I'm looking for some nice shades that can be used on and off the bike. Had some Oakley Bottlecaps before that worked nice, any ideas out there?
Jawbones, if you avoid the lurid horror colours. Come with a standard and a bike lens.
nothing does both well IMO!
I'm picking up a pair of split jackets tonight. same as jawbones, but smaller, should be a nce pair for off the bike as well as on. got all black too.
nothing does both well IMO!
I'd agree with that.
If I was wearing a pair off the bike I'd choose my Radars over Jawbones. Split Jackets are like smaller Jawbones - may be more discrete.
Saying that I tend to wear Flak Jackets casually and they're marketed as sports. Never used them on the bike.
Warton, post back on here once you've given the Slit Jackets a whirl. They look nice. The Flak Jackets also look good.
Bolle meanstreak.
nothing does both well IMO!
+1 Can't stand 'techie' looking glasses when not on the bike. Looks a bit 'try hard'
Just looks crap.
Folk wearing £200 Oakleys off-bike or worst with a shirt or suit, hand them teh service revolver.
Old school frogskins! clear frames red lens 😉
Folk wearing £200 Oakleys off-bike or worst with a shirt or suit, hand them teh service revolver.
Al - agreed, but there's always the option of wearing 'normal' (ie: non bell-endish) shades ON your bike too. It isn't actually necessary to look like a domestique
A good selection [url= http://www.bloceyewear.com/ ]here[/url]
Most 'casual' glasses don't work as well on the bike though. I've got a couple of pairs of Splices, frames are in the wrong place for riding, obscures your peripheral vision. Any of the 'wire' frames don't tend to offer enough coverage IMO.
I love my Jawbones but off the bike - no way. Split Jackets would definitely be a step in the right direction (maybe only a small step though)!
"Sporty" sunglasses worn casually make you look like a Forumla 1 fan. Not good.
Normal sunnies off the bike, bike sunnies on the bike.
Jupiters and Square Whiskers off the bike.
Jawbones and Minutes on the bike.
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Nice to see that the almighty Vino is still so powerful that he can rip the legs off a thread 🙂
cynic-al - Member
Just looks crap.Folk wearing £200 Oakleys off-bike or worst with a shirt or suit, hand them teh service revolver.
Have plain black jawbones, none of the mental colours. Do the job for me. Would feel far dumber buying another pair of expensive glasses.
"Shades" are what my Dad calls them, He's old and so they have always been 'sunglasses' or 'riding glasses' to me...
As a Spack-eyed glasses wearer I don't really have the option of not wearing some form of eyewear on and off the bike (I don't do contacts)...
On the bike it's cheap clear lens RX sports glasses, off the bike it's normal glasses or prescription sunglasses, both of which look a bit shit and are functionally crap on the bike, plus far more costly and inconvienient to replace if I bugger them in a tumble...
The sports glasses while functionall the best thing to wear on the bike, would be totally comical for day to day wearing...
One pair of glasses for all uses? Hmmm, well they'd have to be transitions for starters (which bumps the price up a fair bit) with enough wrap and larger lens area to provide coverage/wind/projectile protection on the bike, trouble is my face shape suits smaller square framed glasses, in short I'd either have to look like a bit of a dick off the bike, or go riding in glasses that don't really suit riding, and it would probably end up costing more overall than just buying a couple of better suited different pairs...
After reading the above, it seems like the options are buying cool shades for off the bike and cheap safety glasses like Bolle clear for on the bike, or cool for of the bike and expensive for on the bike ( like Oakley or Rudy's ).
However, I believe on should be able to do both without looking like a F1 fan etc.
Best thing to do will be to get to a good shop with a big range and try on and look in the mirror. I must say I have just spotted the Fast Jackets and they look good: black lens off bike and G40 or whatever on the bike
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The Half Jackets also an options , will have to try before I buy
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TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore, expensive yes, but they have become one of the most conspicuous displays of wealth you can choose even their more "understated" designs are a bit obvious (IMO of course), Obviously the F1 fan-boys and russian mafia don't think they look like tools, but they do...
If actually looking cool is what you are after try looking at some other less "New Money" brands like, Smith, Bolle or Bloc...
And yeah try before you buy!
I have owned Smith glasses before, until I lost them while out riding 🙁 ( was dangling from shirt cos I was doing a steep climb and steaming em up otherwise)
Will have a look at what they have to offer.
