Sunglasses are one of the essential items a cyclist and triathlete should have, and it’s definitely not just about looking cool.
It protects your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays during the hottest days and from debris when cycling at dawn or dusk. I think it’s imperative to get a clear/night lens for night/early morning cycling, because the last thing you want is something to fly in your eye while you’re going at high speed and which may cause you to lose control of your bike. I find wearing sunglasses also helps me focus better during a race, as somehow it just blocks out all the distractions around me. Another plus: it hides the pain in your eyes from your rivals…
Even drivers should wear sunnies. I use sunnies all the time in the car to help reduce glare which could impair safe driving.
Of course, I’m fortunate to have a large selection of sunglasses to choose from to suit the occasion. Yesterday I got two more from Joey at Oakley. Both are women’s models.
new addition: Restless
new addition: Commit
my Oakley collection
Hey, not all were given, by the way. The chrome Radar and pink Half Jacket were bought, the Radar a present for Damo last Christmas and the Half Jacket in Kona in 2006. Another two pairs — LiveStrong Radar and a wire frame (not sure what the model is) — Damo bought some time ago.
My favourite pair? Not sure… I love the sky blue Radar but I also love the two Enduring glasses I have (in white and yellow) for it’s feminine fit. The Half Jacket will always have a special place in my heart because I raced the World Championships in those. Obviously my favourite colour for frames is white — I have a Radar, Enduring, Flak Jacket and now Commit in that colour. I guess it’s because it matches everything and it goes well with my skin tone! The next colour I’d go for would probably be something very different…. like green… though I wonder what that would match for I don’t use any green equipment.
Some points to note: Take care of your eyewear. After each use rinse it with some hand soap and warm water and then give it a couple of flicks and let it air dry. Always use a soft clean sunglass cloth to wipe the lenses and try to keep your eyewear in hard cases when travelling. If you have only one pair of frames, try to get at least two pairs of lenses to interchange depending on the weather/time of day. Of course if that is troublesome then buy a cheaper pair for the occassion that you use glasses less for. Don’t try to scrimp on glasses because it’s an item that can last for a long, long time and getting a good pair is much more economical in the long run than buying a few lower quality, cheaper pairs. Find out if the brand has a good warranty to back up the product — trust me, it will come in handy.
6 Comments
hi jeanette,
seems like radar is the “in” shades for athletes nowadays. going by the reviews i’ve read it’s pretty darn good too. now i’m using optic nerve that has interchangeable lenses mostly used when i’m riding. hope to get radar some day! haha.. btw can the radar be used with interchangeable lenses? it’s bit ex for me to get one for sunny weather and one for night or early rides. btw do you of anywhere you can get a good oakley deal?
thanks
Hey nur, yeah the Radars are cool, but for girls I’d recommend the Enduring — they’re women-specific and hence fit much better than the Radars. I believe all the glasses in Oakley’s performance range has interchangeable lenses (at extra cost, of course). As for deals… nope I don’t know of anywhere that has Oakley deals… I don’t go shopping much!! :-) But I think Oakley prices are pretty controlled islandwide.
I’d recommend trying the Enduring. Or the new model, Commit.
Hi there,
Agreed that we need a shade for cycling as I had personally hit by pebbles when I cycled without it.
Also kind of agreed that Oakley prices are pretty controlled islandwide. However, if you establish “special’ relationship with optical shop, who knows, you might get a better deal?
Alternatively, the best way is to get it from eBay or States itself. It is pretty cheap as I’ve been monitoring my Radar Path Livestrong for quite a while. (US$166 including shipping). Cheers
Hi Jeannette,
Just want to say thanks for the great tips lately.. I was just cycling last night and was wondering if there are such things as night lens for my Radar and lo and behold, you’ve blogged about it! Off to get myself a pair of interchangeable lenses!
hello anon, you are very welcome! thanks for reading!
which lens did you get? i have orange lenses. i found the yellow ones a bit too bright!
Hi Jeanette, went down yesterday to get my lens. Agreed, the yellow one was a bit too bright. Went with the orange one in the end though I’m a little apprehensive that the orange one will be too dark instead. Wish they had something in between! Anyway, will only receive it in a week and will see how it goes then. Thanks again!