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BUYER'S GUIDE
2020-madison-stealth-glasses-1Best cheap cycling sunglasses 2024 — protect your eyes on the bike without spending big
It’s possible to spend a lot of money on cycling sunglasses if you want to, but as this guide proves, you really don’t need to. We’ve picked out what we think are the best cheap cycling sunglasses, priced from just £2.99 up to £45.
- Best overall budget glasses: Madison Stealth glasses — Buy Now for £23.99 from Tweeks Cycles | Find out more
- Best photochromic glasses: Rockrider XC Race Photochromic sunglasses — Buy Now for £49.99 from Decathlon | Find out more
- Best for on and off the bike: Galibier Surveillance Precision Optics glasses — Buy Now for £39.00 - £42.00 from Decathlon | Find out more
- Best on a really tight budget: Rockrider ST100 — Buy Now for £4.99 from Decathlon | Find out more
- Best multi-lens set: Madison D’Arcs triple glasses set — Buy Now for £22.80 from Amazon | Find out more
Not very long ago inexpensive cycling glasses were best avoided, with poor optical quality and designs that made you look like an extra from a bad low-budget sci-fi film.
Those days are gone. Eyewear manufacturers have raised their game for both quality and style, and enforcement of standards means you can rely on even cheap cycling glasses to protect your eyes from potentially damaging ultra-violet.
While big-name cycling sunglasses come with three-figure price tags, you can get very good glasses for as little as five quid. Look for brands like Tifosi, Lazer, Decathlon's Rockrider, Wiggle's dhb marque, Endura and Northwave for value-for-money eyewear.
Sets that include multiple lenses make for versatility to cope with all light conditions. Lenses that react to changing light conditions are rare on cheap cycling sunglasses, but we've found two good examples
The best budget sunglasses you can buy
Best overall budget glasses: Madison Stealth glasses — Buy Now for £23.99 from Tweeks Cycles
Madison's Stealth glasses are brilliant riding shades at an exceptional price. The frameless design gives an almost uninterrupted field of view, while the bronze mirror lens is lovely to look through on overcast to bright days.
If you're after a great set of sunglasses that don't cost a fortune, these are an excellent choice. They provide great coverage, stay secure on your face, are comfortable on long rides and have excellent lenses.
The bronze mirror lens is lovely to use (blue or silver mirror options are available too). Vision is good in lightly overcast and bright conditions with the (many) road imperfections easy to pick out from a good distance.
There's also the option to fit Madison's £4.99 RX insert if you need prescription lenses.
Read our review of the Madison Stealth glasses
Find a Madison dealer
Best photochromic glasses: Rockrider XC Race Photochromic sunglasses — Buy Now for £49.99 from Decathlon
With little to no fogging, good eye coverage and an unobstructed field of vision, Rockrider's XC Race Photochromic glasses deliver a strong performance for their low price. The light-sensitive tinting works really well too, which is good – it saves you using the flimsy lens-swapping mechanism.
Tester Jim writes: “I never noticed the lens’ colour change actually happening, and never found I couldn't see or was having to squint – the change is rapid, smooth and effective. At 39g, the XC Races are barely noticeable – thermonuclear colouring aside – once on. Coupled with an unrestricted view, they're a very unobtrusive bit of kit once in action. More impressive is their resistance to fogging up, even when provoked. They can cloud over on slow, steep climbs in mild and damp conditions, but clear quickly once you move a bit faster.
“They’re billed as mountain bike glasses, but we can’t see any reason not to use them on the road too, especially as the latest version has a black frame that’s rather less in-your-face than the screaming yellow we tested. They don’t have the high-end feel of more expensive brands, but they are a light, effective and competitive set of specs. They protect your eyes from debris, UV and glare, resist fogging and arguably look pretty good while doing it.”
Read our review of the Rockrider XC Race Photochromic sunglasses
Find a Rockrider dealer
Best for on and off the bike: Galibier Surveillance Precision Optics glasses — Buy Now for £39.00 - £42.00 from Galibier
Galibier's Surveillance Precision Optics cycling sunglasses provide excellent all-round vision. They're light, very comfortable to wear, and an excellent price for the quality.
We tested two options, with Smoke Plasma Mirror lens and with Gold Plasma Lens. The smoke lens delivers true colour rendition, while the gold lens has a coating to increase contrast and battle glare. Both work superbly with no distortion and really clear optics.
