Sunglasses
Like normal sunglasses, cycling sunglasses protect your eyes from the suns harmful rays. Considering the amount of time most cyclists spend riding each week it is extremely important that you wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Aside from the sun, sunglasses also keep insects, dirt and dust out of your eyes; for this reason you should also wear glasses at night (but use a night lense).
Most cycling sunglasses come with different shaded and coloured lenses. The dark grey lenses should have UV protection and is designed for riding during the day time. Clear lenses are ideal for heavy fog conditions and for night riding. Yellow lenses are specifically designed for night riding as they enhance the existing light but be aware; the yellow colour of the lenses alters the real colour of what you are looking at. Polarized lenses are generally not supplied with cycling sunglasses as you can’t read your computer with this type of lense.
Sunglass frames are available in a wide variety of shapes, styles and materials. The most common materials are plastic nylon or some form of alloy steel. Nylon frames are generally the best as they are really light and place minimal pressure on the nose; they are also quite flexible making them harder to damage or break. Most sunglasses have a rubber nose piece so they don’t slip down your nose.
When buying new sunglasses it is a good idea to take your helmet with you to make sure that the sunglasses do not make contact with your helmet when it is correctly fitted. Make sure you choose a pair that fits neatly across your forehead; if there is too much room between you and the sunglasses, air will flow in behind the lenses and swirl around your eyes as you are riding along. Having a case to put your sunglasses in after the ride is handy and keeps your sunglasses and lenses together in the one place.
