Sight Savers

The first pro athlete I remember who competed in sports eyewear was “the big fella,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA great. He looked weird out there on the court at the time, the skyscraper in goggles. Then came pro pedaler Greg LeMond who with his Oakley Factory Pilots, a revolutionary eyewear system resembling a small ski mask. Pretty soon athletes everywhere from round-ball players to triathletes were following suit exercising and racing in glasses.

What seemed strange had proved practical and become an easy sell for most athletes even those new to eye care. We think you’ll benefit, too. Here’s what good glasses offer:

Improved vision.
Glasses cut down on glare and improve depth perception allowing you to better see the road and trail. And because they prevent ultra violet rays from reaching your eyes, you’ll suffer less eye fatigue on sunny days.

Deflect airborne debris and other potentially dangerous things.
Ever have a rock seemingly out of nowhere, bounce up and crack your windshield when you’re driving? Similar things can happen when you’re exercising. Cycling, especially mountain biking is rife with risks for the eyes. Proper eyewear will prevent branches, sticks, rocks, and plain old dirt that gets tossed at your face by your own bike and other cyclists from damaging your eyes. Plus having a personal windshield will ward off bugs, sand, water and other threatening stuff.

Reduce eyestrain and the fatigue it causes.
Good sunglasses block the wind from hitting your eyes directly. They also deflect sunrays and cut back on glare. These safeguards help reduce exposure and the resulting fatigue. You’ll be able to focus better during a long workout or event and feel a lot fresher at the end.

Spruce up your image.
Okay, it may not be a priority for you, but emulating other athletes motivates a lot of us.

To buy these products:

http://www.roadrunnersports.com
http://www.performancebike.com
http://www.nashbar.com
http://www.coloradocyclist.com
http://www.excelsports.com
http://www.adidas.com
http://www.smithsport.com"
http://www.bolle.com"
http://www.oakley.com

Features to Get
You can ZZ Top it and exercise in cheap sunglasses, but better shades offer features worth having such as:

Durability.
If you drop them or mistakenly pack them in the bottom of your duffel, they’ll usually survive.
Lightweight.
Ideally the glasses will be so feathery on your face you won’t even know they’re there.
Adjustable fit.
Find shades that either fit your face perfectly right off the rack or a model with adjustable temples and nosepiece. A good fit means the glasses won’t flop around on your face when your body is bouncing up and down.
Non-slip.
Sweating increases the likelihood of the glasses slipping down your nose. Look for features designed to keep the glasses in place such as wrapping temples or rubber insets that increase the grip so you don’t have to deal with this distraction.
Multiple lens tints.
Some models come with extra lenses with different tints. This is handy if you frequently exercise in different lighting conditions. For example, mountain bikers who regularly ride in the woods prefer clear lenses to darkened ones because the dark ones hide dangers in the woods.
Prescription possibilities.
Some types of sports eyewear can be fitted with prescription lens or prescription inserts

Eyewear Chic

There are times that glasses become a liability such as during a surprise rain storm or if you hit thick fog. Suddenly, you’re blind. You can continually wipe the glasses but it’s usually safer to simply take them off. But what do you do with them? You could hold onto them or stash them in a pocket. Or:

Reverse them so that they’re on the back of your head or raise them so they rest on your head.
Fold them and hook one temple on the front of your shirt or shorts so they hang there (careful, though, they may fall off).
Fold them and hook one temple on your shirt’s back collar so they’re behind you.
When biking, poke the temples through the vents in your helmet so the glasses hitch a ride up top.
If you’re biking in a jersey with pockets or running with a pocketed jacket, stash your shades there.

Worth a Look

Adidas Gazelle Shades:
Designed for trail running, these lightweight wrap-around glasses feature adjustable three-position temples and dual-position nosepiece and a frame that molds to your face so you can dial in a truly custom fit.

Smith Slider Buzzsaw:
A fine mountain biking system, Smith’s Slider Buzzsaw includes three pairs of easily-swapped lenses (tints: sienna brown, gold lite and yellow). The wraparound design, rubber-inlaid temples and nosepiece provide a sweet fit and zero slip.

Bollé Vigilante with S.E.S. (sport eyewear system):
Another excellent cycling system, the Bolle´ Vigilante S.E.S. comes with a carrying case and a selection of lenses in four different tints (clear, yellow, rose, gray) to tune the performance for changing conditions. The stylish wrap-around frame is made of unbreakable nylon.

Performance Flight:
Performance is known for making affordable equipment that works. Their Flight eyewear costs less than a night out but includes all the key features plus spare lenses (amber) and a carrying bag.

Oakley New M Frames:
If you had to pick two words to sum up Oakley’s offerings, two excellent choices would be expensive and beautiful. Indeed, many professional athletes willingly pay for Oakleys because they’re such a status symbol. The big O’s New M frames are great for cycling: they’re lightweight, non-slip, durable, distortion-free and can be fit with prescription lenses. Different tint lenses are extra.