photochromic sunglasses - any good ones?

[ceolwulf]

This time of year my rides tend to start in bright daylight and end toward dusk or even after. I have a set of Bolle photochromic sunglasses that go from clear when it's dark to ... you can just barely see it's tinted, in bright sunshine. Not much use. Are there any good ones with a wide range that you can recommend?

[dbnm]

The Oakley Jawbreakers are really good as long as you don't wear a cap with them. They are very sensitive to light and shadows.

[JWDR]

I was really happy with my Rudy Project glasses. I wore them day and night in Afghanistan for almost a year, followed by another two years of use on the bike.

[mktng]

I use a pair of oakley photochromic lenses on my jawbreakers.
they work very well.

[Fishbike]

Another vote for Oakley. Very versatile on the bike. They just don't darken behind the windshield of a car which it typical for lenses that change with the light. Great on the bike however. Think I have had mine for 9 years.

[Birddog]

I have my 2nd pair of Rudy's and they are pretty good. BTW, the ability to change wears out. One trick I've heard is to put them in the freezer before wearing them, supposedly that increases their range. YMMV

[djg21]

I was really happy with my Rudy Project glasses. I wore them day and night in Afghanistan for almost a year, followed by another two years of use on the bike.

I have a set of RX Rudys with photochromatic lenses. They are great and I wear them to ride day and night. I use the one with the single RX lens, and I previously used the Rudys with the RX lens inserts. The single lense is less apt to fog.

[Bruce K]

Rudy Rydon Rx that I had worked great. Not as dark on the really bright days and zero use in the car.

But as cycling glasses in late Spring or early Autumn they were just the ticket!

BK

[ptourkin]

I've been using the Oakley photochromatic both prescription and non for endurace racing and brevets for three years. They are perfect for me. Not quite as dark during the day but quite clear at night.

[commonguy001]

I've been riding with Tifosi photocromatic glasses and have been pretty happy with them. They've been the only glasses I've ridden in for close to a year and that includes commuting all winter where I get at least one ride with no sunlight.

They're great in the dark and passible in bright sunlight although there are times I wish they were darker. When there is snow on the ground and it's sunny is their one real shortcoming. Overall pretty good though and not expensive compared to alternatives.

[Veloo]

I've used the Uvex Variomatic and they were pretty good. Took about 30 seconds to go dark. They have the electronic photochromic glasses now. I think they bought out some independent company that came up with these.

https://www.uvex-sports.com/eyewear/sports-eyewear/uvex-variotronic-s-black-mat/

[benb]

Interesting thread. Last year Sports Optical really worked to talk me out of ordering Photochromic lenses.

Their reasoning was that Photochromics are only good if:
- You are just about 100% road
- You ride in an area where there is little tree cover

Basically just using the photochromic lenses for cases where you got off the bike and went indoors and such.

With where I live even road rides constantly pass between shade and sun and MTB/gravel type riding would be even more so. They basically said nothing responds fast enough for the dynamic conditions so you're constantly stuck with a poor compromise, and that the compromise was worse than selecting an appropriate sunglass tint that worked in all riding conditions.

[Mzilliox]

I have always had good luck with the fishing line of Smith Glasses. They really help reduce glare from the water, so id assume theyd be good on the rides, I have a pair with a sort of dark amber lens that i like for lower or high light.

I wear a beat up pair of Smith non photochromic with amber lens to ride as my riding glasses always seem to hit the ground now and again. I find the amber lens to work well in all types of lighting for my eyes.

[benb]

Yah Amberish is what Sports Optical pushes for mixed terrain/weather/lighting riding.

Their formulation is called Rose Copper, that's what I have, and it really is great for almost all conditions for riding, it's fine in total overcast too if weather changes. It's just not as dark as some darker lenses, you wouldn't pick them for ski goggle lenses for example where you're out of the trees and it's very bright with tons of glare from the snow.

[djg21]

Interesting thread. Last year Sports Optical really worked to talk me out of ordering Photochromic lenses.

