How To Choose The Best Cycling Sunglasses

The Best Cycling Sunglasses & Cycling Glasses 

Whether you’re a commuter or a stage racer, a great pair of cycling sunglasses are essential for any cyclist, helping to protect your eyes from the elements and debris. Moreover, the best cycling sunglasses will also complement your face and kit. 

Importantly, cycling sunglasses aren’t just vital for summer. By defending your vision from wind and rain, cycling glasses should remain a staple item of kit throughout the winter months too. In this article, we take look at the key features found in the best cycling sunglasses and recommend some of our favourite pairs.   

Firstly, here are the best cycling sunglasses and cycling glasses (read further on to find out why) –   

1. Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses 
2. 100% Speedtrap Cycling Sunglasses 
3. POC DO Blade Sunglasses 
4. Oakley Flight Jacket Cycling Sunglasses 
5. Salice 006 Mirror Sunglasses 
6. POC Aim Cycling Sunglasses 
7. Oakley Radar EV Path Sunglasses
8. 100% Glendale Cycling Sunglasses

How To Choose The Best Cycling Sunglasses

When selecting your next pair of shades, one area you’ll need to consider are the quality and suitability of the lenses. Not only will your lenses determine image quality out on the road, but also the conditions in which you can wear your sunglasses.  Fortunately, many modern cycling glasses come with easily replaceable lenses tailored to suit a variety of light levels.  

If you’d prefer not to deal with interchangeable lenses, then cycling sunglasses with photochromic lenses (which automatically adjust to conditions) could be the way to go.    

The best cycling sunglasses will also have ventilated lenses to avoid steam build-up and come equipped with an anti-scratch coating to maximise longevity.  

Another area you’ll need to consider is the frame. A sturdy, well-constructed frame is vital to ensuring your cycling glasses feel secure on your face and remain comfortable for those long days in the saddle. In terms of fit, it’s essential to pay attention to two main areas of your cycling sunglasses – the temple and the nose bridge.

Ideally, the best cycling sunglasses will fit snuggly behind your ears and come equipped with rubberised temple tips to minimise movement. Similarly, the nose bridge should hug your nose, being neither too big that they slip down your face or too small that they don’t fit at all.     

When it comes to style, you have three main options – full jacket frames, half jacket frames and frameless sunglasses.   

Full-jacket sunglasses are generally the most hardwearing, shielding the outside of the lenses from bumps, knocks and scratches. On the other hand, they are more likely to obstruct your peripheral view and can be marginally heavier. Examples include Oakley Jawbreakers, 100% Speedtrap and POC DO Blade.   

Frameless cycling glasses usually provide the most unobstructed view and tend to be the lightest sunglasses. However, these benefits come at a cost. Without material to protect the exterior of the lenses, they are far more prone to damage. Examples include Oakley EV Zero.    

In many senses, half-jacket cycling sunglasses provide the best of both worlds, providing sufficient protection to your lenses, while minimising weight and maximising range of vision. Examples include Oakley EV Flight Jackets, 100% Speedcraft & Salice 006. 

1. 

   Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses

   Thanks to their quality construction and timeless aesthetics, Oakley Jawbreaker cycling sunglasses have cemented themselves as a modern classic of cycling style. Equipped with Prizm technology, Oakley Jawbreakers offer incredible image quality and colour contrast. They even come with interchangeable lenses to suit different light conditions.   

   With a sturdy full-jacket frame, these sunglasses feel comfortable yet secure on your face. Being available in a wide variety of colour combinations, it’s easy to find a pair of Oakley Jawbreakers that perfectly match your kit.

   ✓  Incredible image quality   

   ✓  Easily interchangeable lenses  

   ✓  Sturdy frame  

   ✓  Available in a variety of colours 

   Buy now with free delivery

2. 

   100% Speedtrap Sunglasses

   100% recently made the jump into the performance cycling market, sponsoring several high profile riders with their range of performance cycling sunglasses. With a sizeable one-piece lens, their new Speedtrap sunglasses offer an incredible range of vision and image quality.  

