Take a Look at These Expert-Tested Sunglasses for Cyclists

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Cycling sunglasses are just as much about style as they are function. The best ones look good and protect your eyes from debris and UV rays while essentially disappearing on your face. In the 1960s, many cyclists simply wore a regular pair of sunglasses, in many cases aviators, due to their larger-than-average lenses, that offered better protection. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that something called “performance eyewear” hit the market. This was when Greg LeMond debuted the now iconic Oakley Eyeshades, and the modern cycling sunglasses were born.

From the mid-1980s, the development of modern cycling eyewear rolled forward quickly thanks to the introduction of new lens tints, interchangeable lenses, and lightweight frame materials. Brands like Briko introduced eyewear that evoked the eyes of insects while Oakley again innovated by developing a prescription lens that could be curved.

Ultimately, finding the right pair of shades will come down to personal style and preference, but there are a few features you should consider to help narrow your options. Below is our roundup of 10 pairs of sunglasses, including two prescription options, for a total of 12.

We have personally worn these while riding and used them extensively. We considered lens technology, comfort, and price when making our selections. These are best pairs of sunglasses for cyclists to buy now.

Best Cycling Sunglasses

• Best Overall: Roka Matador Air

• Most Versatile Sunglasses: Julbo Edge

• Best Value: Shimano Technium L

• Most Affordable: Tifosi Rail

• Most Lightweight: 100% Hypercraft

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What to Consider When Buying Cycling Sunglasses

Frames

These are now mostly large and extra-large. For cyclists, both frame and lens shape are important for field of vision and protection.

Most frames are made of plastic polymers that can take quite a bit of force without breaking. Currently, the style for most sunglasses is large shield-like lenses…which is great if that’s the look you’re after but can be a challenge if you prefer smaller lenses.

The functional benefit of larger lenses is simply better eye protection from sun, wind, and flying debris. The larger lenses also move the edges of the frame further away from a rider's peripheral vision, reducing the potential for interference.

Lenses

There is so much information on lenses that it could be a separate article, but briefly, every brand of sunglasses offers a variety of lenses for different riding conditions and lighting levels. The names might vary from brand to brand, but generally most brands will offer similar types.

Medium lenses can sometimes be referred to as trail lenses. These will still have some tint but let in more light than fully reflective ones. These are often called trail lenses because they are great for the variable conditions you’ll often experience when riding in the woods where the lighting can vary from deep shade to bright sun at any moment. Finally, there are clear lenses for riding at night.

Some brands offer Photochromic lenses. These get darker when exposed to UV light and go almost clear away from the sun. For riders who don’t like switching lenses, a Photochromic option can be a great solution but these lenses will never get as dark as lenses designed for full sun or as clear as an actual clear lens.

When you buy a pair of sunglasses, you have the option of choosing the lens that comes with them. Some brands include multiple lenses with a pair of sunglasses which is ideal.

If only one lens pair is included, be sure you opt for a lens that is suitable for your typical riding conditions. Consider factoring in the price of an additional lens to cover less common riding conditions, just in case.

Rims or Rimless?

Some cycling sunglasses have rims surrounding the lens, while others may be partially rimmed. The Tifosi Rail, for example, has a fully rimless design.

This kind of design increases your field of vision and makes the frames lighter, although the absence of surrounding rims makes the entire structure less rigid, making some riders feel like the glasses don’t fit as snugly.

Rimmed designs tend to have more structure and, therefore, a snugger fit at the expense of a slightly smaller field of view.

Dialed-in Fit

Cycling sunglasses need to fit the size and shape of your face well enough to stay securely put as you ride while being comfortable enough to wear all day under a helmet.

To achieve this, brands like POC and Smith use hydrophilic rubber—which maintains its grip as you sweat—on nose and temple pads. Other brands use pads that are fully adjustable to conform to a variety of face shapes.

Straight arms tend to be more compatible with aerodynamic cycling helmets that fit snugly against the temples, and longer arms make for glasses you can stow away atop or behind the helmet.

Prescription Options

Outdoor cycling can be a hassle for those who wear glasses and/or contact lenses. Thankfully, there are decent options now for riders who need prescription sunglasses besides just wearing contacts.

Below is a section with two of our favorite prescription options: the Rudy Project Kelion and Roka GP-1x Prescription. Each tackles the prescription problem slightly differently, but both are excellent choices for riders who want to ditch contacts for some or all of their rides.

Why You Should Trust Us

Bicycling has been vetting and reviewing bikes, gear, and accessories for more than five decades. Recommendations are based on the extensive work of the test team, which includes Deputy Editor Tara Seplavy, Senior Test Editor Matt Phillips, Test Editor Dan Chabonov, and Maintenance Editor Gabe Ortiz. Together, they have more than 60 years of ride-testing experience and insight that they bring to every recommendation they make.

