Trail specific Glasses

JesseD

Coming from the road, I have always used Oakley galsses and have a pair of Iridium Radar EV and a pair of Prizm Jawbreakers. The Radar EV's are great but possibly a bit dark for trail riding where you are in and out of trees etc, and I found on the weekend that I couldnt clearly see changes in surface etc. The Jawbreakers were better but I am wondering is there such a thing as trail specific glasses or lenses that help with the transition between daylight to shadowy conditions?

jamski

Are you talking prescription glasses? Either way, my mate just got some from here.

https://www.optilabs.com/product-catego ... unglasses/

They do ones that change colour, but I think the change would be too slow. Personally I've never felt like I need sunglasses on a mountain bike, helmet with a visor, in and out of woods.

lostboysaint

Oakley Radar Photochromic (red) in sunny conditions

Oakley M Frame with clear lenses in shite visibility.

I always wear glasses because of the trail debris and undergrowth that's always flicking around.

slc123

I wear a set of clear glasses for most of my riding. They work well in all conditions including my night rides. When you're riding in mud or trails with loose terrain it's essential for me. If it's really sunny then I'll switch to some coloured lenses or usually just a decent set of sunglasses.

JBA

Bolle safety glasses. Grey if it's sunny. Clear otherwise. There's no point in spending loads on a pair of glasses that could get scratched, dropped or broken for off-road riding.

(I found a pair of Oakley Ferrari Scuderia sun glasses in the undergrowth at Cwmcarn a couple of years ago. I bet whoever lost them was a tad pissed off.)

JesseD

Jamski - Nope don’t use prescriptions luckily, just looking for something that can handle changes in light quickly and also help pick out changes in surface as well, where I ride is mainly single track cliff paths with lots of steps and rock gardens, can be quite technical as I am finding out as I am new to this.

Lostboysaint – The photochromic ones are the ones that change from light to dark depending on light aren’t they, as with Jamski’s concerns, do they react quickly enough? I agree about wearing glasses when riding though as all it takes is a branch to the face or a rock flicking up and you damage an eye instead of the glasses, that’s why I only wear decent glasses that have been tested for that sort of thing and not the cheap knock off stuff on ebay etc

Slc123 – I have yellow lenses for road low light but I do think clear lenses may be better for road and trail, looks like I will be investing in some for my radar EVs or Jawbreakers

JesseD

JBA - thanks for the advice, not sure if the plain grey lenses will help pick out changes in surface in changing lights particularly well though.

lostboysaint

They're not instantaneous (obviously) but the red that I have aren't massively dark anyway and go very light - and the red offers very good definition. Under the peak of a helmet (in my case a Giro Montaro) they always seem to offer the right balance.

cooldad

Photocromatic are pretty rubbish riding in trees, they don't change fast enough when you go from open to shade etc.

I go with JBA. I use clear most of the time, and ESP (tinted) if it's going to be especially sunny. (Bolle Contour - even look like cycling glasses.)

Under a tenner on Ebay. I tend to lose them regularly, so have a small stash - there was a seller doing them for a fiver or so inc postage a while back. I cashed in.

cougie

Oakley certainly used to have visualisations of what you'd see thru their lenses and how much light they let in.

Iridium is for strong sunlight. So just choose a lens that's less dark.

kirkee

Recently picked up a pair of Arco Reef clear safety glasses for work. Grabbed them for a ride not expecting much. They are better fitting than my M frames, the vision is crystal and theyre sturdy. Been using them for road and mtb rides, still using my old crappy scratched pair for work, paid £3

chrisw333

People nearly always recommend Bolle safety glasses on these threads. I have a few pairs and frankly find them to be pretty rubbish. They steam up badly and I'm never comfortable with the vision through them.

I'm sure they work well for some people, but they're not for me.

JesseD

I can understand using clear lens safety glasses for night riding or low light conditions when you don't need darker lenses because of sun, but cannot see how a pair of tinted glasses designed for safety use will be good at coping with changeable light conditions from riding in and out of wooded areas, and for picking out changes in surface conditions with clarity, which is what I am looking for. Surely they are designed for one purpose which is to protect your eyes first and foremost and not for clarity of vision in changing conditions?

Those who have used or are using the safety glasses, have you also used something like the Prizm lens from Oakley and if so what was the difference? I have the road version of the Prizm lens and for road riding it is great, and for trail its pretty good but I am dubious as to how a pair of safety glasses can be as good when they are not designed for it?

mtbjunkie08

Photochromic glasses may not change instantly but I still think they are the best all-round solution, as whatever non-photochromic lens you try is likely to be too dark in shadey woodland or not dark enough for bright sunlight.

I use a pair of these: https://www.merlincycles.com/bbb-bsg-47 ... 88496.html

They go from virtually 100% clear for night riding/low light conditions and pretty dark for summer/ riding in direct sunlight.

They are currently out of stock but they do other frames with the same lens.

Not_Tintin

Another vote for Oakley photochromic. I bought a pair of EVZeros and am chuffed as buttons with them. So much comfier and fog resistant than my Racing Jackets. No they don't change super quickly but any change is better than none.

Those BBB ones linked by MTBJunkie look like they would be worth a punt but I love not having a frame in my upper vision. For the price though I might try some for really mucky rides.

slc123

I picked up these https://www.evanscycles.com/fwe-altair- ... y-EV272343 - First ride out with them last night and much needed with the snow blizzards.

First impressions were really good. Good visibility at night with the clear lenses and no fog at all.

eric_draven

I use Oakley Jawbone with brown Photochromatic lenses on brighter days trail riding and use Persimmon light enhancers when it is over cast days both trail and on the road,i also bought some fire iridium for bright days on the road

jsisidore

I got myself btwin 700 photochromic glasses but still did not had a chance to test them out. Supposedly they are the cheapest quality photochromic glasses you can get. Others say that photochromic glasses change tint faster or slower depending on the brand.

apreading

I used to swear by the pair of Oakley Ferrari Scuderia sun glasses that I had until I lost them at Cwmcarn a couple of years back. Havent ridden much since then as I couldnt afford a replacement after losing my job and the house being repossessed, then I got conjunctivitis from riding without glasses and cant see well enough to ride any more.

I curse anyone who found them and kept them - I wish some kind soul had got them back to me...!

JBA

apreading: If you could send me the 16-digit number off the front of your credit card along with the 3 digit security code on the back of the card I will see what I can do to get the glasses back to you. You know, just to cover my costs.

eric_draven

JBA wrote:

apreading: If you could send me the 16-digit number off the front of your credit card along with the 3 digit security code on the back of the card I will see what I can do to get the glasses back to you. You know, just to cover my costs.

apreading

JBA wrote:

apreading: If you could send me the 16-digit number off the front of your credit card along with the 3 digit security code on the back of the card I will see what I can do to get the glasses back to you. You know, just to cover my costs.

I would but I cant get the credit card companies to give me a card with my criminal record - they dont seem to like organised crime bosses for some reason... I could just send a couple of the boys round to pick them up and save you the hassle? Where do you live again? 8)