Cycling & MTB

What should cyclists look for in cycling eyewear?

Taking advantage of the huge upsurge in cycling participation over the last 20 years, most sports eyewear brands including Evolution now have dedicated cycling models. So what styling and features should you consider when choosing your cycling sunglasses?

Ensuring a good fit – frame and lens considerations

The starting point is usually a close fitting, full-wrap fit which will keep out wind, glare, rain & UVR. The next consideration is straight or near straight arms (temples) so the eyewear is easy to put on and remove with a cap or helmet. Lightweight frames made from a non-metallic material like polycarbonate or TR90 (nylon) are advisable. Shatterproof, impact resistant lenses, such as polycarbonate lenses are recommended.

Frames (like the Evolution frames) will typically have rubber or silicone nose pads and temple tips to stop them slipping off your face when you perspire. Comfort is important – cyclists can be wearing their eyewear for hours at a time and frames that are too tight or pinch anywhere will soon be discarded. Virtually all Evolution cycling eyewear models now have lightweight frames made from super strong TR90 – and the arms will flex so they are ideal for extended wear comfort.

As cyclists spend a lot of time looking down, frames that sit high (including all Evolution cycling models) are best – you don’t want the top of the of the frame to interfere with vision. For MTB, straps, fixed or detachable, are useful to keep your eyewear firmly in place whatever the trail throws at you.

The importance of UV protection in cycling sunglasses

An important reason for wearing sunglasses for most sports is to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet radiation (UVR) when outdoors, in particular the more damaging UVB radiation. UV rays from sunlight can damage the retina and the lens of the eye and over time lead to eye health issues like cancer of the eyelids, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Good quality sunglasses should have a UV400 rating providing the maximum protection from harmful UVR (and necessary to attain a CE Mark). All Evolution models are UV400 rated.

Cycling sunglasses with interchangeable lenses

Interchangeable sunglasses have grown rapidly in popularity for many sports, including cycling. An interchangeable eyewear set will have multiple lenses, giving a choice of lens colours to fit the same frame. They will typically come with at 3 different lenses such as grey, clear and orange. Evolution has a large range of interchangeable models available.

A guide to lens colours for cycling

Using different lens colour when cycling can help you adapt to changing weather and lighting conditions, improving visibility and contrast.

Yellow lenses: on a dull winter’s day, riding in low light (at dusk or early in the morning) or in shaded areas yellow lens will brighten your vision.

Orange lenses: ideal if the weather is overcast or mixed (sun and cloud); orange lenses will also increase contrast making the field of vision appear sharper. They are high definition lenses and will help at the end of the day when your eyes are tired.

Grey lenses: in bright, sunny conditions grey lenses will reduce/dull the light.

Clear lenses: for protection against insects, dust, debris/stone chippings or the stray branch of a tree.

Mirror lenses – Flash and full mirror are coatings applied to the front of the lens (usually applied to a base ‘smoke’ lens which is similar to grey but may have a brown or blue hue). The ‘Revo’ mirror is where more than one mirror colour is used eg. red-orange. They are primarily for cosmetic effect but also increase the filtering power by reducing the amount of light absorption.