Cycling sunglasses. Any suggestions?

on-yer-bike
on-yer-bike Posts: 2,974
edited March 2009 in Road buying advice
I've seen some Oakley Radar Path Black Iridium sunglasses I quite like. Are they good? They are pricey. Is there anything else I should look at? I wear prescription sunglasses at the moment and they are causing me to have to bend my head back too far to see through the lenses. My plan is to go back to contact lenses with these Oakleys or something...
Pegoretti
Colnago
Cervelo
Campagnolo

Comments

  • Wappygixer
    Wappygixer Posts: 1,396
    edited March 2009
    I've just bought some Radar paths and the best glasses I've had since I bought my old M frames.
    The new coating on them helps loads in poor wet weather as it just run s right off the lenses.
    I get zero wind blowing behind the lenses which is good for me as I wear contacts lenses to and too much wind dries then out.
    They are expensive but the clarity of the lenses is second to none.
    Buy them and you wont be disappointed
    I got mine from this guy http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=1shadetrader&&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller&iid=120339581860&sspagename=VIP:feedback:2:uk
    Glasses are genuine and he's a reliable seller,it is a bit iffy buying off Ebay but with the amount he's selling Ebay would have pulled the plug a long while ago if they were fakes
  • rjh299
    rjh299 Posts: 721
    http://www.sunglassesuk.com/p1/oakley_s ... um=froogle

    I've got these red and white Radars with polarized lenses. Awesome glasses. Pay the extra money, you only need one pair of glasses and should last few years really.
  • softlad
    softlad Posts: 3,513
    I bought two sets of sport glasses from Aldi recently - each comes with a carry case and interchangeable yellow, smoke and clear lenses - all for less than £4 each. I couldn't decide which style I preferred, so I bought both...

    They look good and they work perfectly well...
  • GavH
    GavH Posts: 933
    Go to eBay and search for 'ESS' and save yourself a few bob.
  • giant_man
    giant_man Posts: 6,878
    Aldi +1 - Love Oakleys of course but to me £3.99 pair, lasting nearly two years now, makes more sense. And they have been dropped. And they're fine.
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    currently using Adidas Shield which are excellent. Light, rimless, good lenses, not cheap at RRP but you can pick them up cheaper.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • kevinharley
    kevinharley Posts: 554
    Probably the opposite end of the price spectrum to what you are looking at, but these are perfectly good, and good value too:

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/dhb_T ... 360021749/

    and these are similar, have an additional set of lenses, and are only £14.99

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/dhb_U ... 360036389/
  • DomPro
    DomPro Posts: 321
    Bolle Contour ESP from eBay @ £7 - 10/10
    Shazam !!
  • fnegroni
    fnegroni Posts: 794
    DomPro wrote:
    Bolle Contour ESP from eBay @ £7 - 10/10

    +2 (I have the clear lenses version too)
  • dilemna
    dilemna Posts: 2,187
    I wouldn't waste your money buying expensive sunglasses. There are loads of cheaper alternatives as previous posters have said which are just as good. I bought some genuine RayBands (Bosche and Lamb) £100 about 10 years ago that I thought suitable for cycling. They were good but within three months had got scratched depsite me being very precious with them. Then I stood on them whilst coming down the stairs - crack. So now I buy only cheap or cheaper glasses that are perfectly good.

    My favs are the Madison D'Arc collapsibles. £29.99 for the frame and a set of three interchangeable lenses - clear, dark and orange. If you want individual a local LBS in Cambridge does dark or clear for £13 each with bike club discount 10% on top which makes for £11.70. I bought 3 pairs at once as I'm always losing them. They have soft carry cases as well. Of the 3 I bought two years ago I still haven't lost the first pair so have x2 as insurance for when I do. Cannot go wrong. BTW the Madison glass/plastic lenses are excellent and the style is open frame so no blindspots on either side or under neath when looking around and behind. Plus they are collapsible, did I say that already? Really easy to assemble and robust.
    Hope this helps.
    Alex
    Life is like a roll of toilet paper; long and useful, but always ends at the wrong moment. Anon.
    Think how stupid the average person is.......
    half of them are even more stupid than you first thought.
  • Harp
    Harp Posts: 79
    Pro Bike Kit to great glasses with interchangeable lenses.

