[lardo5150]

Looking at either Speedcraft or Oakley.

Both have photochomatic lenses.
I see the prism lenses recommended a lot on these forums.

Any suggestions which lenses would be great for every day riding, when out in the sun and moving into woods, then out again?

I am thinking the photochromic. How about any of the hyper lenses from 100%?

 

[Schulze]

I use the Oakley Light Grey lens, 39% light transmission and neutral tint. Photochromatic were always too slow for me.

 

[NYrr496]

Not either of the brands you asked about but I've been riding with prescription Wiley X Bricks for years with their grey polarized lenses with excellent results.

 

[TwiceHorn]

The Julbo Zebra work real well. They are photochromic and I'm not sure how fast they react, but the tint I believe is somewhat similar to Prism and a lot cheaper.

I can wear them in dark trails and I like what they do. Also real nice driving in cruddy weather. But they do have some glare protection and do well moving in and out of the woods.

 

[Jayem]

I don't know about photochromatic, but I have a pair of amber sport glasses and they are great at reducing direct sun, but also working in the dark. I have a pair of darkly shaded sunglasses that I can't use much in the summer because our forested areas are so dramatically darker, ironically they work great in the winter when it's all snow, even though the sun angle is super low and it's actually really "dark" already. Photochomatic has never worked great for me, but the right tint of amber has definitely been great. Forgot my driving sunglasses yesterday, but had my riding glasses, worked great. Really kind of a jack-of-all trades.

 

[KRob]

I really like my WileX Light Adapting (photochromic) lenses. I ride in and out of trees and shadows and often ride around dawn/dusk or on snowy or cloudy days. The change is seamless and fast enough.

I used to have two sets of lenses with my Oakley Half Jackets (rose for low light and dark grey for full sun) which I suppose would be ideal , but those didn't change themselves and it took a lot longer to change than the photochromic lenses.

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[Lone Rager]

They may be out there, but I haven't seen photochromic lenses that change fast enough going from sunlit open areas to stretch of dense dark woods and out again. The ones I've had take 30 seconds or more to change and they'd have to change in couple of seconds riding into a dark stretch. I compromised and got lightly tinted photochromics for riding. In the Sun, they aren't as dark as I'd prefer for bright sunlight, but not so dark I can't see when I hit a stretch of dark woods. Out of the sun, they lighten up enough to see well when it starts getting pretty dark at dawn/dusk when the Sun is behind the horizon. I could ride with them at night.

It does depend on where you ride too. Riding in the northeast and places is the northwest, woods can get really dark fast. In other places, not so much.

I need a new pair so will be on the lookout for what's out there.

 

[lardo5150]

Are the prizm lenses good for both sun and shade?

 

[lardo5150]

Found it, looks like Trail Torch is for medium to bright light.
Could not find anything for the 100% that matched the VLT of those.

 

[d365]

I use Tifosi Light Night Fototec lenses. They have several versions of their Fototec lenses, for different amounts light transmission. The Light Night version doesn't get very dark (but still has 100% uv protection), and is ideal for in and out of shadows riding. They transition fast enough that I don't even notice it. I even use them for night rides.

I live in the SE, so mostly ride in the woods, and they work great.

Worth looking at. They make a nice product with good lens quality, and price is pretty good too. They've held up well for 5+ years now.

 

[TwiceHorn]

Yes. Apparently "rose" or pinkish tinted lenses kind of combine the effect of amber contrast lenses (shooting glasses) with some actual glare protection. They don't look pink or reddish looking through them, more like amber.

 

[KRob]

I compromised and got lightly tinted photochromics for riding. In the Sun, they aren't as dark as I'd prefer for bright sunlight, but not so dark I can't see when I hit a stretch of dark woods. Out of the sun, they lighten up enough to see well when it starts getting pretty dark at dawn/dusk when the Sun is behind the horizon. I could ride with them at night.

Yes, I should've been more specific. The Light Adapting lenses I wear are almost clear indoors and at night and only get medium dark even in bright direct sunlight. That's dark enough for me and not so dark that I can't see when I hit a shady or dark spot.

Disclaimer: I'm not light sensitive and wear riding glasses for protection from UV, trail hazards, and to see (I'm near sighted).