I got the split jackets, very nice, black with jade lenses, but no way for off the bike IMO, too sporty. maybe, at a push for driving, but thats it.
Cheers Warton, must agree , Half jackets does look well sporty.
Had a swift look at the Smith site and these seem nice, changeable lenses too
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TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore, expensive yes, but they have become one of the most conspicuous displays of [s]wealth[/s] fanboyism you can choose even their more "understated" designs are a bit obvious (IMO of course), Obviously the F1 fan-boys and russian mafia don't think they look like tools, but they do...
This
Does anyone actually believe that any mountain bike gear looks 'cool?'
Face it people, if you're discussing what sunglasses to wear with other middle aged people on an Internet mountain bike forum, you are anything but.
i have some split jackets and jawbones. The split jackets work well as normal sunglasses, but are a bit small to be good on bike glasses.
The jawbones are the best i have used on the bike, but my lens choices make them look stupid off the bike. They would perhaps look ok with a black iridium or dark lens in, but then i have a big head so they dont look too daft.
I hate this kind of threads. Makes me agree with both njee and al.
Get yourself a cheapish pair of specifics glasses for the bike, with 3 set of lenses. Then a not so cheapish one for out of the bike.
cookeaa - Member
TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore
couldn't agree more!
TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore, expensive yes
for me it's not about 'cool' its about the lenses. I've owned pairs of
cheapish pair of specifics glasses for the bike
and I don't get on with all the pairs i've tried. Oakleys lenses are superb.
Hang on how are Oakleys lenses "Superb" then?
People justifying the expense often go on about the "quality" of their lenses, but it's never really been defined to me specifically what is so great about them when compared with any other.
It's not like the rest of us are wandering about in some sort of part-blind haze behind opaque lenses, so in what way, and by what measure are they actually better then? (Without using Marketing speak please)
TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore, expensive yes, but they have become one of the most conspicuous displays of wealth you can choose even their more "understated" designs are a bit obvious (IMO of course), Obviously the F1 fan-boys and russian mafia don't think they look like tools, but they do...If actually looking cool is what you are after try looking at some other less "New Money" brands like, Smith, Bolle or Bloc...
And yeah try before you buy!
lol... the above brands you have just mentioned all imitate anything Oakley brings out!!!
Can't rate oakley enough for the products they offer!!! and have a few but mixing a sports shades for everyday really doesn't work.. but you could at a push as some have mentioned go for a subtle colour/lens??
Personally I love the way Oakleys fit. Deffo felt better on my face compared to the Smiths, so much so that you forget you are wearing them ( Fives and Bottlecaps ).
I think I might get what I'm looking for in the Fast Jackets up there ^^^. Black frames and lenses for off bike, G40's for on. Planning a trip to a good shop in the morning and will report back.
cookeaa, I'm no glasses expert, but when I've used cheaper brands, specialized and endura are the two i remember, I always felt like I had glasses on, and I was looking through a lens. With the two pairs of oakleys I own (both bought at massive discount) I never feel like I'm looking through a lens. not very scientific, i know!
cookeaa - Member
TBH Oakleys just ain't "cool" anymore, expensive yes, but they have become one of the most conspicuous displays of wealth you can choose even their more "understated" designs are a bit obvious (IMO of course), Obviously the F1 fan-boys and russian mafia don't think they look like tools, but they do...If actually looking cool is what you are after try looking at some other less "New Money" brands like, Smith, Bolle or Bloc...
And yeah try before you buy!
Long past the point where I give a shit what brands are considered cool.
Oakley Half Jacket 2
Or Oakley Split Jacket / Racing Jacket
so in what way, and by what measure are they actually better then? (Without using Marketing speak please)
For me, compared to all the others I've used (including some expensive glasses from numerous other brands, some mentioned herein):
-They fit better/don't fall off
-They're more comfortable
-They don't steam up
-They don't scratch
-Their customer service is excellent
-They do a huge range of lenses including the best transitions ones -I've used
-They don't distort things
-I like the styling
That's enough for me. They're cheaper than an X.0 mech, I only get one pair of eyes, happy to protect them!
Smith make some nice glasses. I use a 3 lens option pair for riding and find them really good. Got mine for £28 from US ebay but was about 6 years ago.
I use Jawbones on the bike, they are one of the best bits of kit I have. Off the bike I just use whatever is going cheap, that way I don't have to feel bad when they get scratched, or one of the kids breaks them, or they disappear during a drinking session.