When the sun’s out there’s no better feeling than taking your bike out. This summer’s racing calendar features two bike racing Grand Tours; the Tour de France and Vuelta a España. Cycling lenses come in a variety of colors and while offering good sun protection, they also need to be shatter resistant. In April, Tifosi Optics announced a partnership with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) and Oakley recently released the Flight Jacket frame and Field Jacket dual lens to address the performance needs of cyclists. Any bikers who need Rx’able sunglasses or love splashy colors will find there’s more than enough choice out there.
Oakley
Flight Jacket and Field Jacket with Oakley Advancer and Oakley Prizm lenses
(800) 403-7449 | oakley.com
Tifosi Optics
A variety of cycling sunglasses with Tifosi’s shatterproof, scratch-resistant lenses.
(877) 530-0815 | tifosioptics.com
Ryders Eyewear
Withnumerous styles and designs for cyclists, the Incline frame with FYRE lens, shown.
(800) 665-2903 | ryderseyewear.com
Smith Optics
Attack interchangeable sunglasses with ChromoPop lens
(888) 206-2995 | smithoptics.com
Rudy Project
Rudy sunglasses with a multilaser orange lens or an ImpactX-2 photochromic lens
(949) 272-2469 | rudyprojectdealer.com
SafeVision
SafeVision branded frames and prescription lenses for cycling
(888) 254-7406 | safevision.net
Maui Jim
Monkeypod polarized wrap sunglasses with neutral gray lens in MauiPure lens material
(888) 666-5905 | mauijim.com
Smart Ways to Sell Cycling Lenses
Rob Tavakoli SPORTRX, SAN DIEGO, CA
I’m an avid road cyclist and mountain biker and my go-to lens is Oakley’s Prizm Road. It offers a good balance between contrast enhancement and brightness protection. Oakley’s lens along with some version of a Transitions lens are our most popular lenses for cycling. When we’re talking to a patient we get their Rx first but then we ask enough questions to figure out what frame and lens will work. We ask questions like: “What type of riding are you going to do? Where do you live? What are conditions like? Are you going to do night riding?” Before we prescribe eyewear, we need to understand the person first and their needs. If you understand the sport and participate in it, then they’ll generally take your advice.
Tim Donovan OPTICAL OPTIONS, ASPEN, CO
What defines a cycling lens is the color: a road biker needs a darker lens because they are dealing with mid-light to sunny whereas in the woods they’ll need a lighter lens because they are dealing with mid-light to flat light. We deal with both and determine the lens color by looking at pupil size. We keep it in the middle so the pupil can react quicker. From a sporting perspective, I like Rudy Project because of the design of their lenses and the colors. They work with me to design a lens for my patients. When I’m ordering I may ask them to customize a brown/red combination and ask their opinion about it. As a cyclist, it’s a lot easier for me to recommend a cycling lens. When a person comes in and asks for a lens for biking, I’ll have them try on different frames and then pick out a lens for it. I’m surrounded by mountains, so I’ll take them outside to see how the lens works and there’s a wow factor every time.