Fellow Glasses Wearers

mitchgixer6 · February 2009

This is sure to have been covered before! How do you guys that wear glasses actually see where you're going when on the bike?

Had my first decent run on a road bike today, and ended up looking over the top of my glasses for 90% of the time. Luckily I'm not THAT blind and can still tell where I was headed. But just with the body position and head down I was struggling to make use of the specs. I have decent size frames, and it's not as if I've got minamilist specs. Don't really want to have to wear "Dennis Taylors" though! Any tips, short of getting contacts!?

yoadius · February 2009

I have this problem when in the drops, I usually have to tilt my head further than I would like to see through the glasses and this makes my neck ache within a few minutes. This means I spend most of my time riding on the hoods when I would prefer to ride in the drops.

I think a more upright riding position or wrap around prescription lenses are your only option short of contacts.

stagger · February 2009

you could try some decent sport sunglasses with prescription inserts, particularly if you get lenses that are interchangeable clear/dark lenses.

I have some adidas evil eye explorer, from my local optician but plenty other makes out there. not cheap tho, but so much better than riding with normal glasses- had the same problem as you.

cyclingpunk · February 2009

I recently bought some Maddog sunglasses that my optician sells. They made the lenses up for me and they look like a normal pair of glasses, no using inserts. They are superb and were pretty cheap at £65. They work well even on darker days.... which is handy.

SCR Pedro · February 2009

There was an excellent thread on this topic quite recently

Eyewear for prescription users

I wear contact lenses and have recently ordered 2 months supply from Daysoft. At £20 for over 60 pairs, they're excellent value for money.

Pedro

Frank the tank · February 2009

Are you unable to wear contacts 'cos I find them the best solution. I have monthly ones from specsavers, £15.00/month the daily ones were not suitable due to my prescription.

I also have used those cycling glasses with a clear prescription insert which sits behind the tinted cycle lens a la Alex Zulle. Thing is they do make you look a bit like Cosmo Smallpiece.

mitchgixer6 · February 2009

I knew it would've been covered before! Thanks for the link.

Yeah, I've tried contacts before and just can't get on with them. A few good recommendations here to try. I do have prescrition Oakley wraprounds, but I need an option now for low light conditions. Maybe we'll get a good summer and I won't have to worry about it till next winter! :shock:

mitchgixer6 · February 2009

I knew it would've been covered before! Thanks for the link.

Yeah, I've tried contacts before and just can't get on with them. A few good recommendations here to try. I do have prescrition Oakley wraprounds, but I need an option now for low light conditions. Maybe we'll get a good summer and I won't have to worry about it till next winter! :shock:

singlespeedexplosif · February 2009

Yeah, I've tried contacts before and just can't get on with them
how long ago? materials and designs changing rapidly. Lots of people decide they can't get on with them and think that's that...

Lagavulin · February 2009

mitchgixer6 wrote:

I do have prescrition Oakley wraprounds, but I need an option now for low light conditions:

Me too. I've prescription Oakley Gascans with polarized lenses which are great during the day but once dusk sets in they're really of little use.
None of my regular glasses offer enough protection to be suitable for the bike.
Could fancy some Rudy Project RideOn with inserts but they're not cheap.

Toying with the idea of laser treatment as in the long run it'll be far cheaper than getting shafted when it comes to eyewear.

ShaunL · February 2009

I wear glasses as i am registered partially sighted and yes they can be a considerable pain whilst cycling in the wet and at night but you do get used to it. I use a riser handlebar clamp to bring my drops up a bit and this allows me to use the dropped position most of the time without getting neck ache.

I'd love to have some nice prescription sunnies but my prescription is way to high unless i want to pay a fortune for them.

GyatsoLa · February 2009

Unless you have unusual glasses, I'd suggest that you are riding too low if you are looking over the glasses. It may be that you should raise your bars a little. If your glasses sit a bit forward on your nose, one thing I've seen people do is use one of those loop things (not sure what they are called) that attach to the ends of the frames to pull them tighter against your eyes. I've done that with sunglasses that ride too low.

Riding with glasses is a pain, whichever way you look at it - I wear contacts where possible, so like others I'd advise trying again with them, anything else is a compromise on the bike.

schlepcycling · February 2009

Have you considered photochromic lenses?, I got mine from Optilabs http://www.optilabs.com/index.php, in fact I sent them my existing non prescription Oakley Straight Jacket and they retrofitted some excellent prescription photochromic lenses, so now I have a pair of prescription Oakleys that work in all light conditions. If this doesn't suit they also do their own selection of frames.

n.b. I have no connection to Optilabs other than being a VERY satisfied customer.

Slow1972 · February 2009

I struggle with contact lenses too. Dont usually have a problem with them when i'm mountain biking but do when I'm on the road bike and the speed gets up. I recently lost both (disposable) lenses in the chain gang. I think its the shape of my eye unfortunately (astigmatism) combined with position when I'm on the road bike so its back to glasses for me.

Just bought a pair of glasses from Vision Express, 3 interchangeable lenses, full mirror, orange and clear, with nice wide prescription insert behind for £100. They werent on display but they are in their catalogue and can order the frames in for you to try.

Not used them yet so'ill see how they go, I'll probably continue to use contact lenses when i'm training on my own or steadier club rides but don't want to be losing contact lenses in a fast moving bunch again. It's not like you want to stop to put in another when you're racing....

singlespeedexplosif · February 2009

I think its the shape of my eye unfortunately (astigmatism) combined with position when I'm on the road bike so its back to glasses for me.
have you discussed this with your optometrist? Unless you're severely astigmatic there may be different lens shape parameters you could try which may help you find a better fit. Also I assume you are wearing sunnies over the top? Not only for protection from flying debris but they cut down the airflow over your eye which can dry out your lenses and make things more uncomfortable, cut down your vision and so on.

paul_or · February 2009

This may be of use, a couple of posts I did last year on my blog on this very subject

http://paulmor.wordpress.com/tag/sunglasses/

http://paulmor.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/prescription-sunglasses-the-final-chapter/

Fellow Glasses Wearers

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