I manage an opticians and I have just got in stock some good rx-able riding glasses that will sit well in our range as a budget option. We do Oakley but with a prescription they can be too expensive for some people. These have 3 pairs of interchangeable lenses and a prescription insert that fits behind the lens and can take most powers.

Just be good to get an idea of what people would expect to normally pay who don’t want top of the range prices? Cheers

£250 for prescription Oakley Transitions.

I (and many others) don’t wear the ones with the insert as they are more likely to mist up and get wet etc.

I have not managed to get on with inserts at all. Usually ended up with steamed up surfaces of glass, rather than just one.
Same with Ski goggles.
If I could get a decent single vision prescription lensed set of riding glasses that would take circa -5, then I’d be a happy chap.
I normally just ride in frameless titanium prescription glasses at about £50 a pop and treat them as consumable items that inevitably get too scratched to be useful in less than a year.
I’d happily pay up to £100 for a direct glazed pair of riding/skiing glasses.

I wouldn’t wear inserts, see problems above.

If I could find a decent pair of Oakley-esque glasses then I’d pay about £100-£120. Currently I just wear my usual glasses and if riding DH I have some OTG goggles but even then they are a bit crap (they mist easily) so I’m contemplating contacts.

I’m hoping to pick up a pair of prescription safety glasses. I’m waiting for a pair of uvex ones for work and if they are suitable I’ll get another pair for the bike. They don’t look a million miles away from bike glasses.

I recently bought some prescription sunglasses but avoided the insert type for the reasons already mentioned.

I’ve only bought one pair of prescription riding glasses, which were £200 (£40 for the frames, £160 for mirrored Trivex lenses with Transitions).

I could really use a cheaper pair for off-road use (since scratching the £200 ones with mud would spoil my day somewhat) but:

1. having three surfaces steaming up behind the lenses instead of one is a non-starter, so inserts are straight off the list, and
2. there are very, very few frames that I find extend high enough to give a good view when using drop bars (ie not looking at or above the frame)

If someone offered suitable frames with a basic clear Rx lens for about £50 or so then I’d be in for a pair or two.

Because my prescription is -11 I buy frames from manufacturers that I hope will continue to make those frames for a number of years. Consequently I end up paying quite a lot – my current frames – Rudy Project Maya – have been discontinued after only 3 years… gah.
Buying cheap frames doesn’t really make sense for me as its the prescription lenses that cost a lot and so I want something high quality that’s going to last a long time.
I am interested in the current rapha “classic” frames except that even the 20% smaller frame is still about 10mm too wide/tall for my lenses.

Hmmm some good feedback there thanks.

I can get these in stock and price them at maybe £99 including rx…..
http://www.libertysport.com/maxx-30.html#.WUj5fWjyuUk

or these…
http://www.libertysport.com/maxx-21.html#.WUj6CWjyuUk

They may still fog up especially the maxx21 but otherwise look ok. The only anti fog lenses I have seen that are of good quality are Adidas and they aren’t cheap.
Any thoughts?

I have prescription Oakleys (clear transitions and sunglasses), they’ve almost become my every day glasses as I commute by bike and I don’t wear glasses in front of the computer. I am careful with them on the mtb though. £100-150 would be what I’d expect judging from adverts I’ve seen for cheaper direct glazed sunglasses.
I can’t get on with inserts, I always find my eyelashes touch them in addition to all the other problems listed above…

I haven’t heard many folks if any getting on with rx. For that reason it’s a non starter for me.

I had some Oakley prescription sunnies, I think they were probably £300 back when I paid for them (probably 10 years ago now?).

Haven’t used them in a long time, i’ve worn contacts & just normal riding glasses (when I wear them).

Much better IMO.

Per above I’ve avoided inserts as didn’t get on with them the one time I tried some due to fogging.

I had some old Oakley minute frames that I wasn’t using so had prescription polycarbonate lenses fitted via Ciliary Blue online. They’re great apart from a bit of fogging in humid conditions.

For me I’d ideally have a more cycling friendly frame that allows more air flow to go through and keep it fog free – and have polycarbonate prescription lenses made to fit. Is that something you could come up with?

Budget wise I guess £100 would be ideal…..

Contact lenses are the best option no doubt about it. Its just people think they will be uncomfortable and/or don’t like the thought of putting them on their eye. But lenses are so much more comfortable nowadays, if you get decent lenses from a good independent optician they aren’t expensive and you can barely tell you have them in. If people would man up a bit they would be able choose from any riding glasses they liked!

I’m about to put £130 quid of transition lenses in some £20 sailing sunglasses and feeling a bit annoyed that transition is so expensive, so undercut £150 all in and I’d be very interested.

Seems a little expensive for transitions that Ross, have you got a complicated prescription?

About £100 – 120

I generally just wear contact lenses with my distance prescription and then standard glasses for the conditions and accept my map reading will be a bit fuzzy

No sure what I’d be prepared to pay, but I don’t do paying for a name, but some people like that stuff obviously.

Having smashed up prescription non-riding glasses by riding with them, and it costing £100+ each time (a long time ago), I’m happy with contacts and £6 Bolle safety specs. Though sure, I realise not everyone is okay with contacts either, and they do have their problems (dislodged contact on a few occasions, lost one once due to dust in eye, watering eye, contact popped out and into the mud). I prefer the wider vision with contacts though.

