MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Its time for new glasses and I'm thinking of getting transitions glasses. I've had a couple of pairs a couple of years ago and can't remember the pro's / cons. The only thing that I can think of is that they don't work in the car, but I have prescription sunglasses anyway. Other than that means I don't have to take 2 pairs of specs around in the summer.
I have them for riding, they are ace for that.
Not sure i would like them for everyday though, but I'm happy swapping glasses when i go outside in summer.
All of the benefits are overridden by them making you look like a creepy sex offender.
There’s just something about them that gives me the creeps.
They go dark even when it is overcast which makes you look a bit odd and as you mentioned (and I didn't think about when I got my pair) they don't work in cars which the specsavers sales person took great pleasure is telling as I was picking them up. They also don't go fully dark enough for my liking.
I will probably get more use out of them in the summer but at the moment they are indoor specs only
As above. Tinted glasses make you look creepy. It's an unfortunate unavoidable fact. Sorry.
I have them for riding (prescription + transition) all year round (inc night riding) and whilst they may be sometimes be a compromise I find that I avoid the sex offender look as I only wear them when I have a bike helmet, baggies over tights and covered in sheep shit. On the odd occasion I forget my normal specs in the post-ride pub I can flick them on to my head and just squint at things.
I wouldn't have them as day to day glasses. No way. I wouldn't be without them on the bike/beach.
Transition extra something? Work in the car, I broke mine but had them when I was driving a lot with work and they were great.
Darker than the standard ones when fully activated too.
They were sunglasses replacements for me though rather than indoor glasses replacements.
I wear prescription transitions for biking, walking, skiing, running, paddling etc. They just work really well. Driving is a bit of a problem as they don't work in the car/van so I have normal sunnies and a set of clear specs for that. Mine are for distance vision, not reading, so I rarely require them indoors. TBF, I don't really give a toss what anyone else thinks I look like either. Some of the folk are either incredibly insecure or still have a mental age of 12.
I don’t really give a toss what anyone else thinks I look like either.
Sociopaths rarely do. 😉
Is it just me that finds/thinks the transition slows down with age of glasses?
Iirc they are not great for riding at dusk but can't recall why.
Seeing this thread though I may try a good pair again at next eye test with cheap clear and sunglasses for work days and driving.
I use them all the time. Cuts out the UV which over time can cause cataracts or if you have them already slows their growth down. They don't work in cars because windscreens cut out UV and these glasses only work by reacting to UV light, that's what te optician told me. If you think they make a person look creepy that's your problem.
I had some Oakley transition lenses - terrible for MTB riding IMO.
Fly into the woods from an open area; can't see as the glasses are still dark.
Fly out of the woods into an open area, can't see as the glasses are still light and the sun blinds you.
Rain seemed to mess them up as well and you ended up with patches of light / dark all over the lenses.
They're slightly better on the road bike but even at their darkest setting they weren't dark enough for proper sunshine.
I got them last time on the advice of my optician who said I need to protect my eyes from UV when in Africa. I won't have them again for two reasons:
1 - I have small lenses, which darken leaving bright light around the periphery, which is upsetting and disorientating. My cycling glasses are a snug fit with no peripheral light so the problem doesn't happen and they are excellent.
2 - They are terribly ageing.
I had some Oakley transition lenses – terrible for MTB riding IMO.
Fly into the woods from an open area; can’t see as the glasses are still dark.
Fly out of the woods into an open area, can’t see as the glasses are still light and the sun blinds you.
Rain seemed to mess them up as well and you ended up with patches of light / dark all over the lenses.
See, folk complain about the speed of "transition" but it's still quicker than stopping to change specs or change lenses. I've never had an issue with rain on them either (and I use them for paddling so they get wet frequently). They do get patchy if left in, say, a helmet exposed to the sun, but then they equalise pretty quick.
but it’s still quicker than stopping to change specs or change lenses**
I give you high speed transitions! Now just need a bluetooth handlebar remote to solve this non-problem.
** I'm with you on this Scotroutes. Nowt's perfect and I now have one pair of glasses I can and do use on my bike all year round and any time of day. They even fogged up when shouldering my bike up a big hill in the damp the other night. Paaaaaniiiiicc!
