Oakley versus Rudy Project Sunglasses

bill_gates

Looking for some advice please.

I'm thinking of treating myself to a new pair of shades, I've had some recent neck pain on longer distances and with a bit of reading found that it might be a cheap pair of cycling glasses rolling down my nose that is causing the problem.

I was keen to get some Rudy Projects to match my Rudy Windmax helmet. I'm also a fan of Oakley and have numerous pairs of non-cycling Oakleys that I've used over the years. I think both of these manufacturers are at the same high-end level within the market.

Any advice or discussion on what would be best to invest in?

pippi_langsamer-2

I'm intrigued about the cheap glasses causing your neck ache

Other than that, Oakley are the benchmark. Overpriced, overhyped, silly names and so on. But....they take some beating. Love Radarlocks and still have a pair of M-Frames. I personally don't understand riders who use Jawbones and Racing Jackets as they don't have the peripheral view of the Radars etc.

bill_gates

Quote below from Sheldon Brown and seems to fit the bill to what I'm experiencing. I have a very small peak on my road helmet also which I plan to remove incase this is also not helping. I had a bike fit when I purchased my bike so I expect my frame size, stem length, etc is pretty close to my needs. I also have pretty OK upper body strength/support.

"Neck problems are most often due to poor cycling posture.

An occasional source of neck trouble is poor adjustment of a helmet, specifically, a helmet which is too far forward on the head. If the helmet is too low in front, the rider is forced to tilt the head upward to keep the helmet from blocking the view forward. Sharp backward bends in the neck can cause severe problems, so make sure that your helmet is properly fitted for your riding style.

Riders with a more aggressive riding position need to wear their helmets farther back than those who sit more upright.

Poorly fitted eyeglasses can also cause this problem. If your glasses slide down your nose you may have to tilt your head up higher to be able to be looking through, not over, the glasses."

Grahamsjz

I have found Oakley Radarlock fantastic. Light, comfortable, never move and yet are not tight. They are well vented and I could go on .... I have the photo chromatic lens fitted at the moment, I will stop now or will sound like an advert for them. Only downside I have found is the price.

pippi_langsamer-2

Ok, so as much as I respect Sheldon, I'm going to have to reserve judgement on that particular diagnosis. Unless you're wearing a pair of cheap varifocals from SpecSavers, I've never had a pair of shades that are so bad that they are constantly sliding down my nose- even under the sweatiest, on-the-rivet situations. I just think your problem lies elsewhere outside of the choice of eyewear.

But buy the Radarlocks anyway. They stick to your face like John Hurts Alien friend

FatTed

Buy what fits you, Rudy's no good for me Jawbone just fine for me, not noticed a problem with peripheral view.
The Road Prizim lens seems quite good (at least in the shop). Just bought some replacement lenses for my Jawbones.

bill_gates

Is Prizm the sense description/technology then.

What is the pecking order of the models within the Oakley range?

gsk82

i have a pair of oakley for riding and rudys for general use with a prescription insert there's no comparrison. the oakleys are rock solid and light and make the rudys feel like bog standard sunnies.

there's not really a pecking order that i know of with oakley, just a vast range of styles and colours and a few lense options.

bill_gates

Racing Jackets seem to be the new name for Jawbones?

I think it's these that I would look at purchasing and also a set of Prism lenses also.

lesfirth

Aldi £1.99. Does not matter if you loose them or damage them and no one will pinch them!

bill_gates

Already have them (maybe Aldi, maybe Lidl) and they slip down my nose hence why I think I'm getting neck pain.

menthel

To be the dissenting voice, I have some Rudy Project Rydon and they are great. Comfy fit and the photochromatic lenses react fast and give a great variation in tint. They were also cheaper than similar Oakleys.

turbotommy

Bill Gates wrote:

Racing Jackets seem to be the new name for Jawbones?

I think it's these that I would look at purchasing and also a set of Prism lenses also.