    I have a pair with 5 lenses, box , soft bag all for £14.95 DELIEVRED !!
  • +1 for the Aldi ones......
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I'm so fond of my tifosi ones that I'm planning on buying another pair again polarising but this time also light sensitive, for cycling when i next see the distributor.
  • robmanic1
    robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    BBB's are good, I have the Sprinter's, cant remember where from though.
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/34335188@N07/3336802663/
  • flasher
    flasher Posts: 1,734
    Robmanic1 wrote:
    BBB's are good, I have the Sprinter's, cant remember where from though.

    Me too, 20 quid from dotbike 8)
  • robmanic1
    robmanic1 Posts: 2,150
    Flasher wrote:
    Robmanic1 wrote:
    BBB's are good, I have the Sprinter's, cant remember where from though.

    Me too, 20 quid from dotbike 8)

    Yes! I got the ones with the sheckshy blue lenses, very nyshe! 8)
    Pictures are better than words because some words are big and hard to understand.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/34335188@N07/3336802663/
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Never seen RayBANs advertised for cycling ?

    I've had Oakleys for decades now. OK - they are pricey - but you look after them better and they work so well. Plus if you do break them - you get good customer care.

    Radars are great - even better than the M Frames.
  • bobpzero
    bobpzero Posts: 1,431
    stuff i have wouldnt be available anymore - rudy project ekynox, briko lucifier & (well except the) specialized miura. id say go for the oakley radars, http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/uan/3447 this review might be worth a look
  • barrybaines
    barrybaines Posts: 273
    If you need prescription lenses why don'y you just get Oakley to do you some lenses instead of going to contacts? Not sure of the cost but they are supposed to be pretty good.
  • weeve
    weeve Posts: 393
    Bolle ESP Spider "safety" glasses from Ebay.....also do dark lenses in other models
    UK6 and when my Mrs hit the deck at 30+ mph she bent back two teeth, badly fxcked a 1500quid Look frame, cracked a helmet and these glasses showed the evidence of what would have been a blind woman - an unbelievable day out as we had an hours cycle along a coastal path in NL to get to a dentist then a hospital

    Since then have bought a box of 10 for 50 odd quid and dont go without them
  • COVEC
    COVEC Posts: 213
    Any users of the Oakley Flak Jacket XLJ's out there? I fancy getting a pair as they are a good bit cheaper than the Radar's at the moment and do not look as wide at the arms either, if you are an owner how do you get on with them?

    COVEC
  • i picked up some specialized san remo glass in the evans sale for £25 recently, they might astill have them
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    +1 for the Radars but I'm not convinced that a 'flexible' piece of plastic is the ideal way to hold the lens in place. I still like my M and Pro-M Frames, but if you are going to go down the Oakley route why not wait for the new 'jawbone' which has a neat lens change system that also looks more substantial than the older retention systems.
    M.Rushton
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I've had my M frames for 8 years or more now - never had a problem with them - so frame isnt a problem. I think it might be if you swap lenses a lot - but I dont - I have the M frames with a yellow lens in, and my radars for sunnier days.

    Jawbone looks a bit too freaky at the moment. May grow on me though.
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    Sorry to hijack a thread slightly but are theses worth the bother?

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kuota-Multi-Lens- ... 240%3A1318

    they're always on ebay urt cant help but think they're probaby rubbish considering the price :?
  • Barkiesnake
    Barkiesnake Posts: 244
    I bought a pair of Pro-lite Rovigo's from CRC last month and they are excellent. 5 sets of lenses, all polarising and all uv400 protection, complete with hard case and cleaning cloth.
    Price an AMAZING £22.99 including P+P and was delivered next day.

    Recommended? you bet.
    "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, your right" Henry Ford
  • Aren't you all being a bit optimistic?

    If last summer's anything to go by, my sunglasses will remain firmly in their box :)
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    Aren't you all being a bit optimistic?

    If last summer's anything to go by, my sunglasses will remain firmly in their box :)

    Sop cursing it :wink:
  • on-yer-bike
    on-yer-bike Posts: 2,974
    Thanks for all the advice. I went for Radars with Iridium lenses and smoke frame because they suited me the best and the lens are very good. The Flack Jackets were good but not as high. I can't see why the lens holding system would be a problem.
    Pegoretti
    Colnago
    Cervelo
    Campagnolo