Paullard

I do a lot of city riding and Im going to get a quality pair of sunglasses for the summer, because ill be on my bike for as much of it as possible! However I do not know whether to get polarized glasses or not, and I cant really take a pair for a test ride. Was wondering what others experiences were with polarized or not, I know they work and what they do but never experienced it live action. Does polarization makes that much of a difference

JohnDThompson 

Polarized glasses do a better job of cutting reflected glare than simple tinted lenses. The only down side I've found to polarized lenses is that they can make it hard to read LCD screens (bike computer, cell phone, digital watch, etc.) as the screen uses polarized layers to create text and images.

noodle soup

Yes it makes a difference, but I don't find the difference advantageous for cycling in my area(Arizona).

noodle soup

reflected glare shows what could be a slick surface. I want to know if the road surface might be slick.

caloso

The Garmin screen issue alone is reason for me to not wear polarized lenses.

mcours2006

Riding in the winter when there's snow in the surrounding landscape polarized glasses are essential.

Yes, they make it difficult to read an LCD screen, if you use those sorts of things.

tyrion

Polarized glasses can "hide" water on the road. Might be an issue in some places.

Paullard

Yeah thats a worry I have, I have eaten it in the city and a car almost hit me from behind could be bad.

How about things like reading street signs in really bright weather or things like that, would that be considered reflected light or like glares off cars?

noodle soup

I don't have problems with reading street signs, at least not a problem that sunglasses will help. Polarized lenses definitely will help with the glare off cars

TrojanHorse

I have a bunch of cycling glasses and generally reach for the ones with those Oakley prizm lenses. Not too dark so I don't get in trouble in mixed lighting or underpasses and they seem to do a superior job of letting me see details on the asphalt. Not polarized. I got mine on supersale, natch, because oakleys at full price are outrageous.

79pmooney

One place polarized sunglasses help a lot is in the rain. I often wear them rather than my regular glasses when they are going to be wet because even though they are a lot darker, they seem to "cut through" the drops on my lenses.

The place where polarized sunglasses was really bad was racing sailboats on San Francisco Bay. Seeing the water surface was critical to reading both the wind and the current of the water. (San Francisco Bay being a place with a lot of both.) With polarized glasses, I could see all the fish but had no idea of the wind and current.

Ben

bbbean 

In my experience, polarization is outstanding for reducing glare. Unfortunately, it can also make many electronics screens difficult or impossible to read.

mcours2006

I've never had that problem with polarized lenses, either running or cycling.

noodle soup

lucky you

mcours2006

Slick patches would be a problem when it's dark. I don't wear tinted/polarized glasses at night. During the day you can see slick patches regardless of the type of lens you have. Only if you're riding with your head up your ass do you not notice frozen puddles, oil stains, wet puddles on the road.

noodle soup

firebird854

No polarized, you will have a hard time seeing/avoiding glass, slick patchs, etc. I recommend anything photochromatic though, so you can use them in nighttime or cloudy weather and it will still keep the wind/dust/grime/rain out of your eyes.

MonsterFat

Having worn polarized sunglasses for the last 20 years, I can honestly say I've never had the problems seeing puddles, ice, etc. that many here do. Glare in my eyes is much more hazardous.

noisebeam

I too have worn polarized prescription glasses for 20yr+. They are essential in AZ with the intense sun and lots of shiny pavement.

mcours2006

noisebeam

maybe noodle lives in the mountains far from pavement. i live in the low desert in urban sprawl.

MindTrip

Seems this group is torn between yah and nah.

I have worn polarized for years and wouldn't go without. I get headaches and constantly squint when I am amid the southeastern rays with non-polarized lenses. Do note that there are different grades of polarization, Oakley being one of the weaker I have tried. RayBan and Maui Jim being some of the better at reducing glare.
As far as issues go, there are a few fuel pumps that I can not read and there was an HTC smartphone I had to use in landscape orientation (took it back once I figured out what was causing this), but very seldom do I have an illusion problem. I can read my Wahoo comp just fine when cranking out wattage.

noisebeam

I had a set made incorrectly several years back so one lens was 90deg from the other. It created a vivid 3D effect so it seemed like glare spots were floating above the surface. I did a 3 day 325mi ride with them - very psychedelic.

duane041

I ride in a city, and polarized glasses allow me to see easily into car windows (no reflections, no glare off windshields and side windows) to see if the driver is looking my way or not. Makes a world of difference for me, safety-wise.

Cyclist0108

I've gone off of them. My wife actually gets vertigo from polarized sunglasses, and I found I get fewer headaches with non-polarized sunglasses, both on a bike and in a car. (I hate bright light, so this was a bit counter-intuitive.)