Used them for years now, wear specs all the time. Have had both eyes treated for detached retinas and find transitions take the edge of the sunlight. Sometimes they don't change quick enough like has been said, (woods to clear etc). I just slow my pace for a second or two and they right themselves. i am never going to be a Strava king anyway so it doesn't bother me. Will be rocking the 'creepy' look next time I get specs too
Is it just me that finds/thinks the transition slows down with age of glasses
It should be the opposite, they should* speed up, they also darken faster than they clear and work faster in the cold.
Fly into the woods from an open area; can’t see as the glasses are still dark.
Fly out of the woods into an open area, can’t see as the glasses are still light and the sun blinds you.
Rain seemed to mess them up as well and you ended up with patches of light / dark all over the lenses.
I've never had an issue with rain, mud and such on the other hand can make them patchy but it doesn't last any longer than the splotches on the lens.
As for the transition speed I can't say I even notice it really, but that's in part as I have a fairly low tint in mine not a full welders goggle black, they are not a replacement for sunglasses and shouldn't tint that much, they're a replacement for glasses that tint and generally reduce uv damage.
Even if it were 5 or 10 seconds to switch from pitch dark to totally clear, vs the alternative of only being able to see either in bright sunlight or shade it's vastly better.
All that said my newer [sun]glasses have prism trail lenses and get worn for the whole ride in summer, they're still not incredibly dark but as a result work well for everything for me.
By "transition" to people mean Photochromic? Cos
[i]I had some Oakley transition lenses – terrible for MTB riding IMO.[/i]
Whereas my BBB Photochromic ones are perfect for riding.. odd.
I love that these are trendy
"Transition" is the brand of photochromic lens Oakleys use.
https://www.transitions.com/en-gb/products/transitions-adaptive-sunglasses/oakley/
I've had a pair of the new clever ones that work in the car for about 6 months. My first pair.
I don't like the fact they don't lighten as fast as they dark up.
I don't like the fact that
All of the benefits are overridden by them making you look like a creepy sex offender.
🙂
One thing my optician told me, and said that many don't because it's a hassle for them is that there is a 3 month no questions asked money back guarantee on them, it you're not keen you get the difference between the transitions and normal lenses refunded.
I just bought 2 pairs-transitions 8 I think. I have had a few before and always use them. My prescription at minus 5.5 less 0.5 for astigmatism so minus 6 in total. Any weaker than minus 6 has to be custom made.
Only thing to be aware of is i swim, putting glasses on diving board while I swim. After a couple of years the coating disintegrated so i just wear a cheaper pair i pool area. Chlorine is strong.
Good offer on at the local optician too so bought 2 pairs. Oakley are so comfortable.
Sounds like the Oakleys have the photochromatic element on the surface as a coating (hence being messed up by rain), while various others claim to have it embedded within the lens material.
But as above: for riding, yay. For anything else, neigghhhhh
I thought sentinel and scout were shite names for bikes, but spectacles? really? come on Transition.... 🙂
"my optician who said I need to protect my eyes from UV"
More UV protection than a coated CR-39 or polycarbonate lens?
Sounds like the Oakleys have the photochromatic element on the surface as a coating (hence being messed up by rain), while various others claim to have it embedded within the lens material.
No. The rain drops focus the UV light and cause ghost droplets in the tint, which soon fade.
They seem to take longer to return to normal the older they get and really do make you look a bit sex offender / 70’s terrorist. I should know I have them! Wouldn’t have them in my next pair though. Would rather stick some prescription lenses in a nice pair of sunglasses
All of the benefits are overridden by them making you look like a creepy sex offender.
I’m just trying to imagine what an average ‘sex offender’ looks like, viz tinted glasses. I can’t help thinking it’s more a question of frame style than a lens tint, large heavy plastic or large cheap aviator style.
I’ve had a couple of pairs of Photoreactive prescription specs, a pair of Oakleys, and a pair of Rayban ‘Lennon’ frames with custom lenses, which has Drive-wear tint, which darkened in the car, multipoint varifocal and multilayer A/R coating. I got the frames off eBay with scratched lenses, cost $50, and the lenses cost £280 - I wore them for years, they were fantastic. My prescription has changed though, and I can manage with single vision now, so I have Specsavers 2 for 1 glasses with one clear, one tinted, rimless with springy titanium arms without hinges.