[Deano]

I'll spare you the sob story, but I left my prized Pro M frames on the train

I'll check with lost property tomorrow, but I don't hold out much hope.

So, I (probably) need some new shades.

I had a clear lens in the Oakleys nearly all the time, but occasionally fitted a VR28 or red iridium. I'm sure I can't afford another pair, so I'm looking for something cheaper and conceivably better (I'm not convinced anything is better, but tell me what you think).

I have a stonking big bridge and used the Heater lens shape to get coverage.

So, I'm after some shades, ideally with interchangeable lens, cheaper than Pro Ms and that look good

Oakley Zeros look good, but are pricey and non-interchangeable, also Smith Sliders and Dragon TTs look OK. I'd prefer a minimal/non-existent frame for a clear view.

Any thoughts?

 

[tscheezy]

I use Oakley Half Jackets in the XL lense size. I use the gold-irridium lense for bight conditions and clear ones for low light. I have very low cheek bones and stuff tends to go sailing right off the front wheel and up into the gap at the bottom of the lense with most glasses. The XLs are ok in this sense. Sunglass fit is as personal as saddles. I like that if I bust, lose, or scratch a lense I'm not out a full set of glasses. The lenses are fairly reasonable and you can get kits with 3 lenses I think (dark, orange, and clear).

 

[jubilee]

I use the Rudy Project Graal Fyol's with 3 interchangeable lenses (gray, orange, clear) and I love 'em. I'm a RP dealer. If you'd like 20% off (my mtbr bro-deal) of retail on any of the Rudy's, PM me for details.

 

[buildyourown]

I have a pair fo Spy M2s. They come in a clear frame. The lenses are interchangeable, but they snap in and out instead of slide. I grew to hate the slide (ala smith) because the lenses would scratch over time from changing. Not so with the snap. If your looking for budget, these aren't them. They are a bit more than smith, but still not approaching oakley $$$. The rub is you have to buy the lenses seperatly.

 

[wittyname]

I have the Specialized Singletracks with the Transitions lenses. No changing lenses for me. Expensive, but I'm worth it.

 

[ignazjr]

Sorry to hear about your Oakleys. I've been wearing Tifosi glasses for about a year now. 3 interchangeable lenses come standard. I don't think the lens quality is quite on the Oakley level, though. I wore Smith glasses for eons before Tifosi and I'd say that the quality is about the same for the two. Nice thing about Tifosi, though - app $50 retail.

Ths story behind Tifosi: A Briko rep in the South was looking for a glasses line to represent after Briko left the US. He went straight to the source, spec'd out his own glasses, and started marketing them in the US. They're very nice - check them out - Tifosi Optics

 

[CrashTheDOG]

I'm a huge fan of Smith Optics Interchangable Series because they fit me well, their quality is excellent, and their customer service is outstanding. Everytime I've broken one of the many frames that I've owned they've replaced it for free and typically shipped a couple of extra lenses with the new part. Infact, the last frame I broke was out of production so they replaced it with a whole new sunglass with the lenses. I've also tried Spy and Zeal but ended up coming back to Smith both times.

 

[SMOKEY]

dude,
check these bad boys out. If they are good enough for the Navy SEALs, they are good enough for me. I have some from wiley x for my motorcycle. When I was in the Military I had custom made CQB combat goggles fit just for me with auto adjusting lenses.... killer stuff man.

http://www.wileyx.com/jp2.php

 

[MK_]

At the grand opening of a local Supergo store, I picked up a pair of Native Hexx shades for $15. They have the orange, polarized lenses. By far the best pair of sunglasses I have ever worn. I still am uneasy about the fact I didn't get more than one pair, just in case. I've seen them around on ebay for ~$30, and they are totally worth it.

_MK

 

[Deano]

Thanks all!

A typically great response, cheers everyone

Nothing yet from Lost Property, so I now have a shopping list to check out, quite a few there that I'd not thought of, particularly interested in the Spy, Spesh and WileyX - very interesting.

Jubilee - I'm not a US resident so I guess you can't help me? Thanks very much all the same! Having said that I am visiting the US in a few weeks time, so I should probably wait until then and take advantage of the strong Pound...

Cheers!

 

[The Squeaky Wheel]

I use Oakley Half Jackets as well.
I use G30 lenses for general riding which is a vermillion red color. Excellent in flat light & serviceable, although not great, on bright days. I don't like a lens that cuts too much light because shadows & details get lost in the trees or when its cloudy. The G30 is a popular lens for riding here in Colorado and many of us use it in our ski goggles as wel.

I'll be adding on a Gold Iridium lens for mega-bright days.

