Recommendation for sport glasses

[pete75]

Just type bolle safety glasses into Ebay search. They're often as stylish as their sunglasses but much lower priced, come with clear or tinted lenses and a lot tougher and longer lasting than £100 sunglasses.

[bigjim]

I break or lose that many pairs of glasses it's getting ridiculous. I lost two pairs on the same day on my last tour. My kids buy me expensive ones and I usually buy the Sports Direct ones at £7. The Lidl ones I found broke too easily.
I'm down to using £1 shop sunglasses at the moment. Suprisingly comfy. May be my future glasses of choice.

[bikes4two]

I'm the OP on this thread - thanks for lots of ideas folks.

I eventually bought some Oakley Jawbone 'replicas' from China through eBay for £20 (link here). They arrived within 12 days of purchase and they look the bees knees although how good the lenses are is difficult to tell without having a 'proper' set to compare against.

I've been studying my replica frame and comparing to on-line pictures of the 'proper' ones - I can't see any difference at all - how do they get away with it!

If I'm feeling cheeky, I might pop down to the Oakley outlet store here in Portsmouth and ....

[andymiller]

I eventually bought some Oakley Jawbone 'replicas' from China through eBay for £20 (link here). They arrived within 12 days of purchase and they look the bees knees although how good the lenses are is difficult to tell without having a 'proper' set to compare against.

I've been studying my replica frame and comparing to on-line pictures of the 'proper' ones - I can't see any difference at all - how do they get away with it!

I wonder how much UV protection they give you.

You could have got some proper glasses (ie glasses that actually protect your eyes) for less than that.

[Andyw]

+1 Decathlon. I had a pair that broke after about 10 months and the replaced them no questions asked.

[PaulB]

I have to wear prescription glasses and have tried many styles of "sport" frames over the years. There are wrap-around sun glasses that take a prescription insert but I found that my vari-focal prescription distorted at the sides. Optilabs have made me some good glasses but they tend to be heavier than the normal sports models and I don't like to wear them all the time when in a cafe etc.

A few months ago I bought some UVEX "over-glasses" from Chain Reaction Cycles. These are sun glasses that simply fit over your normal specs. I have two models and wore one this summer in Switzerland. I have them on a chord around my neck so I can take them off when inside but still have them handy. They are very effective - if not as stylish as your Oakleys etc. You often see similar types advertised in those little catalogues that fall out of the Radio Times every now and again.

You could try the Sunglassesforsport.com site as they have a pretty good selection of cycling glasses many of which can take inserts.

[mjr]

A few months ago I bought some UVEX "over-glasses" from Chain Reaction Cycles. These are sun glasses that simply fit over your normal specs. I have two models and wore one this summer in Switzerland.

Which model? Anyone know if all the Uvex glasses do?

[bikes4two]

I wonder how much UV protection they give you.

You could have got some proper glasses (ie glasses that actually protect your eyes) for less than that.

UV Protection? Maybe I'm missing something here, but what is it with UV protection then? Bearing in mind that prior to this post I was wearing NO eye protection at all and in fact I spend 99% of daylight hours without any eye protection and this has been the way for many decades. So my question is, why do I require UV protection when riding a bike for a few hours a week now?

Many outdoor workers and those enjoying the outdoors for leisure don't wear glasses - should they be worried about UV protection?

These sports glasses I now have meet my needs in respect of eye protection from flying objects and I like the look of them too. They may or may not offer UV protection: I simply don't know. Would there be some sort of marking on them to tell me this?

[LondonBikeCommuter]

what impressed me most about the Oakley glasses was their ability to make what I was looking at appear clearer.

I suspect a lot of this is due to the quality of the 'glass' something your unlikely to get from the budget brands in my view.

[bikes4two]

I have to wear prescription glasses and have tried many styles of "sport" frames over the years. There are wrap-around sun glasses that take a prescription insert but I found that my vari-focal prescription distorted at the sides. Optilabs have made me some good glasses but they tend to be heavier than the normal sports models and I don't like to wear them all the time when in a cafe etc.

A few months ago I bought some UVEX "over-glasses" from Chain Reaction Cycles. These are sun glasses that simply fit over your normal specs. I have two models and wore one this summer in Switzerland. I have them on a chord around my neck so I can take them off when inside but still have them handy. They are very effective - if not as stylish as your Oakleys etc. You often see similar types advertised in those little catalogues that fall out of the Radio Times every now and again.

You could try the Sunglassesforsport.com site as they have a pretty good selection of cycling glasses many of which can take inserts.

what impressed me most about the Oakley glasses was their ability to make what I was looking at appear clearer.

I suspect a lot of this is due to the quality of the 'glass' something your unlikely to get from the budget brands in my view.

You may be right but I've done a side by side comparison with my cycling buddy's Oakley glasses with the yellow lenses and the cheapo Oakley are (subjectivity) as good. I rode with them in the failing light today and the yellow lens seemed to make things clearer.

[Brucey]

re 'why do I need UV protection?'

see;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunglasses

Note that if you wear dark glasses that don't filter UV, your eyes are likely to be damaged, because the pupils open more than normal, letting more UV light into the most sensitive parts of the eye.

cheers

[LollyKat]

UV Protection? Maybe I'm missing something here, but what is it with UV protection then? Bearing in mind that prior to this post I was wearing NO eye protection at all and in fact I spend 99% of daylight hours without any eye protection and this has been the way for many decades. So my question is, why do I require UV protection when riding a bike for a few hours a week now?

Depletion of the ozone layer has increased the amount of UV reaching us - see e.g. http://www.ozone-hole.org.uk/12.php

Many outdoor workers and those enjoying the outdoors for leisure don't wear glasses - should they be worried about UV protection?

Yes, in the same way they should be worried about their suntanning habits.

[niggle]

I wonder how much UV protection they give you.

You could have got some proper glasses (ie glasses that actually protect your eyes) for less than that.

UV Protection? Maybe I'm missing something here, but what is it with UV protection then? Bearing in mind that prior to this post I was wearing NO eye protection at all and in fact I spend 99% of daylight hours without any eye protection and this has been the way for many decades. So my question is, why do I require UV protection when riding a bike for a few hours a week now?

Many outdoor workers and those enjoying the outdoors for leisure don't wear glasses - should they be worried about UV protection?

These sports glasses I now have meet my needs in respect of eye protection from flying objects and I like the look of them too. They may or may not offer UV protection: I simply don't know. Would there be some sort of marking on them to tell me this?

Normally UV protection is marked on sunglasses sold in the EU, and a standard of protection is required by EU legislation I think. However if you order sunglasses over the internet direct from non EU countries they may not be made to those safety standards.

The point is that your pupils respond to visible light so will open wider when you have the dark glasses on, therefore if the glasses have no UV protection your pupils will be letting more UV in than with no sunglasses.

[niggle]

Sports glasses with interchangeable lenses on sale at Aldi on Thursday: https://www.aldi.co.uk/en/specialbuys/t ... 1-29_14-16

[AndyK]

I've been using Sunwise sunglasses for some time - they're comfortable and good value, but what really marks them out for me is the amber lens that comes with the interchangeable-lens models. This is that rare beast, a category 2 lens. When the sun shines it cuts down on the glare, but it's not so dark that you end up blind when you cycle into the shade. On grey cloudy days, it makes the world appear a slightly, brighter sunnier place! In short, perfect for cycling in Britain. Not only that, it's a British company. They do mist up a bit when you stop moving in cold weather though. And the company used to sell spare lenses but that seems to have stopped.
http://www.sportsshoes.com/products/sunwise/