Best Cycling Glasses – Best Polarized Sunglasses For Cycling Review

Why do we need the best cycling glasses? In every sport and outdoor activities, our bodies react to what we see. Our reactions and reflexes are mostly triggered by what our eyes show in front of us.  When working out, driving or cycling under intense sunlight, glare and reflected light can often be blinding and reduce our ability to see clearer. Thus, this diminishes our performance on the road. This is where polarized lenses play an important role for cyclists.

The main difference between the two is that polarized glasses block glare from horizontally reflected light. On the other hand, non-polarized glasses on the other hand, only reduce the intensity of light.

Regular non-polarized glasses only have tinted lenses. It reduces the brightness of your surroundings, very similar to what you see in a dimly-lit room. Your eyes adjust by widening the pupils to allow more light to enter and see some objects, but as you’ve probably experienced, our eyes have limits. With limited visibility, this is not recommended for cyclists and drivers.

Instead of dimming or limiting the amount of light transmitted through the lenses, what polarized glasses do is reduce the annoying and damaging glare from reflective surfaces. The light that is reflected from these surfaces usually travel in a horizontal direction. To need to block those horizontal light waves, we need a filter that only allows light waves that travel in a vertical direction.    

There is a special film laminated in between layers of lenses that act as the polarizing filter. This film is made of pigments or chemical coating that filters or absorbs polarized light. We won’t dwell on the technical details, but to illustrate what polarized glasses do, take a look at this example.

Image By PiccoloNamek via Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

The left image is through a normal lens, and the right side shows the image with polarized lens. Notice how it effectively increases the contrast and details of the clouds, and how less straining it is to look at the road? This is what polarized glasses do.

Here’s another set of photos that differentiates the contrast and clarity of what you’ll see when wearing polarized lenses.

Image By Amish’s via Wikipedia, Public Domain

 On bright sunny days, water surfaces reflect sunlight effectively that you can barely see the surface because of glare, even in shallow waters. With polarized lenses (right image), you can see that it was able to reduce or eliminate reflections and glare almost completely, that you can see clearly the pebbles in the water. Imagine this while biking or working out outdoors. With polarized glasses, you’ll be able to focus more on what’s ahead instead of squinting your eyes against the bright sun.  

Yes, polarized glasses are better in many ways,

• First, it diminishes glare, reflections, and deeply saturated colors.
• Reduces eyestrain when you’re exposed to bright environments.
• Enhances contrast between background and colors, which improves the clarity of vision.
• Makes it easier and more comfortable to view objects under bright light.

Not all sunglasses have polarized lenses and here are some of quickest ways to check,  

• Use the Test Sticker – Some brands include a test sticker on one of the lenses. All you need to do is rotate the sunglasses 60°. The tag should look darker behind the lenses if it’s polarized.
• Glare Test – Hold the lenses in front of a reflective surface. The glare or reflection should be reduced if the lenses are polarized.
• LCD Test – One of the disadvantages of using polarized lenses is that you won’t be able to see much on your LCD screen if you’re wearing one. Hold up your sunglasses in front of an LCD monitor, TV or phone screen. If you have polarized sunglasses, once you rotate it 60°, the image from the lenses should become darker or black.

• Two Pairs of Polarized Sunglasses – If both sunglasses are polarized, you put one on top of the other and then rotate one 60°, the lenses should become darker.

Take your regular glass or plastic lens and add a polarized film in between the lens – that’s what makes polarized glasses. Depending on the design, the coated polarized film is laminated in between, such that it’s optimized to reduce or absorb the horizontal component of light. This in turn, eliminates the glare and saturated colors so that you see cooler hues and the clearer contrast between objects.

This is probably the best deal you can get from the market because you’ll get a full package, not just a single pair of lenses. The main black lens is the polarized one for bright outdoors, and then the other three have different tints designed for other outdoor activities. The fifth one is called the Myopia Glasses, designed for those who are short-sighted. You can attach this to the regular lenses and see clearly even when you’re wearing sunglasses.

• Complete sports glasses package – comes with five pairs of interchangeable lenses and accessories, which gives you the right options on which to wear on particular activities.
• Lenses are made of shatterproof or unbreakable material.
• Feels like the sunglasses are glued to your face even when you’re biking.
• Frame design and material is very comfortable even when you’re wearing your helmet on.
• Excellent lens design that allows enough ventilation. This prevents foggy sunglasses.

• The frame isn’t ultra-flexible, so avoid putting this in your pocket or any place that will make it bend and break.
• No instructions included in the package on how to change the lenses, but you can find the steps online.
• Can be small for those with the large head frame.

Oakley Half Jacket takes sunglasses tech to the next level. Here are the features and benefits that you can expect from this product;

• Unobtainium material for nose and ear pads, which effectively keeps the sunglasses in place even when you sweat out all day.
• Ultra-light weight O Matter frame, which makes you almost forget that you’re wearing sunglasses!
• No more uncomfortable ear frames with Oakley’s Three-Point Fit ergonomic design
• Oakley’s XYZ Optics ensures that you have the best polarized lens that keeps your vision sharp and clear.
• Lenses are made of pure Plutonite, which filters out harmful UVA, UVB, UVC light rays.

