Eyewear options and care

Cycling glasses are an important accessory. They’re not just about sunny days. Glasses offer protection from mud and other debris, including insects in early season races. They can also shield you from the effects of wind, which can cause your eyes to constantly water.

Fit

Fit is a crucial factor. Cycling glasses must sit steady on your face - especially important for off-road racing when you can be bumped all over the place and crashes are a regular occurrence. A good pair of glasses often has silicone on the temples (the ‘arms’) to stop them from slipping, and the neutral position of the temples is probably a little smaller than your head so that it grips well (but not tightly) when in place. Either try the fit in a shop before you buy, or make sure that any online supplier accept returns.

Ideally, cycling glasses should be supplied with a selection of nose bridge options in different sizes. These can adjust the fit by varying how the glasses sit on your face. It’s worth noting that some brands do “junior” models for smaller faces, which smaller people - and in particular females - might want to consider, although women’s designs are becoming more available. I’m a 160cm woman and wear Oakley’s Flak Jacket 2.0, but when I shopping for them I was conscious that a lot of the styles were designed to fit the face of a 180+cm man.

Function

The lens tint is an important decision, and there are a huge number available. However, I’m going to stick my neck out and say that unless you have huge sums of money and can afford a wardrobe of tints, there are only 4 of real importance: clear, contrast enhancing, light enhancing and darkened.

Clear speaks for itself - it’s purely about protection, whereas a simple dark tint reduces glare from the sun (UV protection is always important). Specialist tints improve visibility, helping you to see things more clearly. So a contrast enhancing tint for off-road riding will make ground features appear more obvious, such as where there are dips and stones, enabling you to pick the best racing lines quickly. And a light enhancing tint will help in very gloomy, overcast conditions by appearing to lift the light levels - exactly what it says on the tin. These lenses are generally orangey colours, while contrast for off-road is enhanced by pinks. (It’s more complicated than that obviously!) If a brand doesn’t specifically offer off-road tints, golf lenses can work instead - it’s still off road terrain after all. But lenses aimed at road riders will enhance features in tarmac, so you might nail the start/finish straight but not much else!

Contrast enhancing; clear; darkened; light enhancing

Obviously all these fancy options add cost to what is already an expensive hobby/future profession. Models that allow interchangeable lenses allow flexibility without buying multiple pairs of glasses - plus it saves space in your kit bag. If you have a limited budget (as most people do), my recommendation in order of importance is: contrast enhancing, clear, darkened, light enhancing. Because contrast enhancing lenses have a reasonably darkish tint, they do actually provide a fair level of sun protection in my experience. I need prescription lenses which can be extremely expensive, so I can’t afford a dark or light enhancing lens, but the Oakley Prizm off-road lens works adequately for me in almost all situations. I only change to clear if it’s deep winter gloom. And Andrew, who does have all four options I’ve listed, uses his contrast enhancing lenses in almost all situations too. For both of us, other options are just nice-to-have luxuries.

Whatever tint(s) you end up with, you should consider the potential for them to steam up, particularly when you stop moving or if it rains. Anti-fog coatings are often available and tend to be fairly effective (provided you care for them well!), but the design of the glasses also contributes. They must be structured to allow airflow around the lenses as this will clear them as you move. Vents may be part of the design, or it may simply be an integral part of how they fit to your face. My flak jackets do not have vents but they never get steamed up when I’m riding.

Care

Cycling glasses can be an expensive piece of kit - particularly if you have to invest in prescription ones - so they are worth taking care of. You don’t have to do anything special to them - it’s more about what not to do. When you’ve got them dirty, clean them with mild soap and water as required. Not hot water, just cool. Don’t leave them dirty for days before you get around to it. You can buy cleaning sprays but they’re probably only useful if they aren’t actually muddy. Also, bear in mind that the dirt from riding off-road will be full of tiny scratchy particles, so you want to rinse that stuff off before you use a microfibre cloth on the lenses.

Mid-race you’ll have to use the patch on your gloves to wipe dirt off them (lots of gloves have this feature and I couldn’t do without it!). You will build up micro-scratches over time, but that’s racing and you’ll just have to suck it up. I’ve had mine for several years and although you can see the scratches if you inspect the lens closely, they don’t interfere with my vision at all. Finally, keep them in a case when you aren’t using them. And remember, if it’s a foam case that fits snug to the lenses, do not put dirty glasses in there. You’ll get particles on the foam that will stay there and scratch your lenses a tiny bit every time you take them in and out!

Summary

Fit: steady

Function: contrast, clear, sun, light enhancing

Care: no hot water, no scratches

See our additional piece for riders requiring prescription eyewear.

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