Where I ride there are an awful lot of eye-catchers just waiting to get you, plus a lot of mud, so I got some Northwave clear glasses try for a bit of eye protection. They weren’t dear, only about £15 I think. It felt like I wasn’t quite seeing properly, everything looked a little bit further away than it really was, and riding just felt a bit uncomfortable. I did a highly scientific test of looking at a stick while raising and lowering the glasses and it did seem a little different. Is this a thing or is it imagined? Is it because they’re just cheap ones? My last eye test was 20/20 so I don’t wear glasses.

It’s a thing. Poor optics. Buy some better glasses

I’m reassured it’s not just my imagination then 🙂

It might be worst around the edges.

the more curved the glasses the worse it is ….

as someone who wears regular glasses in day to day life its one of the main reasons i buy oakley optics for my sun glasses – i know what im getting is something that wont gvie me headaches. cheap safety glasses give me migraines.

Can’t really stretch to Oakley’s, but any suggestions welcome. I don’t need any tint, just clear.

Bolle safety glasses

Bolle from screwfix

OK cheers

bolle are no less distorting than any others – they are what we get issued with at work. cant wear em.

I have used them and found no distortion whatsoever – and I did check by looking thru the edges and moving the glasses. So as they are only a few pounds a pair why not try them – they are CE marked for optical standards.

buy flatter ones rather than fashionable face hugging round ones – that will lessen the effect.

trail_rat – Member

bolle are no less distorting than any others

This, had 2 pairs and couldn’t use either for riding.

they are CE marked for optical standards.

What sort of optical standard?

About 8 years in labs and I hate safety glasses very few that don’t piss me off.

I guess the best bet here may be the LBS and try some on. Maybe my fat head stretches the glasses and distorts the lenses 🙂

I wonder if its some function of how close / high the glasses sit on your face? Certainly I had no issues at all with the bolle ones but others have done.

CE marked IIRC for optical clarity ie no distortion but I don’t know what the test consists of

Ce marking just means it won’t cause serious injury in use.

your looking for EN marking of which there are various and not all glasses carry the full range- it depends what they were designed to protect from.

optical clarity is EN 167:2002 as marked on my current bolle prescription safety glasses – which dont distort but cost a damn sight more than the few quid a pair of screwfix ones cost.

Ce marking just means it won’t cause serious injury in use.

I usually wear oakleys but have been known to wear Northwave Predators on occasion, only £20 and better than any safety glasses, Ive found safety glasses to be a complete waste of money over the years

That’s the ones I’ve got, Predators.

I find safetly glasses are better when the lens and frame aren’t moulded together – some will have the lens, frame, bridge and hinges all in one piece – its an easy way of making them stronger but obviously the quality of the lens is going to suffer for that.

I’ve had good and bad bolle at about the 8 quid mark.

I bought clear Revant lenses for one pair of Oakleys and find this a problem. Didn’t see the need to spend any more money for clear Oakley lenses but I guess you do get what you pay for.

Look for optical class 1 marked on the lens for safety glasses. All classes are allowed a small amount of refractive power, but class 1 should have less of an effect than class 2, which should be better than class 3

I had this, but it turned out to be the wrong contact lens in the wrong eye.
I think.
But you have 20/20 vision. Try some slightly better glasses on, in a shop.

everything looked a little bit further away

I find this with every type of glasses I’ve worn. Sunglasses clear, etc etc etc.

Its annoying as I find I often misstep when walking up pavements and stuff with sunglasses on.

Even though Im a bald slow short middle aged man, I actually have really really good vision in terms of clarity/depth/colours. I just find any glasses interfere with it and I cant deal with them.

So I never wear them, I occasionally get things in my eyes cycling, but not that often as I also have really long eyelashes that seem to protect them and they dont seem to irritate easily.

I actually think its cheating when people are allowed to use contacts/glasses for competitive sport of any kind as this is my one genetic advantage and its rendered pretty much useless.

Glasses should be banned from the Olympics as its mechanical dopping !!!

LBS didn’t have much in apart from some safety spec type things. I’ve ordered some Endura Guppy’s so well see if they’re a bit better. I will donate the NW ones to my wife who managed to lose two pairs of brand new clear glasses in consecutive days riding the WHW 🙄

Bolle safety glasses

I was going to say that! I bought some for a tenner at B & Q and find them better than any previous proper mtb clear glasses. And they stay mostly steam free.

Every safety glass ive tried are awful. Tried some knock off Oakley full jackets too and they were terrible.

I need to invest in something decent soon tho so will find an oakley shop/large sunglasses place.

I’ve ordered some Endura Guppys

I have some of those and I do experience a bit of odd depth perception with them (not as bad as some cheap Bolle I had). Not really an issue on the road bike but I can’t MTB with them on.

Just got the Oakley Trail prisms. They work. Dark sunglasses tended to not react quick enough from light to dark. I’m sold on these

Northwave clear glasses try for a bit of eye protection. They weren’t dear, only about £15 I think. It felt like I wasn’t quite seeing properly, everything looked a little bit further away than it really was, and riding just felt a bit uncomfortable

I had a pair of Northwave clear glasses, similar sort of cost. I had several offs where I misjudged the width of the trail/obstructions and clipped them with my bars. I have taken to riding without glasses, and had no perception problems since.

This isn’t a very good solution though, so I’m interested in the outcome of this thread.

I have some of those and I do experience a bit of odd depth perception with them (not as bad as some cheap Bolle I had). Not really an issue on the road bike but I can’t MTB with them on.

Hmm, that’s a shame. They’re on their way now so I’ll try them on.

Some decathlon ones in clear and yellow, real distortion and gave me headaches wearing them.following this thread with intrest

I find this very interesting. Why do I have no issues with distortion and others real significant ones? Is it because I have an astigmatism but don’t wear glasses so I am used to the funny effects? Is it to do with where the glasses sit on your face? Is it the processing in your brain? Interesting

Got a couple of pairs of Bolle safety specs here. Not sure about distortion, but it’s the reflections that spoil them for me.

The Guppy’s are here, and first impressions are that they are a very solid bit of kit. Changing the lenses is dead easy yet they feel very secure.

Doing the flipping them up and down test I find there is still a sense of things jumping slightly between the glasses on and glasses off view. I’ll give them ago and see how they are for riding.

What is different is that they do not have to flex much, if at all, to fit on my head. The Northwave ones are much narrower and the arms have to bend quite a bit to fit – maybe this distorts the lenses and therefore the view through them?

First ride today, and I’m very happy with these. No distortion that I could discern, basically forgot I had them on. No fogging at all, even when stopped, and it’s a hot sweaty day today. Riding into a headwind downhill on the road I could feel air getting to my eyes a bit, but not in any other circumstances. I guess this is the trade off for staying unfogged. They are wider than the Northwave glasses, so I wonder if stretching to fit my head was causing some distortion, or of course it could be that £45 glasses are better optically than £15 glasses. Anyway, I’m very pleased with them.