• Durable and all-day comfort of lightweight, stress-resistant O Matter frame material
• Gives ample protection from the sun. Filters out a wide range of harmful UV rays up to 400nm.
• Ergonomic design for precise optical alignment. It’s very unlikely that you’ll need to adjust your shades while biking.
• Stays put even when you’re sweating or running. It won’t fall when you’re working out or biking on a bumpy road.
• Cool metallic accents make it look sophisticated and sporty.
• The lenses in this model are interchangeable.
• An excellent polarized lens that gives you superb visual clarity.
• Minimizes glare effectively and improves visual fidelity even for bright glares outdoors.
• It has iridium coated lenses which add control over the light transmission that passes through the lenses and into your eyes. That results in balanced color and light transmission.
• This best cycling glasses also impacts
• Lens’ geometrical cut covers wider peripheral view compared to other sunglasses. These are also curved in a way that it optimizes protection for your eyes against the wind, and sunlight.
• You can opt to get SOLFX photochromic lenses which automatically adjusts the light transmission based on how bright your environment it.
• This model is also available with prescription lenses.

• Not photochromatic, but you do have the option to order those kinds of lenses.

Oakley Radar offers incomparable sunglasses technology regarding fit, materials, and lenses. First, it has ‘path lenses’ that extends the protected and filtered field view. The wider the field view covered by your lenses, the better protection you’ll get. Second it has Oakley’s Unobtanium material on its nose and ear pads, which provides comfortable and secure grip that’s designed for active wear. What sets this apart from other brands is Oakley’s High Definition Optics on its lens. HDO in other words, exceeds standards in visual clarity, giving you the best lens you can wear outdoors.

• Incredible clarity and contrast from its polarized lens.
• Fieldview is optimized with its unique lens geometry.
• Has Iridium lens coating for added glare reduction and it tunes out light transmission through the lenses for better contrast and color balance.
• Frame design and metal accents looks cool
• It’s coated with 100% UVA / UVB / UVC Filters
• Interchangeable lenses
• Has durable and stress resistant O Matter Resin frame
• You can order prescription lenses for this model.

• Frame size might be small even for those with the medium sized head frame. Please refer to the standard measurements posted by Oakley and see if this is the right size.

Lens Width: 70 mm

Lens Height: 40 mm

Bridge Width: 12 mm

Temple Arm Length: 130 mm

• Lenses scratch easily.

Unbreakable! That’s the selling point here. Duduma’s signature TR90 material on the frame enables them to design ultra-durable and lightweight sunglasses. Apart from that, in this model, you’ll find everything that you need;

• 100% UVA & UVB filters to keep harmful rays from damaging your eyes.
• TAC polarized lens which is optimized to reduce harsh glares
• Night vision lens that effectively reduces nightlight glare on the road.
• Ergonomic fit designed for active wear.
• Their lifetime warranty provides proof that they can support this claim, or in any case, you need replacement, they’re there to help.

• Super light TR90 frame.
• Unisex frame and lens design.
• Super durable frame.
• Excellent polarized lenses that effectively eliminates glare.
• Has mirror and flash coating for added light transmission control.
• With soft nose pads, that’s comfortable to wear and fits snugly on your nose.
• Because of the soft rubberized nose pad and temple tips, it prevents slipping even when you sweat out.
• Frame design provides excellent ventilation that prevents fogging.
• 100% UV protection
• Lifetime warranty – not many sunglass manufacturing companies give that.

Try it out and if you’re not satisfied, return it for the 30-day money back guarantee.

• Not adjustable will only fit on average adult head frame
• Lens cannot be replaced separately, but Duduma offers a lifetime warranty on lenses and frame.

The Tifosi Jet Wrap Sunglasses is a good choice for runners, and bikers. It has an open lens design and anti-slip components so that it won’t slide when you’re on the move. It’s super lightweight that you will almost forget that you’re wearing one.

• Lightweight sunglasses only weighs 26 grams!
• Cool green tint.
• Great frame design that fits nicely (for medium/large frame).
• Wraps securely and no bouncing.
• Crystal clear vision.
• 100% UVA & UVB protection.
• Doesn’t fog up when you sweat.

• Non-polarized sunglasses.
• Not photochromic.
• Scratches easily.
• Not particularly designed for women with the smaller head frame, but Tifosi recommends their Wisp and Tyrant model for women who are looking for similar sunglasses.

It’s hard to beat Oakley’s reputation in eye sportwear, and for this list, we’d vote for Oakley Half Jacket 2.0 Polarized Sunglasses. It’s sleek and edgy in black, and one of the best cycling sunglasses that you can probably get your hands on. If you’re looking for a bit sportier in design, and have extra bucks to spare, there’s the Oakley Radar Path Iridium Polarized Sunglasses.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for sunglasses that looks as cool as Oakley Radar but costs just a fraction of the price tag, there’s the Duduma Polarized Sports Sunglasses. It really has cool frame design and features that could match Oakley’s. The TR90 unbreakable frame, adjustable pads and lifetime warranty are their main selling points.

For those in a tight budget, but still want the best cycling glasses your money can buy, FiveBox Polarized U.V Protection Sports Glasses is the most affordable choice. It’s relatively cheaper even when you compare it to Duduma Polarized Sports Sunglasses or the Tifosi Wrap Sunglasses. Plus you’ll get 5 sets of lenses in one package!

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