Road Cycling Sunglasses

ROAD CYCLING SUNGLASSES

Road cycling is the most popular and most followed kind of cycling competitions. The road bike fascinates millions of people all over the world, amateurs and professionals, becoming a real tradition and sporting faith. It all began with the first official competition in 1868 in Paris organized by the Vélo Club Parisien. Later evolved over time, it has become the discipline on a global scale of which we follow the news daily, through our favorite athletes and through the direct media.

Regardless of the level, professional or simple amateur, we all know that to experience your 100% performance it is necessary to use and choose the right materials. Starting with your road bike, up to the technical clothing section.

Specifically, regarding eyewear for road bikes, the needs of the cyclist vary a lot. From those who prefer to use the typical mask, to those who prefer to have separate lenses.

We can therefore already define a real distinction of typology for eyewear for road bikes:

MASKS: Generally created with mirrored lenses, they are very eye-catching eyewear with an aggressive look, they are recommended for those who want total protection from the air. Because unlike the two separate lenses, the goggle offers greater protection from the air, especially due to the higher speeds of the racing bike compared to the MTB. The structure of the goggle allows thanks to the new lens materials to maintain the same overall weight for road bike glasses, but offering greater protection from the air and any obstacles, such as: Leaves, gnat, dust, or small stones.

EYEWEAR WITH SEPARATE LENSES: The eyewear with separate lenses can also be used outside the road bicycle field. In fact, if the cyclist alternates between the road bike and the mountain bike, he will not necessarily have to have another sports eyewear, but can use the one he already owns. At the construction level, for those who practice both disciplines, it is advisable to choose a frame with thicker temples, which can protect from leaves and branches, and other small obstacles during the practice of MTB and which have only an aesthetic value now. Usually rods have less influence in the protection from obstacles, when used in the road bike field.

As for the lenses, even here it is a individual rider factor, very personal. Each cyclist has his or her own preferences; in fact, there is no precise rule on the most suitable lens to choose from on a road bike eyewear. However, we can list the types of lenses that we mount on our eyewear to understand which may be the most suitable for you:

PHOTOCHROMATIC LENSES: Photochromic lenses are lenses which, when exposed to UV radiation or sunlight in general, initiate a reversible chemical reaction and darken. Once the light irradiation disappears, the lenses gradually return to their initial state of transparency. They can be used both for the practice of MTB and for the road bike,  it is therefore important to specify which type is most performing for the chosen discipline:

»SMOKE: RECOMMENDED for Mountain Bikes it starts from a completely transparent color (Category 1). It darkens until it reaches Category 2.5. It remains slightly lighter in the phase of maximum work to help the eye to adapt more quickly from light to shadow area. This allows the athlete not to have to interrupt their performance or slow down to remove the “still dark” eyewear when entering the shaded area. In very dense wooded areas, the lens will be completely transparent, and will serve as a protection from air and projections such as leaves and branches. This special lens can be used for night riding as a simple protection from the air.

»DCHROM: Can be used for both MTB and Road bike, it starts from a slightly hazy starting color (Category 1) and darkens up to category 3 (same darkness as common sunglasses) It is particularly recommended for prolonged uses without great variations of light, in fact using this lens on a road bike allows you to have an eyewear that you never have to take off. Same conditions also for the practice of MTB without going into areas of dense bush where it can be slightly dark. We do not recommend this lens to those looking for a pair of glasses  for night riding.

DCHANGE LENSES: Mainly used for road cycling. The DCHANGE lens package enclose a set of 3 lenses that allow you to use the cycling glasses in all weather conditions, from very intense sun, to days with cloudy weather, rain and night or low light rides. Included in the set of interchangeable lenses we find:

»Smoke Lens: Category 3, guarantees protection from UV rays. It reaches its maximum performance in sunny weather and good brightness.

»Orange lens: Category 2, guarantees protection from UV rays. It achieves maximum performance in cloudy weather or low light.

»Transparent Lens: Category 1, also guarantees protection from UV rays. It reaches the maximum performance in rain or very low light, or for night riding.

This type of cycling sunglasses can be used for mountain biking, however we recommend a photochromic lens for the latter in order to achieve maximum performance.

Below is an example of the supplied lenses (mirror smoke, orange and transparent):

SMOKE LENS CATEGORY 3: It is the same smoke lens mounted as standard in the DCHANGE package. This lens recommended particularly for use on road bikes with sunny days. This type of lens  chosen often for those looking for training eyewear, where you can spend a little less than more complete lens packages, some of which you do not need.