Best on a really tight budget: Rockrider ST100 — Buy Now for £4.99 from Decathlon
For a mere fiver, it's hard to see how you can go wrong with these bargain cycling glasses from sports superstore chain Decathlon. And it turns out they're really good: light and comfortable as well as costing about the same as a coffee and slice of cake. If you can put up with the inevitable 'safety glasses, aren't they?' jibes, you're quids in over the eye-candy brigade.
The same price also gets you the ST100s in yellow for overcast days and with clear lenses for when it's dark.
Read our review of the Rockrider ST100 glasses (previously known as B'Twin Arenberg)
Best multi-lens set: Madison D’Arcs triple glasses set — Buy Now for £22.80 from Amazon
A really popular model, the D’Arcs sunglasses have a classic half-frame wraparound design. They're supplied with three lenses to suit different conditions, using a single lens design for maximum protection. The frame is coated with a rubberised material to provide a comfortable non-slip fit.
Read our review of the Madison D’Arcs triple glasses set
Find a Madison dealer
Tifosi Swank Single Lens Sunglasses — Buy Now for £24.00 from Merlin Cycles
The Tifosi Swank Single Lens Sunglasess are genuinely useful on the bike, but also don't look out of place mooching down to the pub or coffee shop. Think fashion shades that you can wear on your bike that will still protect your eyeballs.
Tester Lara writes: “The frames are made from lightweight Grilamid TR-90 nylon material and the lenses are scratchproof and shatterproof polycarbonate. They come in a massive array of frame/lens colour combos. The bottle green/smoke lens option I tested has a mid-range tint, making it dark enough for casual summer use without being so dark you can't use it in slightly lower light too. The Glare Guard lens coating does a good job of reducing glare nicely. The frames and nose-piece are non-adjustable, but I found them comfortable with or without a helmet on, and the subtle shaping of the arms kept them secure to my head without gripping too tightly or interfering with my ears or helmet if I was wearing one.
“If you want a pair of glasses you can wear a lot, on or off the bike, and are not going to be too devastated about losing (we've all done it) then these are just the ticket.”
Read our review of the Tifosi Swank Single Lens Sunglasses
Find a Tifosi dealer
Tifosi Swick — Buy Now for £22.50 from Merlin Cycles
Tifosi's Swick cycling sunglasses work well on the bike, but aren't so bike-specific that they look odd off it. If you want for mixed use, they're a good choice.
They've got that classic look thanks to their large square lenses and they don't really wrap round your face like sportier cycling sunglasses but they're still good for riding in. The lens is dark enough for sunny days and the optics are good.
Read our review of the Tifosi Swick sunglasses
Find a Tifosi dealer
BBB Avenger Sunglasses — Buy Now for £25.99 from Bikester
BBB's Avenger sunglasses are a great package that show you don't need to be spending into the hundreds for a quality pair of cycling glasses. With excellent coverage, a range of lenses and impressive weight there is very little to dislike.
The Avengers use a large single-piece wraparound polycarbonate lens which really keeps the wind and grit out of your eyes as you ride along, even at high speed. In the pack are two other lenses alongside the smoke one you can see fitted in the pictures, a yellow option and a clear.
Thickness of the frame has been kept to a minimum, which makes for a great field of vision with nothing in your line of sight when you check over your shoulder for traffic. Clarity from the lens is good, if not the sharpest, and you don't get any distortion from the curved surface.
Overall, the Avengers are very good. Okay, they don't quite have the crisp clarity of some of the more expensive shades out there from the likes of Oakley et al, but when you take into account the price they are difficult to knock.
Read our review of the BBB Avenger Sunglasses
Find a BBB dealer
dhb PhotoChromatic Half Frame Sunglasses — Buy Now for £40.00 from Chain Reaction Cycles
The dhb Photochromatic Half Frame Sunglasses offer decent performance in a variety of conditions without looking obviously technical or breaking the bank. I am also pleased to report that I found them very comfortable worn for long periods.
The photochromatic technology works very well for the most part: they react better to subtle changes in light than sudden and extreme changes such as harsh morning/evening sun, and though they're not as quick-reacting as much more expensive models, I wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker considering their price.
Around dusk, they handle the steady, incremental darkness surprisingly well and they've never given a misleading view of surfaces, or conditions ahead – optical clarity has remained consistently good. To date, I've not needed to remove them in very low light.