   Interestingly, the temples are adjustable in length, which allows proper fit on a variety of head sizes and helmet shapes. Each pair come with two sets of lenses (a pair for low light and a pair for bright light), a branded hard case and cleaning equipment. 

   ✓  Great image quality 

   ✓  Excellent range of vision 

   ✓  Adjustable temples allow proper fit on different head shapes & helmets 

   ✓  Comes with spare lenses, a hard case and cleaning products

   Buy now with free delivery

3. 

   POC DO Blade Sunglasses

   For a pair of full-jacket sunglasses, POC DO Blade cycling sunglasses are very lightweight and barely noticeable once you put them on. With a single piece, ventilated lens they offer a good, clear range of vision, making them perfect for humid conditions. 

   Like many of the best cycling sunglasses, they’re compatible with a variety of interchangeable lenses to suit different light levels. While the frames are well constructed and do provide a secure fit, it’s important to note that they’re better suited to wider faces. 

   ✓  Lightweight 

   ✓  Well ventilated  

   ✓  Compatible with interchangeable lenses 

   Buy now with free delivery

4. 

   Oakley Flight Jacket Sunglasses

   Like most Oakley sunglasses, the Flight Jackets employ Prizm lens technology to offer incredible image quality and colour contrast in a variety of conditions.

   With a browless design and a large single lens, the Flight Jacket sunglasses don’t obstruct any part of your vision, making them perfect for those who regularly adopt tight aero tucks. To minimise steam build up on the lens, they have inbuilt vents as well as an innovative adjustable nose bridge.  

   ✓  Incredible image quality 

   ✓  Browless design improves range of vision

   ✓  Adjustable nose bridge maximises ventilation on the fly

   ✓  Secure frame design

   Buy now with free delivery

5. 

   Salice 006 Mirror Sunglasses

   The Salice 006 Sunglasses are the most competitively priced pair of sunglasses on this list. Constructed with a nylon frame, these sunglasses are lightweight, shock absorbent and offer a reasonable amount of flex so they sit comfortably, but securely on your face.  

   Equipped with a quality lens which wraps fully around the eyes, they provide an excellent range of vision. Complete with a hard case and a spare set of lenses, the Salice 006 are the best value cycling sunglasses in this price category. 

   ✓  Lightweight, shock–absorbent frames

   ✓  Good value 

   ✓  Quality lens offers a good range of vision 

   ✓  Includes hard case and spare lenses 

   Buy now with free delivery

6. 

   POC Aim Sunglasses

   By combining an oversized lens with a half–jacket construction, the POC Aim Sunglasses offer an incredible field of view and comfort for those all-day excursions. 

   Designed in collaboration with German optics-specialist Carl Zeiss, the level of colour contrast and definition provided is impeccable. Complete with rubberised nose piece and temples, these glasses stay firmly in place, even during warm conditions. 

   ✓  Incredible field of view 

   ✓  Excellent colour contrast and definition 

   ✓  Comfortable, but sturdy frame 

   Buy now with free delivery

7. 

   Oakley Radar EV Path Sunglasses

   Weighing a meagre 28-grams, the Oakley Radar EV Path sunglasses are barely noticeable when wearing. With a half-jacket design and vents, they dramatically reduce the amount of steam build-up compared with competitors and come equipped with Prizm technology to enhance picture quality. Despite these incredible features, they aren’t totally without fault – with smaller lenses than most half-jacket sunglasses, they might not cover your full range of vision.  

   ✓  Prizm technology affords incredible picture quality and colour contrast

   ✓  Lightweight 28-gram design

   ✓  Half-jacket construction allows plenty of ventilation

   Buy now with free delivery

8. 

   100% Glendale Sunglasses

   Designed in collaboration with Peter Sagan, the 100% Glendale sunglasses take the fashion for huge cycling sunglasses to new extremes. With a larger lens, these cycling sunglasses almost feel like goggles providing no obstruction to your peripheral vision whatsoever. Like many other high-end sunglasses, the Glendale sunglasses include rubber grips at the nose and temples to ensure they stay firmly in place throughout your ride.  

   ✓  Classic construction

   ✓  Large, unobstructive quality lenses

   ✓  Quality rubber grips to ensure secure placement 

   Buy now with free delivery