Their reasoning was that Photochromics are only good if:
- You are just about 100% road
- You ride in an area where there is little tree cover

Basically just using the photochromic lenses for cases where you got off the bike and went indoors and such.

With where I live even road rides constantly pass between shade and sun and MTB/gravel type riding would be even more so. They basically said nothing responds fast enough for the dynamic conditions so you're constantly stuck with a poor compromise, and that the compromise was worse than selecting an appropriate sunglass tint that worked in all riding conditions.

I use mine to MTB in the woods. They work fine for virtually all conditions and save the need to have separate glasses for bright and dark. Maybe in rain or fog, a dedicated amber lens might be better. But the days I ride during really bad weather are few.

[ltwtsculler91]

Like others, I've had great luck with Oakley in these conditions either evening fading to dark or the opposite in the mornings. Definitely don't get as dark as others I have seen but they go very clear and work great on cloudy days too

[MagicHour]

Have been happy with my Tifosi Crit Fototec all season - has a very wide 48%-15% light transmission range. Optics and quality is decent for $79 sunglasses.

[parris]

I'm a sunglass geek and am always checking out the next great thing. I've also used transition type lenses on and off over the years.

Transition lenses need uv in order to work which is why they don't work behind a windshield. Depending on the brand and type of lens they may not change very fast. There are also options as to lens base color as well as how dark or clear a lens will get. They typically get darker in very cold weather. It has something to do with how the tech works in the cold. When they're new it's recommended that they be placed in a place that will get full sun for several hours and if possible to cycle from light to dark a few times in order to fully activate them.

There are a bunch of very good tint's on the market today from the good brands as far as non Transition lenses go. I have 4 pairs of RX sport glasses that I use. My most worn pair are some old Oakley FlakJacket's that have their VR-28 lens. That lens is very versatile which is why if I'm not sure what the weather's going to be I"ll grab that particular pair.

What's your environment and what conditions do you think you'll be using the glasses in?

[ceolwulf]

Thanks much for all the input. I'll have a look at the Oakley and Rudy ranges first I guess.

As mentioned these are only good for near 100% road and very little tree cover - and that describes my conditions exactly.

Not too worried about poor weather use as on the odd occasion that would happen I have amber lenses for the Bolles which work fine.

[Gummee]

Have been happy with my Tifosi Crit Fototec all season - has a very wide 48%-15% light transmission range. Optics and quality is decent for $79 sunglasses.

I've got a few pair of Tifosi glasses. Better than the price tag would suggest.

That said: I also have 2 pair of Shimano photochromic glasses that work well as well as a pair of Specialized glasses from back a few years and a new pair of Oakleys.

Can you tell I like the photochromic glasses?

I have a pair of ancient M-Frames that I keep a clear lens on for night riding, but otherwise, I'm pretty much all photochromic

M

Edited to add: I like the photochromic lenses so much, I bought the transition face shield for my Bell moto helmet

[Diamondwizard]

I've been impressed with my Oakley Radars with Photochromatic lenses.

[rlanger]

I too have really liked my Rudy Project photochromic lenses.

They are dark enough even on the brightest days, and are great for night time riding as well.

Unfortunately, my new puppy chewed up the arms when I hadn't noticed they fell on the floor.

Picked up the new Kask Koo Open glasses with photochromic lenses, but won't receive them until next week. Will report back when I get a chance to try them out.

[rlanger]

Picked up the new Kask Koo Open glasses with photochromic lenses, but won't receive them until next week. Will report back when I get a chance to try them out.

Ok, so my Koos arrived today and I was able to go out for a 20k nighttime ride with them.

First impressions are excellent. While the lenses don't seem to have quite the same range from clear to dark as my Rudy Projects, they do seem to be good enough, although some may not find them dark enough in very bright sunlight.

The lenses are also really big, which results in excellent visibility, especially when riding in the drops. Much better than the Rudy Projects in that respect. And the Karl Zeiss optics make them really nice to see through too.

Finally, the frames are very light and extremely comfortable. My RPs never played too well with my Kask helmet, but the Koos are a match made in heaven.

Verdict... Highly recommended, especially if you own a Kask helmet.