Once you have decided that buying yourself a pair of cycling glasses is a priority, for the sake of your eyes, where do you start looking for a cool design that fits the bill perfectly? There are tons of brands out there, and they all stock a bewildering array of different styles, often meant for quite diverse applications. Here are some of the top brands to get you started on your search. Several of them are very large companies with offerings across the sports and leisure markets. For cycling you should be aiming to get wrap around frames or ones which have side shields to protect your eyes from the wind.
Bollé
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Bollé offers a complete collection of sunglasses and goggles to cater for all your cycling needs. They also sell ophthalmic prescription glasses in various frame designs. However Bollé cycling glasses are designed with all the features you will need in their Performance Collection. Some of the models to check out for yourself are the Vigilante, Warrant and Parole. These styles are very affordable and are generally sold with two or three different colored lens sets for various light conditions – and they get great reviews on Amazon! Take care when you change the lenses seems to be the main advice. Several of the range can be easily adapted for people with defective vision, using an Rx insert and prescription lenses, which need to be bought separately.
For a full review of Bolle Vigilante cycling glasses, Click Here.
Giro
Giro make activewear including sunglasses, gloves, helmets and other accessories, which service cyclists, skiers and snowboarders, and also on and off road pursuits. A couple of excellent styles of Giro cycle glasses to investigate are the Havik 2 and Filter. Both have interchangeable lenses, and the Filters have a great technology called Pop Top which allow you to change the lenses in seconds. Both the Filter and the Havik 2 have received rave reviews from cyclists, especially the latter with the silver rose colored lens, which has improved vision and performance for all levels from Tour de France riders to the leisure rider wanting to avoid glare and wear something relaxing for the eyes.
Oakley
One of the giants in the world of sunglasses, Oakley continues to innovate in both lens technology and frame design. Oakley cycling eyewear is often accused of coming with a very high price tag, but the quality and performance is second to none. After all, it is always better to get a pair of shades that will last for years than a cheap pair that leaves you with headaches at the end of the day, or that snap in half at the least provocation. So for high quality, and again liberally showered with excellent reviews, the Oakley cycling glasses to swot up on are the Radar range, the Jawbone and the Flak Jacket collection.
Rudy Project
Rudy Project is an independent sunglasses company catering to active wearers, which includes cyclists, athletes, tennis players and golfers. They have an excellent range of cool designs, and what is particularly interesting is that RP are very keen to provide quality prescription cycling glasses to their customers. They do this with ranges designed to accommodate clip-on Rx inserts; with fixed prescription lenses mounted into the frames you choose (they call it Rx Direct); and with a selection of frames that can use prescription interchangeable lenses. This is excellent for cyclists, who now have a simple choice about how they correct their vision and still get to wear the right shades for cycling in varying degrees of light. The best Rudy Project cycling glasses to check out are the Rydon and Noyz ranges.
Smith Optics
Like the other big brands, Smith offers sunglasses for leisure and sports. Smith cycling glasses are available in the usual wrap around design, many of which have interchangeable lenses and some models are available as prescription shades. The models to take a closer look at are the Smith Pivlock collection and the Interlock.
Other Brands to Investigate
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Those are perhaps five of the most common brands you will encounter in the world of cycle-specific glasses, several of which offering glasses across the whole spectrum of eyeglasses types, from normal clear reading specs, to high performance sports glasses. If you have rummaged around their websites and cannot find anything that fits the bill for you, then there are a few others you can consider. Most offer cycle goggles as well as wrap arounds, and some of these other companies are Switch, Wiley-X (who make shades for the US military), Tifosi, Kaenon and Blur.
If you still can’t make your mind up after exploring these sunglasses manufacturers, then there are others out there, and a few searches on Google might well get you closer to that elusive perfect pair! Good luck, and happy clear cycling!
