With my advancing age I’ve become a full time specs wearer nowadays.

Although it’s going to sting a bit spending so much I figure there should be no compromise where your eyesight is concerned so I would like to buy a pair of Oakleys for riding in. I’ve got all my details ready for the order and I was wondering if anybody with experience of buying them could help me out.

Whats the best plan, buy half jackets (have tried the standard sunglasses and felt these are the best “fitting” frames)with a clear lens and maybe get a tinted lens set later? Or put in a little extra and get transition lenses? Do they go clear enough for winter woods riding?

Any advice would be gladly appreciated -thanks.

I’ve got some prescription Flakjacket XLJs and they are great and have saved me a fortune in contact lenses. I have a clear lens in mine as it works fine in all weathers.

WMB have a general review of Transitions lenses this month and seem pretty impressed by them. I was put off by some reactive lenses I had some 20 years ago but I gather the technology has come on.

I have prescription Jawbones with persimmon lenses. The colour helps to define trail detail in low light and I’m able to wear them on night rides. Unfortunately because they’re prescription I couldn’t get them vented – which is no big drama as a dab of Fairy liquid stops them from steaming up.

Half jackets with clear lens here. Getting a bit scratched after two years but never bothers me given they’re usually wet/muddy/fogged at some point 🙂 Money well spent although would stretch to vented jaw bones next time

I understood vented was available 🙁

You might be able to get them vented now but you couldn’t when I bought these – or my prescription was too strong, prohibiting said venting or something like that.

I’m looking at getting some new riding specs too. The vented Jawbones are available (at least for some prescriptions). I found this link, bargain price too.

Thanks guys, food for thought. Still veering toward clear lenses, I’ve always worn some sort of eyewear while riding and tbh have had the most use out of the clear bolle safetys etc. I’ve had over the years. My only real reservation is I’ve spent all my adult life doing close work under mostly artificial light and I do have a problem with bright sunlight (suppose thats what the helmet peak is for ‘tho).

What are the persimmon lenses like in bright sun deluded? (do you reckon they cut the glare out OK)

Is that WMB issue 131 MTBFix? – I’m not wasting £5 on that rubbish if it’s the wrong one!

Anybody with any first hand experience of the transition lenses?

“prescription Flakjacket XLJs”

Me too, and I agree they make excellent mudguards for the eyes and are optically superb. I have polarised bronze which is good in bright and overcast (if in the open) conditions. They are a bit dark in the woods on overcast days.

I want to get some clear lenses for low light, but need to save up!

I have Transitions lenses in my prescription Split Jackets. They’re brilliant. I can do night riding in them and I can ride in the brightest sunniest weather we get in the UK in them, they do everything. They represent the best money I’ve spent on cycling kit by some distance – being able to see properly is kind of important to me.

I should add that my lenses aren’t Oakley Rx lenses, although they do have the real Transitions coating so should be the same. Oakley don’t quite go up to my prescription so I got mine from Extreme Eyewear, who do their own range of more powerful Rx lenses. There are other places that do the same sort of thing, I went for those guys as they’re nearest to me.

I would strongly recommend getting them fitted properly by an experience action sports optician. Rx lenses for wraparound specs like Oakleys are very sensitive to where the lens is centred, just getting a PD measurement from your optician probably won’t cut it. Extreme Eyewear were really good when I went to get mine, they didn’t charge for the fitting and measuring and the process makes sure you get the specs completely right. You’ll probably be coughing up around £300 for lenses and frames, so it’s a good idea to take the time to get sorted properly first time.

Good advice re. getting them fitted properly mintimperial, I’ll look into it (geddit 😀 )

May I ask what “colour” your transitions are, there seems to be a couple of options.

May I ask what “colour” your transitions are, there seems to be a couple of options.

I went for the brown ones because they’re basically yellow/orange in low-light, which is better for contrast in the woods and flat light and that. It’s not a million miles off the persimmon ones when they’re half-transitioned, a bit less pinky-orangey perhaps.

What are the persimmon lenses like in bright sun deluded?

Fine – no problems at all. I thought they might be too bright in the sun but they’re not. To be honest you forget that they tint your vision when you’re wearing them out & about. For me they’re the most versatile tint.

I have an old pair of Half Jacket frames if anybody wants them.

This thread is giving me some hope – ibought some half jackets recently with the intention of getting lenses put in at vision express (had oakleys done a couple of times before) was advised they no longer do that particular shepe. Is anyone able to point me in the right direction ?

Another happy Half Jacket XLJ user. I have the Transition lens and use them for all riding – day or night. Be aware that they don’t darken if driving a car though.

Slight hijack, but just wanted to say thanks for mintimperial for the advice re. non-Oakley Rx options – I also have a prescription slightly too strong for the Oakley Rx lenses (which I found out *after* laying down £300 in my local opticians to order a pair of Flak Jackets last year as Oakley had just changed their max power limit). I’ll definitely be giving Extreme Eyewear a look as a result of that recommendation.

Do Oakley prescriptions still only go to small amounts? And can they cope with stigamtism yet?

Glad to be of service McGreedy! tops 5, speak to a proper action sports optician, they have much better resources for that sort of thing.

Do Oakley prescriptions still only go to small amounts? And can they cope with stigamtism yet?

Oakleys own Rx lenses are still pretty limited I think, but Extreme Eyewear do lenses in a much wider range. (Don’t want to sound like I’m spamming them, other shops are available and all that.) I’ve got astigmatism and an Rx above what Oakley do in one eye but they had no bother sorting me out. They go quite a bit higher than what I needed, too. If you’ve got a prescription you can put the numbers into their site and it will adjust the options on the lenses on a given frame to show you what you can and can’t have, that should give an idea of what’s possible.

My Flackjackets have some astigmatism correction, transition lenses which are pretty much clear in low light or at night. Great alternative to contacts if it’s not chucking it down. The OH has half jackets which have a varifocal Px, good for cafe paper reading & road biking but debatable for MTB she says (looks down too much IMO).