Specs for cycling - are wrap-arounds worth the extra?

Chodak · Post by **Chodak** » 31 Jan 2009, 7:13pm

I wear specs and have used ordinary glasses for riding for the past year. There's a bit of a draught and I saw yesterday that my LBS does a wrap-around set of cycling frames, with three lenses (dark, clear and yellow for low-light) with a small frame inside to have spec lenses inserted too. The frames and three lenses are under £40 and my optician tells me that if they can fit them, single vision lenses would be £59 extra to fit.

I've seen on a website that you can also get wrap around prescription lenses fitted to frames like Oakleys, but they seem to cost a lot more.

Des anyone have any advice as to whether wrap-around are much better than ordinary specs for cycling and if so whether to go for an insert or a prescription main lens. My prescription is about +3.75 in each eye (short sighted) with a fair astigmatism too.

cycleruk · Post by **cycleruk** » 31 Jan 2009, 7:59pm

cycleruk · Post by **cycleruk** » 31 Jan 2009, 8:00pm

cycleruk · Post by **cycleruk** » 31 Jan 2009, 8:07pm

Well that's clever.
I was replying to one of the other topics and it ended up on this one?
First answer didn't post so re-posted and magic ??
Sorry but don't see a way of deleting them.

DavidT · Post by **DavidT** » 31 Jan 2009, 8:29pm

Hi Chodak

My answer to your question, are wrap arounds better? is YES.

With a bit of spare cash I bought some prescription lens frames from Optilabs (following recommendations from this forum) about 18 months ago.

The air flow improvement is massive. No more streaming eyes when descending. Definate improvement. It suddenly became obvious to me why cyclists wear them (and I thought it was just posing!)

I really just wanted some cycling specific glasses to stop getting sweat all over my normal ("fashion" :wink:

) glasses. So this was a real bonus. The tinting is consistent as well with no gaps around the edges - so to speak.

I thought about the insert type but couldn't convince myself of these - hence Optilabs. More than happy with their product and service.

Not sure of the numbers but my prescription is SPH -5.25/-4.25 and CYL -0.25/-0.75. Short sighted.

My only hesitancy is the poseur look when I'm on the bike - something which I am clearly not!! Hardly lycra man, me! But frankly with the benefits, - to hell with it, you only live once!

All the best

mike · Post by **mike** » 1 Feb 2009, 10:45am

I looked around for cycling glasses last year but was shocked by the price (I need varifocals) and just to wear a couple of times a week. I now just wear my everyday glasses, which most of the time I find OK.

paulah · Post by **paulah** » 1 Feb 2009, 11:28am

can't comment on how useful they are - I haven't got mine yet - but if you've got a strong astigmatism then optilabs is the place. I spent about a month searching for a place that could do mine before someone here mentioned them, so if your prescription's too strong for them I don't think you'll find anywhere else - it's really the strength of the astigmatism that will decide what you can go for.

leftpoole · Post by **leftpoole** » 1 Feb 2009, 11:43am

mike wrote:I looked around for cycling glasses last year but was shocked by the price (I need varifocals) and just to wear a couple of times a week. I now just wear my everyday glasses, which most of the time I find OK.

Hello,
As a spectacle wearer of 45 Years I know a little about cycling wearing them!
You do not 'need' varifocals to ride a cycle. You do need spectacles that help avoid dirt dust and bugs in your eyes. After numerous expens I have finally settled for three pairs! One standard wrap round sunglasses, one yellow lens for gloomy days same frames and a standard pair of glasses normal type frames for daily life. Of I forgot, I have a standard pair of reading glasses too.
I tried varifocals and bifocals which made me sick-I did not enjoy the experience.
I will stick with what I use now, its only taken me about 40 Years to get a suitable setup.
John.

diapason · Post by **diapason** » 1 Feb 2009, 11:45am

I had my optician put the lenses into a Rudy Ekynox insert. I'm not really impressed. The vision is very poor, far inferior to my normal specs. The optician has said that my prescription , -6 in one eye, is such that the curvature of the insert make it impossinle to get a good result ..........

I may try Optilabs when I can afford it.

N