So, I've just been in to Specsavers for an eye test, slightly different prescription to my last one 3 years ago. I've coughed up £250 for a new set of varifocals.
I've not used glasses for riding in with my current set, but feel i need to, so the intention had been to get a set for everyday use and then get an online set of eg Rad8 glasses. But that's another £280.
So, how do the Rad8's (or another alternative?) fare as everyday glasses too? Anyone just got one set of prescription, cycling-orientated glasses that they use for everything?
And how does ordering online work? Obviously I've my prescription I can send, but how do they measure them 'on my face' to check the lenses are central to my eyes?
I personally wouldn't for a couple of reasons...
I want a tint of some sort in my riding glasses, I don't want that in my normal glasses, I certainly wouldn't want it for one's I'd be likely to drive in the dark in.
My riding glasses get blathered in sweat, bits of grit and all sorts of crap from riding, I do my damnedest but they lead a hard life and that's obvious if I end up staring at a screen or the like for a huge length of time.
Do you want vari focal for riding? I don't know the answer to that.
Do you want vari focal for riding? I don’t know the answer to that.
I don't know the answer to that either. Had been thinking about bifocals, for long distance and close up.
I wear varifocal glasses for everything and I'm tight so have 1 pair...absolutely no issues with them whilst riding. If you need them to see properly then wear them.
My gut feeling is that you only really want distance for riding or at least a single prescription, given the uppy downy nature of what we do I can imagine it being very awkward not being able to easily look through the whole lens as required
Do you want vari focal for riding? I don’t know the answer to that.
I do, being able to see where you are going and read a map, see what your garmin says, undertake repairs etc. without changing glasses is a revelation.
I uses a specific pair of glasses for riding as i can look over the top of my day to day pair when I'm in my riding position.
Online retailers will need your pupillary distance measurement to line up your lenses. Specsavers should have measured this for your new set.
I went for varifocals this time, they are fine for everything including mountain biking. However, if I get round to some prescription cycling glasses I'll go bifocal as they are A; cheaper and B; less likely to deliver wonkyfocal than varifocal.
I used a pair of varifocal transition Rad8s for around 6 months with the only issue being the nose piece is moulded on and disintegrated but not sure if that was because I was wearing them every day but to be fair Rad8 replaced them foc and you just need to pop the lenses out. Unfortunately mine have got scratched to I just use for riding now as the scratches bugged me in normal everyday use.
Other half has been using varifocals for riding for a few years with no problems. He had his Oakley's re glazed last year as one eye had got better. They wasn't back in time for our trip to Finale and so he rode in an old pair. He called in the glasses shop in the square for them to pop a lens out to help with his vision but they convinced him to have them re glazed with normal lenses to match his new prescription. He only did one run in them before they went into the backpack as he was crashing into everything and overcompensating on bends. Back on varifocals again and its fine.
Ive one set of varifocals that i use for everything
As said above great for riding in as i can see where im going and i can read my Garmin without having to remove or peer over the top of the glasses
Currently have a 3 year old pair of Oakley Holebrook frames and the lenses were new in August last year, sent the frames to Lensology who regalzed them, all booked online and they sent me a box with a pre paid label to post the frames to them, you can measure your pdi at home or you can send them a picture of your face and they will measure it for you
I opted for Transition lenses with all the coatings (anti scratch, anti glare etc...) and ive been getting them with these options for years and they have always been great
Seems awfully expensive - is it a very extreme prescription?
I got a pair of semi-sporty Nike 7119 for distance AND a set of varifocals for £120 from Asda opticians.
Unfortunately I find the top of the Nike frame gets in my eyeline when riding, and the bike glasses get quite mucky so wouldn't want them to be my only pair.
So for MTB I use Uvex prescription safety glasses which are around £110 with ar coating. Google Uvex 5510 or 5513.
Mrs has just got some sports glasses from spex4less.com "Slipstream Sports Goggles" which were less than £100.
So provided your prescription will work in one of those it needn't cost a fortune.
All the online places provide options for how to measure your pupil distance. Obviously harder for varifocals. I do wonder how much it matters - I've kept an eye on what various opticians have measured over the years and there is quite a big variation in the PD they are quoting.
I got my first pair of varifocals last year, and went for Oakley Holbrooks with photochromic lenses from RXSport.co.uk precisely because I wanted glasses for both riding and daily life. They’ve been great for both. Although RXSport are primarily an online vendor they do have a showroom in Peterborough. For the amount I was spending it was worth my while to take a day off work and drive 2 hours there to be able to try on various frames and have their optometrist accurately measure my PD. Price in-person was the same as online, and for Oakleys at least their prices are among the best.
