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Prescription cycling specs

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  • December 5, 2011 at 2:51 pm #14577
    notfastenough

    Hi all,
    I currently wear glasses to correct my vision, and this includes when on my bike. I am a little conscious that wearing my only pair of (rather expensive) glasses while haring down hills at 35mph is probably inviting some undesirable incident. I’m also guessing that they aren’t rated for sports use in some safety-related way for which I’d rather not be a guinea-pig.

    The (at times) nigh-on biblical hailstone yesterday lunchtime was sneaking past the normal-coverage lenses and stinging my eyelids, which was the last straw.

    So:
    I figure laser vision correction is overkill. Only a few more years before my eyes would degenerate naturally anyway.

    One pair of presciption cycling sunglasses would be good, but the likes of ‘transitions’ don’t go up to my requirements (-6.5 prescription, high index lens of 1.7).

    So, it would appear that my best option (unless anyone can suggest anything else) would be cycling sunglasses with prescription inserts and interchangeable coloured lenses for the ‘sunglasses’ layer. However, I can only seem to find online outlets for this. I know from experience that the amount of minor tweaking required when I get a new pair of specs means that I really need to be on the same premises as the optician for at least a short visit.

    I’ve asked a couple of local opticians if they would be interested in selling me something appropriate, but it seems that the cost barrier of entry to the sports market (bulk orders etc when I am only one customer) combined with the often more demanding (read: more time/effort) needs of the sports user mean that I’m hitting a brick wall.

    Anyone know of a bricks and mortar optician in the North-west (I’m in Manchester) with a line in sports specs?

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 36 total)
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  • October 6, 2013 at 8:27 am #658451
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    Ghedebrav

    My prescription is +6.25 and
    My prescription is +6.25 and I’m poor. So I just accept that I’ll be wearing my Joe 90s and think of Laurent Fignon (headband optional).

    January 5, 2012 at 6:19 pm #658449
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    jengy

    I had Bolle paroles with an
    I had Bolle paroles with an insert for a few years. Not great though, as with 2 lenses and frames they do get heavy and the insert means they sit too far forward, causing snowblindness on the last time I wore them.. Use oakleys now, which are great and pricey, but no good for you
    Have you seen Rec-Specs ?
    They seem to be available with higher prescriptions
    I wouldnt worry about getting them fitted, all the optician does when he disappears out back is give the frames a good bending, one ear higher – just bend the arm up
    Otherwise you could try bigger normal frames

    December 10, 2011 at 9:41 pm #658447
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    Aminthule

    Before I rediscovered contact
    Before I rediscovered contact lenses I used Optilabs for a number of years and can only praise their products and service. Whilst living on the Shetland Islands, they happily posted me frames to try for size and even included return postage with the frames. I had several pairs of their own frames with the then recommended lenses and found them excellent value and altogether satisfying products. 10/10 🙂

    December 10, 2011 at 12:29 am #658445
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    ps

    Hello, my independent
    Hello, my independent optician,based in the North East who does triathlons, didn’t recommend the insert type. He got me made me up a pair of Bolle prescriptions cycling wrap arounds and they are fab. B-) They cost just over £100 3 years ago.
    My friend has a nike pair, she loves hers as well.
    My eyes used to water going down hill or in the wind, then my glasses used to end up covered in tears and my vision was nil. Now I can see going down hill, but low light is a bit of a problem, as they have a darkish tint.

    December 9, 2011 at 11:11 am #658443
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    cat1commuter

    I’d assumed that there would
    I’d assumed that there would be a limited prescription area to the lens, transitioning to a flat area as it wraps around to the side. They may want to avoid a sharp transition, so that it doesn’t look like a couple of lenses glued to the inside of a pair sunglasses, but it would be challenging to design this without causing distracting distortions in this zone.

    I guess the lens could use a fresnel at the edges to keep down thickness, but still provide some eyesight correction. Again, that could be distracting.

    December 8, 2011 at 11:18 pm #658441
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    notfastenough

    Right, quick update. Found
    Right, quick update. Found an optician with a reasonable relationship with Bolle. The B-thinactive product (not bi-thinactive Cat1commuter, think that’s something entirely different! :-D) was due for release on Tuesday 6th Dec, but has been postponed for two weeks due to admin issues with pricing or documentation or something.

