A pair of sunglasses for cycling can help improve performance as well as eye protection. We take a look at a few of our favorite options on the market at the moment.
A reliable pair of cycling sunglasses are considered a necessity by many bikers. Having the confidence that your vision won’t be impaired by a sudden ray of sunshine can really boost your overall performance on a bike. The best cycling sunglasses are comfortable, durable and adjustable. Polarized lenses are great in the sun, but can make LED signs hard to see and darken your vision too much in dim conditions. In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the top sunglasses for cycling to hopefully save you some time, effort and money.
- 1 The Best Sunglasses For Cycling
- 2 HUBO SPORTS Cycling Glasses
- 3 Hulislem S1 Sport Polarized Sunglasses
- 4 Tifosi Women’s Alpe 2.0 SingleLens Sunglasses
- 5 TOREGE Polarized Sports Sunglasses
- 6 Duduma Polarized Sports Sunglasses
- 7 Things to Consider When Buying Cycling Sunglasses
- 7.1 The Fit
- 7.2 Frame Style
- 7.3 Grip
- 7.4 Coverage
- 7.5 Lenses
- 7.6 Prescription Lenses
- 7.7 Pricing
- 8 Conclusion
The Best Sunglasses For Cycling
Cycling glasses aren’t just great for improving your performance, they’re also a great way to protect yourself from harmful UVA & UVB rays. With so many sunglasses for cyclists available, we spent some time handpicking our favorite options and have compiled a list.
Here’s a list of the 5 best sunglasses for cycling which we’re sure you’ll love.
HUBO SPORTS Cycling Glasses
The Lorsoul Polarized Sports glasses are our top-rated cycling glasses. They have 100% UV protection thanks to the use of UV400, which allows them to block harmful UVA and UVB rays. You get a variety of interchangeable lenses, yellow for the night , a gray polarized lens for strong sunlight. There are also pink/transparent lenses for cloudier days.
They’re made from TR90 material, allowing them to be light yet sturdy. We’d recommend these to anyone looking for a lightweight yet durable pair of glasses that offer excellent sun protection.
Hulislem S1 Sport Polarized Sunglasses
Next up on the list we’ve got a pair of glasses that targetted at both men and women. The Hulislem S1 sunglasses are polarized, and at the time of writing are also FDA approved. These glasses offer complete protection from UVA, UVB and UVC rays, making them a good option for those of you cycling in warm climates.
Thanks to a polycarbonate frame, these feel super light to wear. Despite their lightweight construction, thanks to the Stress Resistant O Matter Frame they feel solid. These are an excellent choice of glasses for both men and women and are very reasonably priced.
Tifosi Women’s Alpe 2.0 SingleLens Sunglasses
We’d recommend these If you’re looking for a pair of glasses designed especially for women. The sturdy but lightweight TR-90 frame makes them easy to wear as well as long-lasting. Pads that surround the ear and nose help reduce movement through improved grip. While the nose pads increase grip, they’re also adjustable, allowing you to get the perfect fit for your face.
The lenses are shatterproof as well as resistant to scratching. Thanks to Glare Guard technology, they also work to help reduce eye strain and provide 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays. Overall these are an great pair of glasses. If you’re looking for something purpose-built for women these are an excellent option.
TOREGE Polarized Sports Sunglasses
Whether you’re looking for a first pair of glasses for cycling or making the switch from a “big name brand” these are an excellent option. They offer a variety of five fiver interchangeable lenses, which give you 100% UVA and UVB protection. They’re lightweight but definitely don’t feel flimsy.
The cool rimless jacket frame design means that you get an improved field of vision. Something we’re really impressed with is the manufacturers focus on the customer. You get a lifetime breakage warranty on the frame as well as a 30 day money-back guarantee, this makes trying the glasses out risk-free. If you’re looking for a product that can compete with much more expensive glasses, these come highly recommended.
Duduma Polarized Sports Sunglasses
The frames and the lenses are considered “unbreakable” by the manufacturer, this is down to the face they’re scratch and impact resistant. While we feel nothing is unbreakable, you’d have to try pretty hard to damage these glasses. They’re lightweight as well as comfortable and they look pretty good too!
Lifetime warranty on the frame and the lens makes these great value for money. These also come with a 30 day money-back guarantee so if you’re not happy with your purchase, no problem. If you want a pair of glasses that will last you for the long run, these are definitely worth trying out.
Things to Consider When Buying Cycling Sunglasses
When deciding what sunglasses for cycling will best suit your needs, there are several things to factor in. We’ve created a list of features to consider when looking for the best cycling sunglasses:
The Fit
The last thing you want is to have a pair of glasses that are constantly slipping or even falling off. Finding a pair of glasses that fit precisely is essential to the quality of your ride. Look for glasses that fit tight but do not pinch your face anywhere. If they feel even a little too tight, it is possible that the slight discomfort can become unbearable while you are riding.
