Cycling Specific Prescription Eyewear

It is hard to believe it has been almost three years since I first ordered my own prescription sunglasses back in June of 2014. (Pictured below right.) Later that year I ordered a pair of clear, no tint lenses that were interchangeable in the same frames. I was then covered for both bright sunlight and low light conditions.

Fortunately my prescription has not changed and the glasses still serve me well.

Recently my wife Kathy was in need of a pair of prescription sunglasses, and once again we went to Sport RX, a San Diego based company that specializes in sports eyewear.

As before, I initially emailed then spoke with Rob Tavakoli on the phone, and he was most helpful in guiding me through the many choices. Price was a consideration, but so too was quality. Rob steered me on to the Tifosi brand.

We are all familiar with the big brand names in sunglasses, and Sport RX stocks them all, but Tifosi is an American brand, that doesn’t even try to match the big names with an army of reps on the road, and a huge advertising budget. Rather they concentrate on producing a quality product at a competitive price.

I could relate absolutely to this strategy, it was how I ran my bike business. I didn’t have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on advertising, so instead produced a quality product, and relied on a dealer network to educate the consumer, and sell it. When all is said and done, the huge advertising budget is ultimately paid for by the consumer, with the higher prices you pay for the big brand names.

This time we went with Transitions Xtra Active adaptive lenses. The kind that adjust automatically, and darken or lighten according to the lighting condition. Added to this was Sport RX own anti-glare coating. At nighttime the lenses are almost clear, making them ideal for riding in the dark, or for that matter they can double as night driving glasses, as they cut down on glare.

In bright sunlight they darken quite rapidly, within a few minutes. On some of our rides, there are old growth trees that completely cover the road like a shaded tunnel. Again the lenses adapt to a lighter shade to accommodate this.

The lenses, like my own, are fully progressive, with distance vision in the top portion, and the close up prescription at the bottom. When riding leaning forward, you are looking through the top (Distance.) portion anyway, and having the close up option, it is there if you need to read something, or make adjustments on the bike. It saves having to carry a separate pair of reading glasses.

Above: The Tifosi "Wasp" glasses come in a nice semi-hard case with a zippered closure. This picture illustrates how the Transitions lenses are almost clear straight out of the case. Included with the frames but not shown in this picture, are non-prescription clear and tinted lenses.

As I started out saying, after three years of using my own prescription riding glasses, I can highly recommend them. The curved frames and lenses, fit close to the face so keep out the glare. The curved lenses also make it easier to see sideways, and when turning the head to look behind. They also stay in place on your face, and don’t slip down your nose like regular glasses do.

They are really part of your essential equipment, along with the shoes, shorts, gloves and helmet. Not only from the safety aspect, but proper cycling specific sunglasses make your riding experience just that much more pleasurable. 

I highly reccommend Spot RX. They go out of their way to find a product that best suits the individual customer. They understand cyclists and the cyclist's needs. This is the third time I have done business with them and I have never been disapointed. Please mention this blog, because it can't hurt.

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Comments

[SteveP]

For UK riders, I've had good luck with Optilabs for similar cycle-specific eyewear

https://www.optilabs.com/