That said, Bolle do prescription safety specs. Though doesn’t look like they go up to the strength I’d need.

I’m using Rudy Project Rydons with inserts, varifocal prescription and transitions lenses. I think they cost me £230-ish.
I use FogTech in damp or cold conditions and it’s fine – the only anti-fog treatment I’ve found to actually work.

Oakley Racing Jacket (I think) with 2 different lenses. Cant remember what they cost but a lot ! But been going for about 4 or 5 years now. Brilliant for off road – slightly bulky frame gets in the way a bit when on the road and looking over shoulder. Also use them for skiing and any other activity. Used to wear contacts but so much better with the prescription glasses.

Seems a little expensive for transitions that Ross, have you got a complicated prescription?

No a very boring prescription, but not normal transitions. XtrActive (£115) with antiscratch/anti-reflection/ultraclean (£18) from ciliary blue.

I’m probably not target market here, but I’m a big fan of buying Bolle ‘spider’ Safety specs (easily had for under a tenner) and posting them off to Ciliaryblue..

So paying more than about £40 (depending on clear/tinted and/or thin lenses) is an ‘expensive’ pair of prescription riding glasses for me…
But I’m lucky in having a relatively ‘Normal’ -2.75/-2.75 prescription… Given the overheads of a bricks and mortar shop etc I’d consider paying ~£60-£70 for the same sort of thing, minus the interweb leg work to be fair; possibly more up to maybe ~£90 if my eyes needed a fancy prescription/tints or if I was having transitions lenses…

I’ve tried RX sports glasses in the past (admittedly cheaper ones) and just didn’t get on with them, more prone to fogging, more bits to faff with.

I’ve got some (now discontinued, I think) Rodenstock wraparound sports specs with curved high index transitions, cost about £240 all in, about eight or nine years ago. Those Libertysport examples look fine for the money, they could be a good seller so long as enough riders can find you. Will they be hand made in Hebden Bridge?

I’m probably not target market here, but I’m a big fan of buying Bolle ‘spider’ Safety specs (easily had for under a tenner) and posting them off to Ciliaryblue..

Interested in this approach — are the Bolle specs considered “Sports Wrap/Oakley Style” as per the ciliaryblue website, do you know?

For OP: I currently ride in my normal glasses, which is bad since they tend to slip down my face. I’m looking for an alternative option and currently considering cheap sunnies + contacts, but I’d prefer prescription specs I think. I’d probably pay up to £100.

Xtractive do cost a little more especially if they are going into a frame with some wrap on it as they would need to be specially surfaced from scratch. Did you go for xtractive so they would react in the car? If not I would definitely go for standard transitions as they are much cheaper and perform better.

I wear RX inserts in some Rudy Project Zyons. they mist up exactly the same amount as every other set of glasses i have ever worn.

Plus side is you can buy glasses cheaper and swap the insert between them to get different lenses

downside, they sit off your face a bit more than i’d like and your eye lashes clip them which takes a while to get used to, but i don’t notice now.

Mine have lasted 5 years (my prescription has barley changed in that time) and are still nigh on unmarked after all those years of abuse and and have been used for hundreds of rides in all conditions.

cost was £196 from extreme-eyewear. which is about £40 per year so far. so are well worth the money i spent.

I did wear contacts with normal glasses but my contacts prescription isn’t that close to my actual prescription. Also with astigmatism I found the weighted lenses moved around over rough ground and made my vision blurred.

Now got these;

http://www.rxsport.co.uk/products/Bolle-Baller-Prescription-Glasses-%252d-Black-%26-Red.html

£120 for clear or £180 with the transitions which aren’t particularly dark but do go light enough for night riding. Very resistant to fogging, comfy. Frames a bit thick but you don’t notice when riding. Cunningly they are EN166 safety glass rated so working in construction my employers paid for mine, yoink!

-11 in Rudy Projects with inserts, never had misting issues, expect to pay £250ish

I have used insert for a few years, ok but felt compromised and were useless in the wet.
I have one pair of prescription riding glasses but wouldn’t pay more than a £100 as they are likely to end up scratched etc.
I prefer daily contacts now and have a much wider choice of glasses.

I can only have inserts due to my bottle bottom prescription. Adidas something or others plus inserts were about £200.

I have some Smith Arena’s with an insert.

Only had an issue once or twice with misting (But so did others with various glasses). For the rare occasion it happens, i’m okay with that.

Cost 180, Three different interchangeable lenses

I don’t think the separate inserts are a good choice for road riding in particular. Because they are flat rather than curved, and have their own frame, that means they not only offer no corrected vision for when looking over your shoulder out of the corner of your eye, but also there is a lot of clutter (insert frame, uncorrected tinted sunglass lens, and then nothing) in the field of view looking out of the corner of your eye.

One nasty surprise near miss when turning right after looking over my shoulder was enough to convince me there and then to buy prescription Oakleys, and I now use contact lenses.

Interested in this approach — are the Bolle specs considered “Sports Wrap/Oakley Style” as per the ciliaryblue website, do you know?

I contacted them first, describing the glasses and having given them my prescription, their approach was basically to say, “make the order, send them in and we’ll see what we can do with a standard lens blank”.

As it turned out they work a treat for me, but like I said, my prescription is not all that Strong…

I think this is turning a bit too much like a stealth trade advert to me, so I’m closing this here (and deleting the last couple of posts).

ads@singletrackworld.com if you want to discuss advertising rates.