Read our review of the dhb PhotoChromatic Half Frame Sunglasses
Northwave Blade — Buy Now for £44.99 from Total Cycling
Northwave's Blade glasses have a lot of impressive features for a pair that cost just 45 quid. The lenses have what Northwave calls an off centre base. The axis of the focal centre is aligned with the focal centre of the eye so your eyes don't get tired and the curvature won't cause any image distortion. It's not hugely noticeable at first but if you switch back to some other glasses you do notice how good the clarity is on the Blades.
Tester Stu writes: “The fit is good with enough pressure to hold them in place with your head down or in your helmet vents when you're going for that pro look. There is nothing worse than watching your glasses go underneath a following car's wheels. The refraction of oncoming headlights was my only issue which in the winter months would see me struggling a bit as all of my riding is done in the dark at rush hour.
“On the whole it's a very neat package and well worth the cost. I've bought various glasses around this price over the years. None have inspired much confidence and I've always gone back to my Oakleys but the Blades have a very top quality feel to them.”
Read our review of the Northwave Blade
Find a Northwave dealer
Honourable mentions
Northwave Predator glasses — Buy Now for £19.99 from Flat Harrys
These are good value glasses with clear, scratch-resistant lenses. The ergonomic shape provides a particularly wrapped feel. The lenses have been treated to make them perfectly smooth to allow any water to slide off, leaving the important area free any obstruction to your view.
Read our review of the Northwave Predator glasses
Find a Northwave dealer
Northwave Team Sunglasses — Buy Now for £40.00 from Bunneys Bikes
These lightweight glasses offer good eye protection and you get a choice of clear, orange and darker reflective lenses so they're suitable for a variety of light conditions. They come in a good protective case that is filled with foam to keep your glasses safe when you're not wearing them. You also get a carry bag and two extra sets of lenses.
Read our review of the Northwave Team Sunglasses
Find a Northwave dealer
Bianchi Falco glasses — Buy Now for £39.00 from Bike Shop Wrexham
These Euro-styled glasses are light and offer good three-lens value, but they're possibly just for Bianchi lovers. The frames of the Falcos are made from Grilamid TR90, and the have a narrow wrap-around shape that sits close to the face. All of the lenses offer 100% UV protection and optical quality is good.
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John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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30 comments
Planet X seem to have some really good deals on right now. Particularly their photochromic ones, but even a pair of polarised wayfairer-style for £5 is tempting to keep in the car for driving.
These cheap sunglasses are good.
https://youtu.be/cHkaIHRK35g
And finally, after 6 years+, a category: "The best for people who actually wear glasses, all the time"? Nah, thought not.
I can recommend Siroko sunglasses, I bought a few pairs (both cycling and leisure) a few months ago, they were listed as on sale, not sure if this is one of those that is permanently on sale type of prices, but for less than £25 for each of the cycling style ones (and less than that for the fashion types) I've been really impressed. They're surprisingly well built, and the case etc that comes with them was much better than I was expecting.
I think they're sponsoring the Vuelta this year as they're a spanish brand, so not sure if that means their prices will go up but I've been really happy with them.
I like Polaris Aspect Sports Glasses with smoke-tinted eye shields.I m fully enjoy our ride with proper eye protection. These riding goggles create an impenetrable shield over the eyes to keep out bugs, wind, rain, road debris and dirt.
Optilabs in Croydon, south London, do really good value prescription sunglasses (full frame or inserts). Not a massive range of frames - about 20 or so I think - but good customer service and not too pricey.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/ROCKBROS-Polarized-Cycling-Sunglasses-MTB-Bike-...
for those, who need a REAL prescription glass (ie.: -7-9 dioptres): this is a wonderful solution. I've been using this one for more than two years, especially useful during:
-winter: protection from the sunlight and chilly winds
-summer: I can stay under the hot blazing sun all day, without having headache or eye pain I often had before. And protects from physical objects (insects, dust, sand)
makes riding-being outdoors-reading outdoors much easier. Without these, I'd never have completed my studies with the same degree, I'm sure
And they fit well, comfortable. The only thing I hate is removing it ...
I once asked an optician what I should look for in a pair of sunglasses.
He told me that they are all made to the same ISO standard, frames and lenses, but to check for 100% UVA/UVB filtering, check they give good coverage to the eyes all around (oversize/wraparound) and polarised lenses are useful to reduce glare and reflections.
Based on this I bought a pair of RockBros glasses with 5 interchangeable lenses which covered all the bases above and cost £6.
