. Unless it's actually sunny and not going through too many dark woods, clear and the yellow generally.

Originally just used to wear prescription glasses. Too expensive smashing them up as I learnt the hard way, so contacts and cheap interchangeable wrap arounds. The ones I've got protect better anyway and don't shatter in an impact, soft plastic/rubber frame so less damage to the face (again, learnt this the hard way).

diy

Interesting comment on the high contrast yellow for night riding. I find the complete opposite with my lights, the High contrast makes everything too bright. I prefer clear for night riding. Oddly I find it ok on the motorbike, so it might be the tint of the light that causes the problem.

YeehaaMcgee

What kind of lenses are you guys having trouble with in the trees? I use a pair of Oakleys quite often, with either Fire iridium, gre, or black iridium lenses, and haven't actually had any issues.
I do also have some Endura glasses with interchangeable lenses which I use, but their main advantage is the hydrophobic lenses - the sweat just runs straight off them. I find that when I use the amber lenses with them, the glare from the sun is too bright when not under tree cover.

Maybe it's the Celt in me - my eyes just aren't suited to sunlight, but cope well in the murk

Anonymous

Yellow works for lower light to brighten it up. Makes a dull day seem like a nice day. Brightens reflections. However it's not for night or twilight. I don't do proper night rides with lights, but if it's getting dark I have to switch from yellow to clear as the yellow is getting too dark.

I know from a skiing perspective, yellow is usually good for flat light in the snow, which is dull light and you can't make out definition in the snow. The yellow helps a lot. Blue for night skiing under flood lights, and assume similar for night rides on bikes with lights.