Eye protection is nothing new to cycling, having first appeared more than 100 years ago in the form of military-style flying goggles. These goggles, while bulky in appearance, kept grit, debris and rain from entering the eyes but slowly disappeared from the peloton as modern frame designs became more fashionable and easier to wear.
As a result, many cyclists began wearing aviator-style sunglasses and spectacles during the '50s, '60s and '70s – especially those with visual impairments. As technology improved, so did the rhetoric behind eye protection and the role it served in contemporary sport, not just cycling. With a background in ski goggles, it was Oakley that pioneered cycling-specific sunglasses when Greg LeMond showcased the revolutionary Factory Pilot Eyeshades in 1985.
Oakley’s success and dominance brought about a new wave of players, including Briko, Rudy Project and Look, that burst onto the scene in the late '80s and early '90s. This war of radical new styles and colourways brightened up the battlefields of Europe’s most famous Grand Tours and accelerated the technological advancement of the eye-protection concept. Consequently, frame design and lenses became smaller and more aerodynamic in appearance but the bright hues remained.
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Recently, the design and shape of cycling sunglasses have come full circle and back to where it all started – large, goggle-style lenses are presently the flavour of the month. Despite the influx of newer and trendier upstarts, Oakley remains a major force in the industry as the eyewear war continues to blur the lines between style and function.
Scroll down to see Cyclingnews’ roundup of the five best sunglasses available to buy for 2019.
Cycling sunglasses, frames and lenses explained
Cycling sunglasses are as much about fashion as they are function but their main purpose still hinges around the primary role of protection, be it from bugs, debris, rain or the harmful UV rays of the sun.
Frames
Lenses
Five best sunglasses you can buy today
100% S3
- Price: Starting at US$155 / £139 / AU$229
- Lens type: HiPER, Hydrophobic, oleophobic and standard
- UV protection: Yes
- Frame Type: Half frame
- Weight: 33g
- Pro team: Bora-Hansgrohe
Oakley Flight Jacket
- Price: Starting at US$223 / £185 / AU$294
- Lens type: Prizm, Prizm Polarised, Photochromic and standard
- UV protection: Yes
- Frame Type: Half frame
- Weight: 34g
- Pro teams: Team Ineos, Team Sunweb, Dimension Data, CCC Team, Katusha-Alpecin
- Buy Oakley Flight Jacket in the UK
- Buy Oakley Flight Jacket in the USA
- Buy Oakley Flight Jacket in Australia
Scicon Aerotech
- Price: Starting at US$285 / £224 / AU$410
- Lens type: Photochromic
- UV protection: Yes
- Frame Type: Half frame
- Weight: 31g
- Pro team: None
Rudy Project Defender
- Price: Starting at US$174.99 / £140 / AU$253
- Lens type: ImpactX-2 Photochromic
- UV protection: Yes
- Frame Type: Full frame (two-piece, removable)
- Weight: 34g
- Pro teams: Bahrain Merida, Lotto Soudal
- Buy Rudy Project Defender in the UK
- Buy Rudy Project Defender in the USA
- Buy Rudy Project Defender in Australia
POC Aspire
- Price: Starting at US$220 / £190 / AU$319
- Lens type: Nylon lens by Carl Zeiss Vision
- UV protection: Yes
- Frame Type: Half frame
- Weight: 40g
- Pro team: EF Education First
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/five-best-sunglasses-for-cycling-2019
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