You also need to make sure that the way they sit on your face does not obscure your vision.
On top of all that, remember that these sunglasses need to fit under your helmet. Anything that sticks out too far from your face could be a problem. Cycling glasses that have straight back temples tend to be compatible with most helmets.
Frame Style
Like all sunglasses, you will be able to find cycling ones in three different frame types: full-frame, half-frame, and frame-less. For bike riding, half-frames are a good option. Full-frame glasses may obstruct your vision, especially when the lower part hovers within your eye line. Frame-less options are obviously the most lightweight, but can also be the most fragile.
For some, the ones that sit close to the eyes feel safer. For others, having that extra space between the sunglasses and their eyes increases their field of vision.
Poly-carbonate plastic is preferable over metal frames. If you do end up crashing, metal near your eyes will be extra dangerous. This type of plastic is also lighter in most cases.
Grip
As you ride, you will likely sweat which can increase the likelihood of the glasses slipping off your face. That is why it is important to look for sunglasses that have rubber grips, both around the nose and at the temples. Having your sunglasses move around during your ride can be very distracting, as well as dangerous.
Coverage
Essentially, the further around your face/head the cycling sunglasses wrap, the better. It will help to extend your peripheral vision. Additionally, glasses with a lot of wraparound will help keep debris from flying into your eyes. Look for sunglasses where the lenses are made from one solid piece because they protect your inner eye better.
Lenses
Ultimately, this is the biggest factor that separates poor glasses from the best. You will find glasses with either light or dark lenses, color-changing lenses, or interchangeable lenses. If they are not color changing or interchangeable, light lenses are generally better. Just be sure that your cycling glasses include some UV protection.
Dark lenses can become hazardous because they can make it hard to see potholes and other debris. Much of the riding environment is already grey, like the road and shadows, so dark glasses can make it hard to distinguish things.
This is especially true if you are shopping for road bike sunglasses.
Lighter lenses have the added bonus of providing more contrast, so you can see things coming in plenty of time.
Ideally, your glasses will come with more than one set of lenses so that you can pick the appropriate one for whatever the conditions are that day. Yellow lenses are especially good at showing contrast in conditions where vision is poor. At night, clear lenses provide all of the protection without affecting your view.
As technology advances, the options for your lenses become more and more fancy. There are now photochromic lenses that can get lighter or darker depending on the conditions.
Some people prefer this to interchangeable lenses because they do not have to carry spares around. Other people still find the photochromic lenses to be too limiting to fully suit their needs.
Another awesome feature you can look for is hydrophobic coating, which will help keep the rain off of your glasses. You can even get lenses that have an anti-fogging coating or vents to help keep your vision clear when you are sweating.
To keep your lenses protected when you don’t need them, the best trunk bags for bikes usually have separate compartments to store glasses away from sharp objects like keys.
Prescription Lenses
It is not uncommon for a cyclist to need a prescription to help them see clearly. Many of them choose to wear contact lenses under their cycling sunglasses.
For others, visiting an optician and getting prescription cycling sunglasses is a better option. If that is the case, there are two options. Some companies actually offer prescription versions of their lenses. Others will send you a clip-on insert that goes behind the lenses of your sunglasses. Both of these options will add more to the cost and need to be done under the guidance of an eye doctor.
When getting prescription lenses for your cycling sunglasses, you will have some options for customizing. Choosing whether or not you want polarized lenses is one decision to make.
While polarized lenses do cut down on glare, some mountain bikers complain that they affect their depth perception. Like normal cycling sunglasses, you can get photochromic lenses.
For prescription sunglasses, there is the option of getting lenses that transition through different shades of brown, allowing you to ride in any amount of sunlight.
If you wear contact lenses instead of prescription lenses, it is especially important to get high-quality cycling sunglasses. If rain gets into your eyes, it can cause your contact lenses to “float” out of place. Wind in your eyes can dry out your contacts and be incredibly painful.
Pricing
Like most things in life, sunglasses for cycling come at many different price points. When you decide to invest a lot of money in your glasses, you should be getting many things.
The first is high-quality lenses that will give you exceptional clarity. These lenses could be photochromic or interchangeable. The second thing you can expect is a lightweight frame.
A good pair of cycling sunglasses is a great investment for your cycling gear. Once you have tried them out, it is likely that they will get a lot of use.
Conclusion
In many ways, a good pair of sunglasses for cycling is an important part of your gear when biking. Even on days that are not particularly sunny, your glasses are serving the purpose of protecting your eyes. They improve your performance, increase your safety, and also look cool.
Hopefully, this guide answered any questions you had about the different types of cycling sunglasses on the market.