I have a pair of Oakley flak riding glasses with varifocal photochromic lenses which work well. I also have my normal everyday varifocals which work nearly as well.
My varifocal prescription is pretty extreme so I don't care to spend huge money on 2 pairs of specs. My riding specs are therefore Adidas Evil Eye with single vision inserts. Plenty good enough for riding.
I have 2 pairs of glasses, both normal Oakley frames from vision express. One is a work pair the 2nd is a more "sport orientated" plastic framed set which I use for biking unless I'm in my FF helmet now. They work for day to day wear but are a bit "loud" for client facing days.
I wear my wear my rad8 glasses for everything but I’m not working. The main part is 0, the bottom is +2. I do seem to break an arm once per year but customer service is excellent
So, how do the Rad8’s (or another alternative?) fare as everyday glasses too? Anyone just got one set of prescription, cycling-orientated glasses that they use for everything?
My riding buddy wears his rad8s 24/7, infact they saved his eye at work when a metal blade broke and stuck in the lens!
I bought a pair of photochromic prescription riding glasses from Optilabs which are great, they fit comfortably, react quickly to changes in light conditions, go totally clear etc, everything you could need from a pair of glasses. I wear them on the bike, out walking etc but for some reason I can't quite put my finger on they aren't great indoors. One of my reasons for buying them in the first place was to avoid the need to carry another pair of glasses on a 3 week bikepacking trip, but in the end I did take the second pair.
Optilabs make Rad8
Never heard of rad8 so went for a look.
Not sure what you do for a day job but they do have a safety glasses look about them not sure I’d have them as my only glasses
I did go with Oakley cross links with transitions as an acceptable crossover for riding and work but gave up on transitions as they are sodding hopeless in buildings and even worse driving at night + got scratched quickly with being riding specs
Had dark prescription lenses put in my crosslink at the next eye test and have pitchmans for day to day
One pair of glasses just didn’t work.
infact they saved his eye at work when a metal blade broke and stuck in the lens!
Impressive it got through the full face polycarbonate visor he would have been wearing using a spinning metal blade in a commercial environment first ?
Impressive it got through the full face polycarbonate visor he would have been wearing using a spinning metal blade in a commercial environment first ?
Haha, yea. Well self employed joiners probably won't Sue themselves for a H&S breach so 🤷♂️
If you go with just a pair of Rad8 glasses you might look a bit keen when off the bike. Whether that’s s good or a bad thing, only you can decide.
Seems awfully expensive – is it a very extreme prescription?
My varifocal lenses purchased a month ago were £390 so yes some people have bad eyes. Eyes bad enough that lenses can't be made for any sports glasses due to the curve required to fit the frame.
For riding I am thinking of just getting disposable contacts and using my standard cycling glasses (not multifocal though as again due to my prescription I can only have monthlies which are too much faff)
For riding I am thinking of just getting disposable contacts and using my standard cycling glasses (not multifocal though as again due to my prescription I can only have monthlies which are too much faff)
FWIW I do find riding in contacts better than glasses by and large, if only because I can change glasses to goggles or clear lenses etc suit the day
The rad8 frames look similar to the Oakley crosslink frames...might be slightly wider. Crosslinks work well for varifocals and as everyday everything glasses.
Depends on prescription but mine is so mince now that I can't not use varifocals as I wouldn't be be able to see long distance, mid distance or short distance without changing glasses.
Not cheap so I only buy 1 pair.
you can buy bifocal (well, zero with a reading insert so only helpful if that's what you might need)
They're not too pretty but they're £10-20 and so "disposable" enough to be a good test for whether you can ride with that sort of thing (mine are +1.5 or 2 and I can ride without any issue - and I can now read my garmin even when my head's really close to it)
Can get tinted too - or bright yellow if you want to be Gary Fisher for the day
you can buy bifocal (well, zero with a reading insert so only helpful if that’s what you might need)
I've thought about bifocals rather than varifocals, which come in a bit cheaper. Fine for long/reading distance but wonder what I'd miss in the middle distance?
My gut feeling is that you only really want distance for riding or at least a single prescription
You gut would be wrong at the first requirement to find something small on the bike (puncture or adjusting something after a crash). That's why I carry some fold up readers (contacts do distance) as I found this out the hard way! Herself was not impressed to be called out for sag-wagon duties. It's also nice to be able to read messages on the gps unit before you make a wrong turn or miss the change in meeting point arranged by text while riding.
You gut would be wrong at the first requirement to find something small on the bike
Not necessarily. I have a pretty strong prescription (around -10 both eyes) and wear varifocals. I can get by with single vision inserts in my cycling specs. Looking at the bike computer isn't perfect but is acceptable. Small/fine work, I take my glasses off anyway!
Like @kerley my lenses cost a bomb.