Sunglasses

Cycling sunglasses: lens category, coverage and fit

Cycling glasses do two jobs that ordinary sunglasses do badly. They keep wind off your eyes, because wind-dried eyes water and blur exactly when you need to see a pothole, and they keep grit, insects and road spray out at 40km/h. UV protection is the third job, and in Australia it is the one that runs all year.

Lens category is the number that matters

Lenses are graded 0 to 4 for how much visible light they block. Category 3 covers bright Australian daylight and is what most riders want between about 9am and 5pm. Category 1 suits dawn starts, overcast days and tree cover. Category 0 is a clear lens for night riding and dusty gravel, where you want eye protection with no tint at all.

Almost every rider here needs at least two of those, which is why a photochromic lens is the practical answer. A single photochromic lens shifts across roughly categories 1 to 3, so one pair covers a dawn start that finishes in full glare. That is the standard Australian ride.

Tint colour changes what you can see

Rose, amber and brown tints lift contrast, which makes road surface texture and gravel lines easier to read. Grey keeps colours neutral and reduces glare without altering what you see. Mirror coatings cut glare further and add nothing to UV protection on their own.

Coverage and helmet fit

A cycling frame wraps further around the temple and sits high on the nose so the top rim stays out of your vision when you are in the drops. Check three things when you try a pair on: that the frame clears your eyebrows when you look up in a riding position, that the arms sit comfortably with your helmet straps, and that the frame does not touch the helmet shell when you tilt your head back.

Adjustable nose pads and grippy temple tips matter more than they sound. Glasses that slide down when you sweat end up in a jersey pocket.

Prescription

Several of the brands we carry offer a clip-in prescription insert that sits behind the main lens, which keeps the wrap coverage a standard prescription frame gives up. Ask in store if you want to check the options against your script.

We stock KOO, Tifosi, 100% and POC. Our Adelaide showroom at 122 Pirie Street carries most of the range, and trying frames against your own helmet is worth the trip.