Racing jackets and jawbones are the same apart from a small detail on the arms. If this is the style you like its also worth looking at split jacket frames. Again similar but slightly smaller lenses and without the overly pronounced lip on the lower part of frame that the jawbone has.

Try before you buy?

jaxf

not what you asked but ...... I have a small head, so have the issue of glasses sliding down my face all the time - worse when ski touring than cycling. I have Oakleys and Rudy Project, but I wish I had saved my money on both, as what I choose to wear all the time are Endura Rainbow glasses at a massive £14 a pair. They are sized for wee heads, they are extremely light weight, no faff with changing lenses, as I have a variety of colours. I like them so much that I wear them around town and on holiday too.

Anonymous

Bill Gates wrote:

Racing Jackets seem to be the new name for Jawbones?

I think it's these that I would look at purchasing and also a set of Prism lenses also.

Jawbreakers are the newest ones.
I find them a bit too 'ski goggle/Tron' like but their performance may warrant the appearance even if not to your liking.

I prefer one piece lenses myself (rather than two lens Racing Jackets etc.), RadarLock is still my favourite.
Prism and Photochromic are my fave two lenses.

I don't think any other glasses come close to Oakleys personally, but as they cost more they get a lot of haters and nay sayers.

bill_gates

I tried on the new Jawbreakers yesterday and really not a fan. I could still see the frame out of the top of my vision and the 'ski look' really didn't suit my face (there is still a vanity element to my purchase) :-)

The Rydon's from Rudy were also immense but the nose pad felt as if it would dig into my nose in hot conditions and although it was adjustable, it felt too sharp. I did like the Photochromic options though and they matched my helmet perfectly.

I'm leaning towards Oakley Racing Jackets with the Prizm lense which seem to suit aesthetically, stay up up on my face and hopefully still while dripping with sweat also. No options just yet for photochromic but I'll maybe await the autumn to purchase additional lenses which is also an added feature that Rudy's didn't have.

Anonymous

The range from light (pretty much clear) to dark (black iridium?) on the Oakley photochromic lens is huge.
A very important factor in a photochromic lens ;-)

Surprised you could still see the top of the frame with the Jawbreakers (very silly name IMO).
I thought they were meant to sit high so that you were not looking over the top when on the drops with your head down.

Anonymous

lesfirth wrote:

Aldi £1.99. Does not matter if you loose them or damage them and no one will pinch them!

Do you apply this principle to everything that you own?

I would choose cycling glasses based on performance and enjoyment. Then I would look after them.

bill_gates

Carbonator wrote:

Surprised you could still see the top of the frame with the Jawbreakers (very silly name IMO).
I thought they were meant to sit high so that you were not looking over the top when on the drops with your head down.

I've found that with all the single piece sense options I tried from Oakley, I had read about Jawbreakers and in that Cav prefers them so he has coverage when in sprint position. The guy in the LBS also spoke about that.

The Racing Jackets seems to suck onto my face highly and seemed to stay there with the lenses close to my eye sockets which seemed a lot more comfortable that the single piece options.

I must just have a strange shaped face or my uneven ears do not help.

Anonymous

What ever works best. No substitute for trying different ones on.

Check that your eyelashes do not touch the inside of lens if they are very close to your eyes.
I have a pair of non cycling Oakleys with prescription lenses in that do that and It can be annoying.

Wondering how that would effect steaming up too.
Not trying to put you off, just playing devils advocate.

bill_gates

I would expect that the vented lenses would help with steaming up?

Anonymous

Yes, but the RadarLocks are vented too so its the same re vented lenses for both.