For these selections, Chabanov and Trevor Raab, Bicycling's senior photographer and an avid cyclist, tested more than 30 pairs of sunglasses. The project, which includes picks from top brands as well as smaller boutique labels, had a wide scope so that they could narrow down the offerings to pairs that offered the most versatility, light weight construction, best coverage, and more. The result is this compilation of 10 pairs plus two prescription options, for a total of 12, along with some amazing photos of all the recommendations.

Chabanov, who helmed coordination of testing and writing for this update, has extensive knowledge of the sunglasses product universe and what types work best for certain rides. He has not only competed in professional cyclocross races, but has also spent considerable time behind the lens as a freelance photographer.

Raab has been infatuated with all things bikes for over half his life. Starting out as a kid watching the Tour de France, he continues to enjoy a life of riding and racing any style bike thrown at him. He has a keen understanding of the demands for cycling-specific eyewear across many disciplines as well as the role that sunglasses play in cycling fashion. He admits to amassing a vast collection of frames and lenses for any scenario whether it be road or trail.

How We Selected Sunglasses for Cyclists

Every pair of shades in this roundup was thoroughly tested by Chabanov and Raab on a variety of rides. They spent many hours and miles wearing these sunglasses to determine which boast the best combination of comfort, visual clarity, and style, using all for their intended purposes. Additionally, many of these shades were raced in downtown criteriums and mountain bike cross-country events. Low light performance was evaluated through twilight rides and the occasional night mountain biking session.

Our Full Cycling Sunglasses Reviews

It’s hard to find any issue with Roka’s Matador Air sunglasses. The frames are ultralight with an excellent field of view, while three vents along the rim do a great job of keeping these nearly fog-proof. One caveat: The unique arm design makes this pair of sunglasses less compatible with some helmets, so it’s best to try them on in person if you can and bring your helmet along to make sure they play nice together.

The Edge is one of the easiest-to-live-with sunglass options we’ve tested. Using a clever magnet system, lens changes are incredibly simple and foolproof. Slightly oversized lenses offer a wide field of vision and plenty of protection from flying debris and bugs. Also worth noting, Julbo has some of the best photochromic lenses that quickly handle changing light conditions on the road or trails. A lifetime warranty is a bonus that adds to the list of reasons you should consider these specs.

Did Shimano name its new sunglasses after its Technium fishing reels? Maybe. Are these probably the best sunglasses we’ve tried for $100? Yes. Shimano’s updated lens technology, Ridescape, is quite good and easily on par with both Oakley Prizm and Smith’s ChromaPop.

The Technium L features a half-frame shape similar to the Oakley Sutro but with a slightly rounded shape, and crucially, ventilation at the temple area. Shimano ships the glasses with a clear lens and a hard case, both of which are great touches. These aren’t quite as good of a deal as the Tifosi Rail, also reviewed here, but if you prefer the half-frame design, Shimano has a great pair of sunglasses for you for just $20 more.

The Rail brings a lot to the table for cycling-specific sunglasses that perform well without draining your wallet. Built with a lightweight, frameless design that allows for plenty of UV coverage and solid airflow, the sunglasses come with two easy-to-swap-out polycarbonate lenses—including clear and photochromic options.

The moldable nosepiece is comfortable and secure for different face sizes, though the sunglasses bill sizing as “best for medium to wide faces.” In terms of visual clarity, the Rail performs far above its price point with an unobstructed, frameless view that’s sharp and undistorted.

If you’re after lightweight sunglasses, the Hypercraft is one of the best options on the market. At just 23g, they disappear on your face and have enough grip to hold on even when the going gets rough. With a style that straddles the line between classic cycling sunglasses and modern design, they’ll fit well with many helmets and rider preferences.

If you struggle with the fit of most sunglasses, Vinco, a small Italian brand, might have just the right pair of shades for you. Unlike many frames in this roundup, the Vinco Sola is available in two sizes. The company recommends getting them in the same size as your helmet. But what elevates the fit are the fully adjustable temple tips that you can use to tailor exactly how the frames sit on your face.

It took us some time to dial in, but once you've got these figured out, the glasses simply disappear on your face. The only hitch is that swapping lenses will require you to break out your jeweler's screwdriver set as the lenses are secured with actual hardware. The upshot is that the Sola is fully rebuildable and Vinco will provide replacement parts to keep damaged pairs going.

The Shift Split Mag is among Smith’s best due to its flexible fit, visual clarity, comfort, and style. The glasses come in several lens options including the brand’s color-enhancing ChromaPop technology, and ship with a hard case plus an additional clear lens for low light protection.

What makes the Smiths stand out from the rest is just how fast and hassle-free it is to change out the lenses. There is no need to push or bend the frames to have the lenses pop out; simply press on the right spot on the arms to open the magnetic hinge, and they will release the lens. If you often ride in variable light conditions or simply like to use the same pair of glasses for road and mountain bike riding, the Smith Mag system is invaluable.