    So anyway, the rep told the optician that my -6.50 was “a relatively moderate requirement, and would be no problem at all” to cater for. The optician is setting up a meeting for the rep, herself and me to look at the product, because he won’t leave samples or anything with them. No word on pricing until they are closer to the revised release date. It’s not gonna be cheap!

    Seems there’s some serious voodoo going on though, because even with a concave lens, it’s somehow thinner at the edges in order to fit into frames and not look too thick even on half-rims like many cycling specs. Work that one out!

    Oh, and apparently there is a photochromatic offering (Transitions, in English).

    Also, there is an alternative option if you don’t fancy Bolle. Norville are a company that make safety and sports specs, and have a similar innovation, but the crucial difference was that they only provide the lenses; you use any frames you like. Anyone for Cav’s green Oakleys?!

    Anyway, I’ll post more as I get it.

    December 6, 2011 at 4:56 pm #658439
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    cat1commuter

    Looks like Oakley’s do -5.0 D
    Looks like Oakley’s do -5.0 D to +2.0 D, which probably covers 85% of prescriptions, but not the 99% claimed by Bollé.

    December 6, 2011 at 2:42 pm #658437
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    Max_Leonard

    Oakleys do prescription
    Oakleys do prescription lenses – I think they do them to high prescriptions – but as the man above said, you have to find a decent Oakley dealer.

    December 6, 2011 at 2:11 pm #658435
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    cat1commuter

    Oh, that is quite exciting.
    Oh, that is quite exciting. I’d be really interested if the bi-thinactive thing works. My left eye is the worse one, but is inside their maximum -8.0 dioptres.

    December 6, 2011 at 1:58 pm #658433
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    notfastenough

    Damn, thought I’d be able to
    Damn, thought I’d be able to get that edit in before anyone replied! 😀 I’d hope for the b-thinactive stuff really, as mentioned above (but after you posted)…

    December 6, 2011 at 1:56 pm #658431
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    notfastenough

    Ok, weirdly, I just called my
    Ok, weirdly, I just called my optician to get a copy of my prescription, and they’re now doing Bolle specs with inserts.

    Checking out the Bolle website, it seems that their newest innovation (will be interesting to see whether I can get hold of this stuff) is a lens technology called B-thinactive, which basically means thin wraparounds for strong prescriptions without inserts – from +6.00 to -8.00!

    http://www.bolle-europe.co.uk/technology/prescription/technology

    I’ll let you know how I get on…

    December 6, 2011 at 1:56 pm #658429
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    cat1commuter

    I have a similar prescription
    I have a similar prescription to you and was advised by my optician that inserts probably wouldn’t work well. (They do the Rudy Project system.) I’d prepare yourself for disappointment with the Bollé.

    December 6, 2011 at 11:30 am #658427
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    notfastenough

    Hmm, not having much luck it
    Hmm, not having much luck it seems. I was about to look at the Adidas range suggested by bfslxo, but as per thehatter’s post, I do indeed have long lashes – they have been known to touch my normal specs as it is.

    I thought the Oakley thing might be a solution, but a quick call to a local Oakley-authorised optician (rated for custom and prescription eyewear according to Oakley), they only go up to a -5, which won’t work for me (-6.5)

    I do notice that there are a multitude of anti-fog solutions about, so assuming they work (anyone used them?), I just need to find a dealer who will provide a refund on the sunglasses if the inserts sit too close to my eye to be of any use.

    @Michael – I wish I could get prescription lenses for £70! 🙂 High index lenses usually cost me around £200! :O

    Thanks everyone for the help!

    December 5, 2011 at 10:08 pm #658425
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    chrisbainbridge

    Oakley now do a system called
    Oakley now do a system called true digital. They do some quite high powers in this and I have finally been able to get Oakley splitjackets with a full prescription.

    You have to fins an opticians who has a full account with Oakley.

    Chris

    December 5, 2011 at 9:19 pm #658423
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    TheHatter

    jezzzer wrote:i’ve had lenses

    jezzzer wrote:
    i’ve had lenses made for my oakleys more than once by Optilabs (http://www.optilabs.com/index.php).

    I had a look on their website as i’d like to get this done but they don’t seem to offer this service- do you know if they still do it?

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