dippitydoo

I was just curious, is there any specific reason why people don't have wear wayfarers, or the rectangle lens shape in general, when riding?

I ask because my wayfarers are actually prescription so to go out and buy another pair of sunglasses JUST FOR riding seems like a waste of money.

Is there something Im missing on why people people strictly use the sporty design sunglasses? Is it for aero reasons?

snidely

Wear what ya got.

Yes, I spent lots on prescription Oakley RadarLock glasses. Yes, I LOVE them! But I could still ride and enjoy it even without them.

merlinextraligh

No reason you can't wear wayfarers, even after the Boys of Summer are Gone.



People wear more sports oriented sunglasses mostly for appearance sake. Also glasses that wraparound your face more offer a bit more protection from wind drying your eyes out.

BoSoxYacht

try riding with those glasses, if they work for you keep wearing them.

McFlurrey06

To expand on this, it greatly helps with my contacts. Keeps them from geting too dry, and making my eyes water.

Bandera

I've worn prescription Ray Bans for decades when I go outside on sunny days sometimes when I'm mowing the lawn, driving w/ the roadsters' top down or cycling. Works a treat but transition lenses are good for any brightness or lack thereof.

-Bandera

wallrat

I find my riding glasses offer better wind protection. I wear contacts and my eyes dry out with standard sized sunglasses. I use Smith Pivlocs that have a wide surface. There are 3 lens types and it's great changing the lenses based on conditions.

runner pat

Besides wind and bug protection, the wrap-around style also blocks UV light from the side. UV exposure is a major factor in cataract development.

dippitydoo

I thought I would be able to go sunglass-less but my eyes are getting murdered by the sun when I ride towards it.

I figured riding with polarized ray bans was better than nothing.

I probably will continue riding with them. Just was curious on why I never see anyone with them on.

dbf73

the athletic type glasses also often have that rubbery material on the nose piece and temples that grip well even when wet and sweaty and prevents the glasses from sliding down. Many "regular" sunglasses don't have this feature which is important to someone who starts sweating when contemplating a ride like I do.

Bandera

Same reason you don't often see someone w/ jersey & shorts that don't match, Fashion Police in action.
A good quality pair of sunglasses are useful on sunny days.

-Bandera

Shimagnolo

I used to wear Wayfarers;
Then I moved to CO, and I was constantly getting airborne dust blown into my eyes, and under my contacts;
That was why I switched to wraparounds.

fanfugutastic

I was in between my old pair of sporty sunglasses and a new pair. I wore Smith aviators for a month or so. I got sick of wind being funneled directly into my eye. I prefer a snug fit so I got Oakley Flakjacket XLJs. Your eyes, your preference.

merlinextraligh

No one picked up the Don Henley reference?

seypat

I picked it up. But explaining Old Time Rock and Roll to some of these youngsters is indeed, a risky business.

Squeeze

I'm in the market for new prescription sunglasses and have been for a while now. I'd wear Wayfarers on a bike in a heartbeat but they don't look good on my head and I wear prescription sunglasses everywhere, not just on the bike, and Wayfarers just aren't my every-day style. At least Wayfarers have temples that bend down in back to hook behind the ears, though, and that's why I say I'd use them. It seems like the majority of prescription sunglasses these days have straight temples, which seem ridiculous to me.

I sweat profusely from my head. I can't have straight-temple glasses falling off my head due to gravity while I'm looking down to check my gearing as I roll up to a stop light.

I guess the sunglass manufacturers must figure people will drop and break their straight-temple glasses more often and therefore have to buy more. I don't do business that way. I want to buy quality that will last a long time. My current Ray-Bans must be at least five years old now. They're a little bent, the lenses have a couple light scratches, but most importantly the prescription is out of date. However they do hook behind my ears and I've worn them skiing and cycling for years and they've never fallen off.

I should probably try some other optometrists but hate driving around town looking for stuff like this. All the LensCrafters and Wal-Mart and similar eyeglass outlets don't take my vision insurance, so I'm stuck with visiting eye doc's offices, I guess. My eye doc is a good guy and I've been going to him for nine years now and have bought several pairs of glasses from him, but the current offerings of Ray Bans and Oakleys and whatever eles he carries either are too aggressive-looking (I'm not wearing neon yellow glasses with a business suit) or they have those darn straight temples.

Any recommendation for fairly conservatively styled sunglasses that wrap around a little, AND have bent temples, AND...something I haven't mentioned yet...have temples that "bow out" at the sides at bit so they don't press up tight against the sideburn area? AND are sold through doctor's offices instead of being LensCrafters exclusives, etc.

That's "bow" to rhyme with "blow", not "bow" to rhyme with "cow".

GhostSS

Here's my collection, I wear the Wayfarers on the right during commuting, but the sport type glasses on the left for longer rec rides. I'm a bit of a Ray-Ban nut.

KenshiBiker

One sees what you did there . . .

docdubes

I too wear my prescription Wayfarers riding. Not going to spent money on yet another pair of glasses. They do the job and Jake and Elwood approved them in 1980, they are back in style in 2014. I have be wearing the seen about 1986 and suffered some jokes over the years but they are a great pair of sunglasses

wheelreason

Because they are sheep...

CenturionIM

because they tend to not have good grip and fall off your face in the event of a hard brake?

banerjek

It has nothing to do with aero. But having the right glasses is useful. A good quality pair will wrap around to provide protection (also useful when descending at high speeds), have nose grips that won't slip when you're sweaty, and will often be vented so they aren't as susceptible to fogging up in the cold.

The cost is comparable to alternatives, so why get something that doesn't work as well?

Many cyclists who need eye correction use contacts while cycling. I did that for more than 20 years before I got my eyes lasered. WAY better than having regular glasses since peripheral vision gets corrected too.

mpath

Part fashion, and part this ^. I had two crashes last summer where I somersaulted (so I was told) on my Oakleys and Rudy Projects and both stayed on my face.