I kind of assume that individual lenses with a frame around them that are closer to your face will suffer more from steaming up than a more open design.
It could be the other way around for all I know though.

alan_sherman

Do try on with your helmet. My radar arms interfere with my SWorks helmet retaining band. Annoying.

bill_gates

Definitely, already noticed that some of the Oakleys arms were that bit longer (almost 1-2cm) and were hitting the helmet retaining band.

nferrar

I have 3 main sunglasses for cycling:
1). Oakley Radar (Path lens style, various types)
2). Rudy Project Rydon (photochromic)
3). Uvex Sportstyle 202 Race variomatic (from Merlin Cycles)

The Radars are good but IMO not worth the money. The lens still scratch if you're not careful, the fit is good but can be difficult to find the balance between security and comfort. Optics are very good but then apart from some cheap safety glasses I've tried I can't say they're any better than other makes
I bought the Rudy Projects as at the time the Oakley photochromic lens wasn't available on it's own (although their spares department offered to sell me one for £120...). I find them more comfy to wear than the Oakleys and the optics are every bit as good. The lens shape works fine for me although doesn't have as much coverage as the Radar Path. The lens can scratch fairly easily too (I wouldn't say I'm careless with my sunglasses but I don't get OCD about putting them back in their cases after a ride etc.). It can be fiddly to get the security vs comfort fitting to but the arms are very bendy so give you a lot of options
I recently bought the Uvex's as I wanted something with a rimless top so my view isn't obstructed when I'm tucked in descending. Optics are good and the lens style suits me. They're comfy but not as secure as the Oakleys or Rudys (slip on the nose bridge and haven't managed to adjust them properly yet). The lack of a lens rim on top is great though.

In summary the Uvex are generally my "go to" pair now apart from in very bright sunlight, the slightly worse fit is more than made up for by not having a top rim on the lens. The Oakleys and Rudys are good but I don't think either justify their price tag.

ayjaycee

My vote would go for Rudy Project - I've got Rydons and, adjusted properly, they are very comfortable and I forget they are on! It's a very personal thing but I just don't like Oakleys (although I have got some Prism lensed Radar something or the others in a drawer somewhere!) - I have my reasons for that dislike that I won't go into here but it's got nothing to do with optical quality which is very good (although IMHO the Rudys are just as good). As Carbonator (I think) said earlier, whatever you buy, check that your eyelashes do not brush the insides when blinking, It's not exactly painful but is very, very irritating!

yellowv2

I have a small head and use the Oakley half jacket with transitions ( Oakley photochromic) prescription lenses, absolutely fantastic. I tried pretty much the whole range at my opticians to find the most comfortable. I have had them 3 years and no scratches but I look after them and I'm from the buy cheap buy twice school of thought.

dennisn

Bill Gates wrote:

Looking for some advice please.

I'm thinking of treating myself to a new pair of shades, I've had some recent neck pain on longer distances and with a bit of reading found that it might be a cheap pair of cycling glasses rolling down my nose that is causing the problem.

I was keen to get some Rudy Projects to match my Rudy Windmax helmet. I'm also a fan of Oakley and have numerous pairs of non-cycling Oakleys that I've used over the years. I think both of these manufacturers are at the same high-end level within the market.

Any advice or discussion on what would be best to invest in?

Seriously? You're asking other people which sunglasses to buy? Seriously? Get off your #ss and get out there and try stuff on. Then buy what fits and what you like.

ayjaycee

dennisn wrote:

Seriously? You're asking other people which sunglasses to buy? Seriously? Get off your #ss and get out there and try stuff on. Then buy what fits and what you like.

I'm sure that advice is very useful to some. I don't know about the OP but, from my location, if I want to see a pair of Rudy Projects 'in the flesh', I've got to travel at least 50 miles to do it. Oakleys are a lot more common but, even then, most stores have a pretty limited choice.

mrb123

Carbonator wrote:

The range from light (pretty much clear) to dark (black iridium?) on the Oakley photochromic lens is huge.
A very important factor in a photochromic lens ;-)

Surprised you could still see the top of the frame with the Jawbreakers (very silly name IMO).
I thought they were meant to sit high so that you were not looking over the top when on the drops with your head down.

I found with the Radar EVs and Jawbreakers that they both sat a bit low on my face and I could see the top of the frame until I tried them with the alternative "Asia fit" nosepiece and they then became perfect.