Not sure how durable they'll be as I've only had them 8 years and only sat on them twice !
Like personalised numberplates, expensive sunglasses are a perfect barometer of having more money than sense.
I agree, especially to the number plate point! I have used a pair of planet x for several years, bought at 2£. They are fine! I also have many nice cheap products from rockbros, including well working and high quality rear lights and bells. Very good products at a low price. However, I actually have to disagree with your point about glasses. Paying 100£ for a pair of cycling glasses will not get you more protection, but they are nicer to wear, and don't clog up that much. If you are racing, these are small differences you may appreciate. If not use your money on something more important. But there is a difference, also between 20£ and 100£ glasses.
I can also vouch for the RockBros glaases very nice, plus the Madison offering, Madison stuff, in general, is quality.
You're lucky with the RockBros then. I bought a pair a few years back and found them to be an awful fit. However, totally agree on Madison - I used to have Madison D'Arcs and they were excellent. Unfortunately, I then got given a pair of Jawbreakers and the difference is huge, the fit and clarity of lens is way better.
Sunwise: Mid price - but really good quality British sunglasses. I'd never heard of them until I was given some as a freebie. They quickly became my favorite glasses and I've just replaced them with a new set of the same after losing the original pair.
https://shop.sunwise.co.uk/collections/cycling
Sport RX is great. I used them once and great service.
Highly recommended.
But for the frame it is best to try it out first somewhere before you commit.
Does anyone know whether it's possible to get prescription "sports" sunglasses without the insert things, and if so, any recommendations? I have some prescription "casual" sunglasses, but can see how something that wraps around might be more of an advantage. Or am I better off just getting contacts and using non-prescription sunglasses?
Depends on your prescription. Specifically, high power prescriptions are not compatible with the significant curvature you see in many cycling sunglasses.
Some websites (sportrx.com maybe) let you plug in your prescription, which will then filter out sunglasses which cannot accommodate the prescription.
I buy cheap RockBros cycling sunglasses with inserts. My health insurance pays for the cost of filling the insert with my prescription once per year for free.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ROCKBROS-Bike-Cycling-Glasses-Polarized-Sung...
I was about to complain once again that these so called reviews rarely include prescription glasses. Why is it so difficult to just have a tick box to say whether direct glaze/insert possible? I gues it would mean more work for them!
I've got the Bolle's too. I thought it was just me. Really like them.
<doesn't mention the £3 pair from Aldi that have been worn for last two years with no probs at all>
My pairs steam up quite a bit but for the price the're great. My pairs are 7 years old and they might have improved their ventilation.
If you're going to keep posting the same sunglasses review every few months at least check it is still valid.
A couple of those pairs (at least) are no longer available and have long been superseded... even when this was first post in October last year!
I would also recommend a look at the Decathlon ones. Great glasses, often with multiple lenses, for not much money. I would almost certainly buy them over many of the above, although I did buy myself a pair of BBBs that I rather liked twice (one pair got "lifted" when I accidentally left them by the side of the road in Richmond Park for ~15-20 mins after having stopped to fix something - grrr)
+1 for the D'Arcs. Been using them for over 2 years now and have managed to run over them once and sit on them a few times which makes them disintegrate... but you put the pieces back together again. Nice bendy plastic for the frame. Most other sunglasses I have owned have died prematurely with this type of treatment.
Bollé Contour - around £8 from ebay or workwear stores like Screwfix or Safety Supplies.
After the second set of £35 dhb frames broke in the same place despite very careful use I won't buy them again.
I got a few pairs of these and find the curve of the lens distorts your view (kind of magnifies) and takes a few mins to get used to once on the bike.
Just treat myself to a pair of POC do blades
with carl Ziess polarized lenses..... for a tenner of aliexpress!
...but the point is that Bolles are proper safety glasses. Every now and then when riding I have had a stone flick up from a passing car and the odd one has harmlessly bounced off the Bolles. I suspect that the experience with your snide copies would not be the same.
Not so safe if they're distorting your vision.
I have the AliPOCs - awesome!
I cannot detect any distortion when wearing my Bolle glasses.
I use those and agree about the distortion: they make me feel like I'm on a taller bike. Weird at first, but you get used to it.
I went slightly upmarket and have been using a pair of bolle Silum+ glasses for the last 3 years (possibly?? maybe even 4 years??)
Never noticed any sort of distorting. My only real gripe is that the scratchproof 'platinum' coating doesnt last very long.