Best part for me is that all half jacket lenses are available in presription versions.

 

[qcanoe]

Briko Sprinter

I have a pair of Briko Sprinters with three lenses (light rose, dark iridescent rose, and dark gray) that are totally fabulous in terms of the fit and in terms of of lens coverage, clarity, and usefulness of tints. The light lenses are great in the evening or when the weather is crummy. The dark rose are extremely versatile and are perfect at almost all other times. I ride mostly in the woods, in a less-than-great climate, so I save the dark lenses for skiing, driving, and paddling.

BUT... I need to wear prescription lenses, and after a year of use the Rx insert that enabled me to use this model continues to drive me crazy, so I'm giving up on the glasses. (The insert is way too small, and it tends to fall out.) I'm getting ready to put them on eBay. PM me if interested and I'll send you the auction link when they go up.

 

[SSINGA]

Spy Optic

I like the Spy Microscoop. Lenses are changable, frame material appears to be stonger than the Oakleys, good venting, and comfortable.

 

[pting]

BUT... I need to wear prescription lenses, and after a year of use the Rx insert that enabled me to use this model continues to drive me crazy, so I'm giving up on the glasses. (The insert is way too small, and it tends to fall out.) I'm getting ready to put them on eBay. PM me if interested and I'll send you the auction link when they go up.

I've given up on prescription lenses for anything that even hints at wrapping around. My sister is an optometrist and I've tried many. The problem is that the distortion for the wrap around can be very high, and unless you wear them exclusively, you'll have a very hard time adjusting.

What I ended up with is an Oakley Rx frame that doesn't wrap around which I use for everyday wear (Straight Line 4.0 - http://oakley.com/o/o1201d), and I'm getting regular lenses on the shades for use with contact lenses. If you have a pair of regular everyday frames, you can ask your optometrist if they can just replace the lenses with your new prescription, and then use the frame allocation from VSP on some nice shades. They can order from the entire Oakley line (or whatever other brand) if they carry it.

 

[jubilee]

Jubilee - I'm not a US resident so I guess you can't help me? Thanks very much all the same! Having said that I am visiting the US in a few weeks time, so I should probably wait until then and take advantage of the strong Pound...

I'd be willing to ship overseas if necessary....

Good luck and try on lots of glasses!!

 

[macrider]

I like the Spy Microscoop. Lenses are changable, frame material appears to be stonger than the Oakleys, good venting, and comfortable.

Another vote for the Spy Microscoop - love the fit, feel, venting and snap-in changeable lenses - I use a few different Spy's for all my sports (mtn biking, snowboarding, whitewater kayaking) - they work great for all of em....

 

[qcanoe]

Pupil Peril

If you have a pair of regular everyday frames, you can ask your optometrist if they can just replace the lenses with your new prescription, and then use the frame allocation from VSP on some nice shades.

I ended up with a similar deal. The mistake I made, though, was in not pushing for some kind of photosensitive lens. (The optician is not experienced with sports glasses and my choice of opticians is highly constrained by my insurance plan.) I have a tint that's great in relatively bright conditions, but it's too dark during bad weather or late in the day or even in dense shade, of which there is a lot where I ride. So in those circumstances I end up back with my regular glasses, which is bad in a several ways, only one of which is that I'm out more money if I mangle them.

The appeal of the Rx inserts, of course, is that you can use them with glasses that have interchangeable lenses, so that you can have your two or three tints without the prohibitive cost of having two or three sets of prescription glasses made.

 

[AK Chris]

I don't know, after losing a couple $100+ pairs I just decided to go with the one of the ones from Performance. $25, came with clear, yellow, light and dark gray lenses and a case, nice fit and I don't get so bent when I scratch a lens cause its not gonna cost $30 to replace. Rode all last seson on them and they were great. They do the job of the others at a fraction of the price.

 

[cutthroat]

Rudy Project Rydons

These things fit great, are really light and have very strong frames. They are bit spendy at $130 retail, but Rudy project has a lense replacement guarantee - if you break or scratch your lenses, send them in and for $14.95 for one set or $19.95 for two sets, they'll send you brand new lenses. No questions asked. I crashed a few times (ha ha) last year and scuffed up the racing red lenses, sent them I with a check and got brand new specs. You can choose from about 6 or 7 different lens colors. I use the red for racing and the grey for general riding around.

 

[Renegade]

Deano, forget all those high tech multi lensed lighter than air techno glasses that scream, "BORING"! Perhaps you need to inject a little style into your ride appearance. Nothing says "Here I am!" better than a pair of these beauties.

See what the right set of shades can do for your appearance: