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TECH NEWS

Oakley launch Tour de France eyewear collection

Signature Tour de France Eyeshade, Racing Jacket and Radarlock glasses released

The Tour de France gets underway soon and eyewear manufacturer Oakley have released a signature collection to celebrate the Grand Tour.

The range includes special edition Eyeshade, Racing Jacket and Radarlock glassesEach shares the same white  frame with the yellow, green and polka dot classification jerseys represented with a small stripe across the frame.

Most interesting is perhaps the Eyeshade. First launched in 1984, this was the company’s first sports-specific eyewear and was made famous by Greg LeMond, who first raced in them in 1985. Before then the majority of pro cyclists rarely wore sunglasses, but Oakley’s sponsorship of LeMond changed all that forever.

This video by Canadian Cycling Magazine sees LeMond retelling the story of how Oakley approached him to wear the Eyeshades, and how wearing sports glasses soon spread through the peloton.

If pros did wear sunglasses back in the day, it was most likely an aviator-style sunglasses. But you only need to look at archive photos to see that most didn’t wear any glasses at all. Now you’ll be hard-pressed to spot a pro in the bunch that isn’t wearing some sort of sports-specific eyewear. Oakley succeeded in convincing cyclists they needed eyewear. Add in helmets, and it's certainly harder to pick out cyclists in a bunch than it ever used to be.

Along with the reintroduction of the Eyeshade, Oakley have also released Tour de France editions of the more contemporary Racing Jacket (above) and Radarlock Path (below) glasses.

More at http://uk.oakley.com/

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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13 comments

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J90 | 9 years ago
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Wayfarers needed.

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matthewn5 | 9 years ago
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Bollé safety glasses for me, £9 from any workwear supplier, look good and are certified compliant to EU standards.

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elevenvelo | 9 years ago
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What's (really) old is new again eh? Was rocking *ahem* 'Eyeshades' when they were Pilots back around '85. Love it, way to go Oakley (though I prefer my Jawbones now thanks).

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cyclingdave70 | 9 years ago
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Eye shades look horrible.

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pepita1 | 9 years ago
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I used to have a pair of those Eyeshades!

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yenrod | 9 years ago
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On another level a mate of mine got a pair of radar copies - £bay & they fantastic !!! oakley: well overpriced even if you do get free replacements

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yenrod | 9 years ago
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And by god it winds me' SKY HIGH if i see anyone without a helmet - ok, i dont approach and say YOU MUST wear a helmet but by god - sense needs knocking into some people; if you live !

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Stumps | 9 years ago
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Other than the 3 stripes on the frame i've got a pair of the Racing Jacket which are identical in lens and frame colour. Got them from an ebay site in Hong Kong for £5.99p.

They are brilliant, light as a feather and seem very well made. Just shows you dont have to spend a fortune.

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stuartp replied to Stumps | 9 years ago
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stumps wrote:

Other than the 3 stripes on the frame i've got a pair of the Racing Jacket which are identical in lens and frame colour. Got them from an ebay site in Hong Kong for £5.99p.

They are brilliant, light as a feather and seem very well made. Just shows you dont have to spend a fortune.

They might look similar but they are not identical in anything other than shape and colour.
I have half a dozen knock-offs from eBay and one real pair, and can tell you there is no comparison at all in reality. The lens of the £5 Foakleys give me headache in bright sunlight for a start, hardly a good sign.
Just ask an optician about the increase they see in eye damage due to people wearing sunglasses that don't conform to even the most basic standards.
Of course I am not saying £150-200+ for plastic sunnies is justifiable, and of course almost all of that is profit, the frames are nothing special but the lenses in genuine Oakleys are incredible quality.

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davecochrane replied to stuartp | 9 years ago
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Absolutely spot on regarding eye damage from fakes; I live in NZ and if I wear ANY non polarised glasses for more than a couple of hours then sore eyes and a splitting headache are all but guaranteed. You haven't experienced UV bounce and glare until you're ridden a summer here. Fake lenses are a fast track to cataracts.

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Guyz2010 | 9 years ago
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Eye-Shades....Yuk.

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Wolfshade | 9 years ago
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Is there a rule about having eye glases that are more expensive than your ride?

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bashthebox | 9 years ago
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God I'd love a pair of eye-shades. I'd rock the bejeezus out of them.

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