what sunglasses to get?

Anyone have a preference for type of sunglasses?? ie. polarized vs non-polarized or polychromatic (tint changes with brightness). I thought I read somewhere that polarized wasn't good for biking. Also, what type of tint would be best? ie. copper, green, blue, yellow, grey. Each has it's own benefits but from all the reading I think the copper are supposed to be best for driving purposes.

 

From what I understand, polarized are bad because you'll have a hard time picking up reflections on any puddles and slick spots. The polarization will filter them out, rendering them all but invisible. Not a problem in a car, but bad juju on a cycle.

As for the other choice, I'll defer to more knowledgeable minds.

 

I use Oakley's riding. They seem to have better optical clarity than the cheaper ones. I used to never buy a pair of sunglasses for more than $15 because I kept losing them. The last pair was "modified" by my 4-year old after 3 years of use. Since I kept them for 3 years, I splurged for a pair of Oakley's and I wear them for everything now.

For night riding - I'm amazed how well yellow glasses cut down the glare. After 1 minute with them on, you'll forget that all the headlights are yellow.

 

hadn't heard that, but makes sense. Thanks for the in-sight DK.



With a full face helmet, I try to use a tinted face-shield vice glasses after hearing about accidents where the glasses cause cuts to the face.

 

I use Oakleys in the yellow/amber color. Great at dusk, they clear things up pretty well when the sun is low and blinding but there are a lot of shadows that your eyes need time to adjust to. Didn't ever think about the polarized glasses that way. Good call on that, learn something new everyday.

 

I tend to use a tinted shield but I have found Oakley Half Jackets with the Gold lenses work well. I like the Half Jackets because theirs no frame on the bottom of the lenses to block your view. The gold tint lens seems to block enough light and has good contrast. Extra lenses are relatively cheap too.

Action

 

you all have some good stuff... maybe for the accessory review part of the forum too.

(not suggesting this get relegated to anywhere near the oil discussions

 

I wear & fully endorse Ray Ban. I've been wearing them for like 15 years now & see no reason to change. The pair I wear under my helmet, I bought specifically for riding with.

I wear sunglasses 90% of the time I'm outside. Reason being, I have a friend of the family who was an electrical lineman for 35 years. He's now legally blind from Macular Degeneration. His Optometrist is convinced it's from 35 years of working out in the sun without UV eye protection.

KC-10 FE out...
lane:

 

I have found the polarized sungalsses distort my vision somewhat. I prefer unpolarized and as for lens color, it makes no dif to me as long as it does not change how I see.

 

I wear a pair of Serengetti Drivers and they are awesome. They are photochromatic, so they change tint with the light conditions. In essence they are always the perfect tint. You can get a good pair online for $90-$100.

 

Many, many years ago I was a life guard and found polarized glasses worked very well when trying to view inside the water. However, when I was racing I tried some polarized glasses and found that sometimes I "thought" there was oil on the track and other times didn't see when there really was oil there. I would not recommend polarized glasses on two wheels.

 

FWIW, I used to wear Oakley Zero Squares, but the lenses were so dark they rendered them dangerous unless it was really bright noon.

I have now switched to Maui Jim "Kanaha" frames with their bronze HCL (High Contrast Lens) Poloroid lenses.

What I like about them:

- Indeed, they render higher contrast in lower light / mixed light conditions
- I haven't had too big problems with the polaroid / no glare off of puddles observation above, but that is a good point I need to think about
- The combination of the Maui Jims with clear helmet visor is far more useful and flexible than my dark tint visor (BTW, I wear a Shoei X-11)
- The temples of the frames are straight, and have little rubber inserts so they go into the helmet easily and stay put

Anyway, those are my observations for what they are worth. Here's link to the frames I'm talking about:

http://www.mauijim.com/mjweb/public/catalog/consumer_sunglass_product.jsp?WS909FRAMESTYLEID=409&WS943IMAGENAME=LFG409-02.jpg