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Bike sunglasses review
For me, cycling glasses have always had two functions.
The first is to keep mud and bugs out of my eyes. The mud from flying up into my eyes as I’m hurtling down those backcountry trails, getting some big air over the dirt jumps. The bugs when I’m on my road bike, legs powering away, in the heat of a summer’s evening. I’m reaching 40 on the downhills, they’re coming the other direction at similar speeds….
The second function? Well, that’s to make me look really cool.
Now, to date, I have only managed to buy myself cycling glasses that achieve the first. Admittedly, the failure to make me look cool may not entirely be the fault of the glasses I’ve bought…
It’s possible to spend an awful lot of money on bike glasses. A mid-range pair of Oakley glasses might set you back $200 or more. For people who’ve got that sort of cash to spend, that’s great. For me? Well, if I had that kind of cash, and bought a pair of those, then you’d find me in tears when I sat on them a week after I got them.
Thankfully there are some great cycling glasses out there that look great, do the job you need them to (ward off mud and bugs, but not admiring looks), and won’t cost you the earth.
I’ve got my top recommendations for you. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Short on time? Here are my recommended budget cycling glasses:
[amazon box=”B000WPHV1O,B00X69ONGE,B01HRJIG3Y,B016RAAHT0,B07Q4J16Y3″ template=”table” button_text=”View details”]My Top Recommendations
Okay, let’s take a look at each of these in a bit more detail.
One of the best places to look for cycling glasses is a little unusual, but where you can find some of the best bargains.
Safety glasses these days are almost indistinguishable from cycling glasses. They’re light and designed to be worn all day long. They’re made of impact-resistant materials, intended to keep building materials traveling at high velocity out of your eyes. So, bugs ain’t a problem. Plus they have a wrap-around shape – great for warding off those high-velocity building bits that come at you from the side, ideal for giving you an aerodynamic shape on the bike.
Because safety glasses are also designed for use both indoors and out, they also come with a range of colored lenses suitable for all conditions and weather.
The safety glasses above are some of the best out there for biking. 20 different arm and lens color combinations. Integrated nose piece and non-slip rubber tips on the arms to ensure they stay put when you’re cycling. And the no-frame design and wrap-around single lens mean that you have great all-round vision.
But look at that price! Not much more than a mid-price cappuccino means that I can afford to pop a pair under each butt cheek when I take a seat. It’s a good idea with these to buy 2 or 3 different lens colors to suit all the different light/weather variations you’re likely to get on your bike rides:
Clear = night riding
Yellow = low-light or flat light conditions
Dark/mirrored = bright and sunny
Another fantastic pair of safety glasses that double as perfect cycling glasses.
These glasses from Elvex come with a light reflective tint so are great for normal daylight riding. They’re lightweight and, being safety glasses, designed for all-day wear.
Thought the price of the Pyramex Ztek Safety Glasses was a little too high? How about these? You’d struggle to get the dregs of a cappuccino for that where I’m from…
This is an excellent set of cycling glasses.
You choose your favorite main lens color and then you get additional lenses added (a yellow-tinted one and a dark/polarized one). All packaged up in a hard shell protective case that includes further accessories. Great price too.
The lenses are easy to swap over (just takes a few seconds) and they are impact and scratch-resistant. The frame is super light, so comfortable to wear all day, and both flexible and shockproof, so might even survive my habit of sitting on bike glasses!
Another great set of cycling glasses. Similar to the Torege, you choose your main lens color. With the WolfBike glasses, you also get to choose whether you’d like a half-frame or no-frame style (Personally I’m a fan of the no-frame).
You then get a whole range of interchangeable lenses and accessories tucked away in a hard shell protective case. My favorite piece is the head strap, which you can fit to the glasses in place of the arms. Ideal if you’re planning on bouncing down a rocky trail.
These ship from China, so take a few weeks to arrive. But for less money than a few cups of coffee, this is definitely one pair of bike glasses that it’s worth waiting for.
So, I really really want a GoPro Hero7 and I’ve been on the hunt for the best value cheap GoPro alternative for some time.
I also know that I would get into an awful lot of trouble with my wife and my bank manager (mainly my wife, to be honest) if I actually went out and bought one.
Because of that, I’m always looking for a great wearable camera that’s also great value for money.
With these, I think I may have found it. And even better it’s all wrapped up in a cool pair of sports glasses.
The dark lens and half-frame design look fantastic and do the job of keeping the bugs and mud out of your eyes. Add in the centrally-mounted (and very unobtrusive) camera lens, li-ion rechargeable battery and memory card slot and this is one awesome package at a price that shouldn’t leave me being presented with divorce papers.
32GB memory card included, so you’re good to go.
Best cycling sunglasses under 100
I can’t understand how people can cycle without glasses when there are so many things that are trying to shoot into your eyes at high speed when you’re biking: mud, bugs, admiring looks…
Equally, I can’t understand why people pay so much for cycling glasses when there are such great low-priced options out there.
Pick your favorite pair, slip them on, head out on the bike, look awesome.
Stay cool.
