Best cycling sunglasses 2026 — protect your eyes from the sun, bugs and more with some cycling-specific shades

The 100% Eastcraft glasses aim to blur the lines between casual and cycling glasses. In our test, they performed brilliantly on the bike, offering an excellent field of vision, great clarity and good protection from the (removable) side shields. You get both the tinted mirror lens and some clear lenses, and both are high quality – off the bike they’re quite large, but still more subtle than some super-size offerings.

Size-wise, these glasses sit in the middle: they’re not too big for casual wear, but not the smallest on the bike. 

Alba Optics Delta glasses feature a unique “hook” frame design that delivers a very secure fit, whatever terrain you charge through. The lens has impressive clarity, and even though the price is just below that of some premium designers, you are getting the premium experience.

The nylon/carbon fibre frame is lightweight, and combined with the VZUM Lava lens fitted to the pair on test, the specs weigh 30g. The lens is designed to enhance visibility on cold tones in bright conditions – there are seven other options too – including a photochromatic lens. All of them protect against potentially damaging UV rays, with UV400 protection.

The Alba Optics Solo RST VZUM MR ALU Glasses are well-made and comfortable for long rides, and offer high-quality optics and excellent coverage. They’re on the expensive side, but you do also get quite a distinct style with these specs. 

The tan brown, rather bold frame, is your only option if you want the MR ALU lenses, though the Solos are also available in black, white and sand (grey) frames with other lenses. The shape is quite unusual too, kind of a hybrid of classic aviator sunglasses and modern big-lens cycling shades. These glasses also feature removable side shades, which for cycling glasses is quite unusual, but something we’re seeing in glaciers and mountaineering glasses. 

You might think, what versatility? These shades are only suitable for sunny days! That might be true, but the Galibier Regale Ultra Optics glasses come with an impressive five lens options, so no matter what the conditions, you’re covered. 

They’re very reasonably priced, provide a crystal clear view and a completely uninterrupted field of vision. The fit is also great, and they’re comfortable too thanks to the minimal pressure from the arms. There’s very little to dislike, which is why these shades also bagged a road.cc Recommends award. 

It’s a fact that some cycling glasses just look slightly out of place when you’re not wearing a helmet – or aren’t surrounded by other cyclists. These Koo’s, with their large mirrored lens, is one of those pairs. When paired with a helmet, though, it really completes the aesthetic and balances out their bulk, and I think they look the business. And they have the performance to match.

The Koo Demos sport a polycarbonate lens, rather than the inferior CR39 plastic found in purely ‘fashion’ glasses, which is deeply reassuring. In our testing, they effectively shrugged off the grit and any wayward small stone that hit them, though they were not tested by anything larger or moving perilously fast. 

The big lens means some trade-offs and one of them is reflected light. There was a noticeable amount of reflected light on the inside lower section of the lens, which is almost unavoidable with designs such as these, and the Demos are coated on the inside to minimise this.

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.

In our testing we found they remained comfortable even on long rides and the bronze mirror lens was lovely to use (blue or silver mirror options are available too). The vision was good in lightly overcast and bright conditions with the (many) road imperfections easy to pick out from a good distance. 

For those of us with a prescription, you’d be pleased to know that this pair can be fitted with Madison’s £4.99 RX insert to add in prescription lenses.

The Magicshine Windbreaker Classic Sunglasses are nicely shaped, comfortable, ultra-light and offer good levels of protection. They make excellent cycling-specific sunnies at a great price. 

The price is not the only low thing about these specs, as they also weigh very little – 30g on the road.cc Scales of Truth (1g more than claimed). The Classic model we tested comes with a wraparound style polycarbonate lens, has a mirrored Revo coating on the outside for reduced glare, enhanced contrast and clarity, and an OAR coating on the inside to reduce reflected glare.

The Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses come from a company much better known for its well-priced bike lights – but its sunnies have scored well in our reviews (there is another pair on this list here, too). These polarised specs have a low weight and good, frameless build quality – at a very competitive price.

Keeping in fashion with modern cycling glasses, the Magicshine Windbreaker Polarized Sunglasses have a large lens, which aids in excellent visibility and gives it a distinctive style.

Oakley is a name that has dominated the cycling glasses market for a long while and for a reason. Oakley lenses have become known for their excellent optics, offering you a crystal-clear vision in a variety of conditions. The recent Oakley Kato sunglasses feature a little different design that may not be for shy and retiring types, but the style aside, in our testing Jamie said these glasses tick all the boxes.

If the design – a bird-like beak protruding out over the nose – doesn’t bother you, and you can justify the hefty price tag, these specs are not going to disappoint you. 

If big shades are your thing,  the Panda Optics Conquer Sunglasses might be just the right fit for you. They feature a fashionably large-lens option offering good performance and cool looks but without the ‘pro’ price.

The Conquer sunglasses are snowsport expert Panda Optics’ first foray into sports sunglasses, and despite the multisport intentions, they work very well for cycling. The sturdy yet lightweight frame (available in three colours) comes in a hard case with three lenses: mirrored (9.73% light transmission), amber (27.18%) and clear (89.87% transmission). You also get a microfibre cleaning cloth and a drawstring microfibre bag.

They are also great value, but the 40g weight is more than on sleeker framed specs. 

The Rapha Explore Sunglasses offer impressive clarity in a range of conditions, don’t fog up easily, and come with a strap and clear lens. These lenses are one of the cycling apparel brands ever-expanding ventures into the gravel market, hence the “Explore” in the name. These Explore glasses actually sit at the top of the pyramid in terms of the company’s eyewear offerings, above its Pro Team models.

The glasses come in three colour variations: Brown Havana/Bronze Lens, Brown/Black Mirror Lens, and Dark Navy/Purple Green Lens, plus a clear lens with each. The Dark Navy version on test got a great score for looks, with a slight gradient and slight transparency in areas across the frame to give them an interesting aesthetic.

The Rudy Project Deltabeats may not compete with the unobstructed viewing experience large frameless sunnies provide, but the top-quality photochromic lenses adjust to changing light conditions effectively, as well as providing protection from wind and flicked-up dirt. The sturdy feeling frame uses a bio-based polyamide, reducing the Deltabeats’ carbon footprint as well as delivering good ergonomics.

The Deltabeat sunnies have a wraparound frame made from Rilsan Clear, which is a bio-based polyamide produced from castor bean oil grown in the Gujarat region of India, and then developed by Arkema. 

A photochromic lens helps to deal with varying light conditions – which are typical for most UK riding.

The SunGod Airas BF Sunglasses with Iris Photochromic lens are impressive, offer excellent clarity from a large lens and plenty of customisation to suit your style. Although they have a high price for the photochromic spec, it doesn’t feel quite so painful if you bear in mind you’re essentially getting two lenses in one, as it quickly adjusts to the light conditions as you’re riding along.

The Iris lens doesn’t have the largest range – it isn’t suitable for a pitch-black commute – but it works really well for road rides with bright sunshine that flip to overcast conditions. 

The SunGod Classics3 Sunglasses are excellent multi-use sunnies that are very handy for transitioning from the bike to other activities throughout your day. They’re incredibly well made, stay put while riding casually, and are pretty much bombproof. With the top-end 8KO polarised lenses, though, they’re quite expensive.

The Classics3 are basically a blend between the square styling of SunGod’s Renegades and the round Sierras. The simplistic design looks great, and you can choose the frame colour and icon to suit, as well as lens tint. These vary from 11%-14% Visible Light Transmission (VLT), and all come with 100% UV protection.