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[KRob]

...

 

[vikb]

Looking at either Speedcraft or Oakley.

Both have photochomatic lenses.
I see the prism lenses recommended a lot on these forums.

Any suggestions which lenses would be great for every day riding, when out in the sun and moving into woods, then out again?

I am thinking the photochromic. How about any of the hyper lenses from 100%?

I've been using the Oakley "BLACK IRIDIUM PHOTOCHROMIC ACTIVATED" lenses in some Jawbreaker frames for the last year or so. They work great for BC forest riding in and out of the trees. I would want something with a darker tint for really bright days where I was rarely in the trees, but that's not common for me in BC.

I like the fact they go light/clear enough that winter forest use is excellent and I like the clarity of the lenses. They provide a lot of coverage from tree branches and dust/mud without fogging up.

The main downsides are cost and the fact they make me look like I'm a triathlete!

I'm pretty satisfied. If I lost or destroyed them I'd buy them again.

 

[BmanInTheD]

I have a few pairs of Oakley Prizm Trail prescription/progressive lenses that are great for in and out of sun, as long as you're mostly out of the super bright light. For road riding, mostly in the sun, Prizm Road lenses are perfect for me, especially when it's hot. The darker lens has a placebo effect for making you feel cooler.

 

[Mudguard]

I have Oakley Racing Jackets with about four pairs of lenses. I have the photochromatic ones in for riding. My riding is mostly under tree cover with the odd bit in direct sunlight, but it's never a critical part, IE the sunlight bits are usually slow to medium parts riding to the trails. So I've never had an issue with the speed of the change. They are predominantly clear for my rides.
I've never actually tried to ride with the Prism lens they came with, I thought they would be too dark for my local trails.

 

[eatdrinkride]

I use Prizm 'road' lenses at dusk, in winter time or overcast days here in Phoenix . Keep in mind not many trees on phx trails and it's super bright even in winter (on clear sunny days) so I found the "trail" version to not be dark enough. If I lived up in cool pines of northern Arizona I'd use the 'trail' lenses for sure. 85% of the time I use the darkest grey Prizm lens they make. Can't even hardly walk outside without them nowadays.

Someone asked if the Prizm lenses were good for shade/sun. I don't think matters really, what matters in lens tint/color combined with VLT. Prizm seems to help contrast ground features and imperfections on the trail a bit, at least to me.

 

[primoz]

I'm not so enthusiastic about Oakley Prizm trail. They are really good for both, sunny or shady areas, but when you are riding under trees where some sun still get through and you have bright spots on mostly dark ground, they are anything but great. Hell... they are anything but good. I don't have problems with light glasses on bright terrain, and most of my sunglasses, even for winter and skiing are light, so I actually find Oakley G30 much more versatile then Prizm trail. Prizm makes those bright spots in generally shady areas super bright so you don't see any details there, and at least for me it's pretty annoying when you don't know what's in that bright spot, rocks, roots, or just nice flat trail. With G30 I never have issues like this. But if you are riding mostly on sun or mostly in shadow Prizm is nice.

 

[mtnbkrmike]

I'm not so enthusiastic about Oakley Prizm trail. They are really good for both, sunny or shady areas, but when you are riding under trees where some sun still get through and you have bright spots on mostly dark ground, they are anything but great. Hell... they are anything but good. I don't have problems with light glasses on bright terrain, and most of my sunglasses, even for winter and skiing are light, so I actually find Oakley G30 much more versatile then Prizm trail. Prizm makes those bright spots in generally shady areas super bright so you don't see any details there, and at least for me it's pretty annoying when you don't know what's in that bright spot, rocks, roots, or just nice flat trail. With G30 I never have issues like this. But if you are riding mostly on sun or mostly in shadow Prizm is nice.

Agreed. G30s rock. I have also had Oakley photochromatic lenses that I liked.

The Trail Prizms? Yeah. Not so much.

I agree with all your comments and would add that in bright light they are not not even close to being dark enough for me.

If I buy Prizms again, I am going to try the road version.

 

[vannguyen]

Photochromic sunglasses is the best choice, lens can adjust the color depend on the light condition.