This massive pair of sunglasses from POC blends the line between goggles and sunglasses. We love them for their massive coverage, especially in off-road and mountain bike scenarios. The Zeiss clarity lenses also add an ideal contrast and are crystal clear.

These are our go-to glasses for riding in the woods where seeing your line is absolutely key, and a big coverage lens is always welcomed for extra eye protection. POC ships the Devour with a clear lens for low light conditions.

The Jawbreaker was once the pinnacle of sunglasses tech. Its shape is similar to the Radar, but with a quick lens change mechanism, you’ll still find these glasses in heavy rotation in the pro road peloton.

The full frame design offers added protection to the lenses, making them some of the more durable options on the market compared to rimless designs that are commonplace today. But to be quite frank, the main reason to buy a pair is for the Prizm lens coatings. While many brands have closed the gap, Oakley lenses are still noticeably better.

The Scott Torica is ideal for riders who prioritize coverage (and the big, bold, maximalist style). We liked the wide lens’s protective feeling, especially on gravel roads. The arms aren’t adjustable, but they have plenty of grip and stay put on the face quite well.

We tested both a Photochromic and reflective lens with both providing excellent clarity. Just make sure to pick the one you want because Scott only ships the Torica with one lens and a hard case. Still, for big, full-frame glasses with a bit of a retro flair, the Torica is a great option.

Our Two Favorite Prescription Sunglasses

Prescriptions create a special challenge with performance eyewear. Lucky for us, the days of Rec-specs are behind us, and there are some really solid options when it comes to performance lenses.

There are several ways to combine prescription lenses with cycling sunglasses. One is the tried-and-true removable prescription insert; the others include building the prescription lens directly into the stock lenses.

We’ve tried a few, most notably with a pair of SportRX Oakleys, and directly from Roka and Rudy Project. Each approach has its pros and cons. For example, inserts allow you to get the benefit of swappable lenses while building the prescription directly into the frame gives you a more natural field of vision. The downside of both is that you are locked into either a specific frame or in the case of an RX lens.

The Kelion utilizes a prescription insert that cleverly and solidly attaches to the bridge and is held in place by little rubber tabs and tension. If you wear contacts most of the time but occasionally needs to wear glasses, this is appealing because these can be used in any scenario.

The lenses we tested are photochromic so they're even more versatile. The ability to go from low light to full sun paired with the prescription insert has quickly made these our “never leave home without them” cycling sunglasses. Another bonus of inserts: If your prescription changes or you get corrective surgery your glasses can stay in the rotation. While the look of inserts might not be for everyone, they offer the best versatility in the market.

The prescription version of the GP-1x has the prescription built right into the shield-style lens so if you always wear prescription glasses, this pair offers one of the most stylish and solid options on the market.

A downside of this style is that, depending on your prescription, it may be difficult or impossible to have it fit into the spherical nature of the lens. But for those whose prescription does work with these, Roka makes a fantastic, lightweight, and comfortable pair of prescription performance sunglasses. The extra grippy arms and nose piece are a highlight of the Rokas for us, as it is important to ensure prescription sunglasses stay safe on your face.

Q&A

Dan Chabanov, Test Editor, on How to Eye Up the Best Shades for Your Next Ride

Should I get polarized lenses?

In general, no. Polarized lenses filter out a certain wavelength of light that is generated when sunlight reflects on a surface; essentially they filter out glare and reduce eyestrain.

While reducing glare can be helpful when you are fishing or driving, the main downside of polarized lenses for cycling is that this type of lens can mess with a rider's depth perception. This is why the vast majority of cycling sunglasses do not use polarized lenses.

Polarized lenses can be handy in certain situations, such as for riders that are constantly riding somewhere extremely bright like by a large body of water on a cloudless day.

How do I know if my sunglasses offer enough ventilation?

In general, if you’re constantly having to deal with sunglasses that are fogging up, they are not ventilated enough.

Should I look for anti-scratch treatments?

I would not specifically shop for lenses that feature an anti-scratch treatment. The reality is that all sunglass lenses will eventually get scratched up.

Prioritizing a company that has a good track record of having replacement lenses available (even for discontinued models) is my advice.

In general, more expensive lenses tend to have better scratch resistance and ast longer. The saying of “you get what you pay for,” is not always true, but in the case of sunglass lenses, it mostly is.

Do I need UV protection and do clear lenses offer UV protection?

Yes and yes. According to Joe Earley the CEO of Tufosi, the vast majority of cycling sunglasses use polycarbonate lenses, which are great for a sport application as they're shatterproof, but they also block 100 percent of UVA and UVB rays without an additional coating (even clear lenses).

Protection from UV rays is such a basic requirement for sunglasses of any kind that many brands don’t even advertise it anymore, as it is a given.

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