Seeing Oakley Lenses in a New Light

I have been an Oakley fanatic for as long as I can remember, so this won't be an objective review of Oakley sunglasses against their competitors. Candidly, I can't see wearing anything but Oakley sunglasses even if a competitive pair of was given to me.

Based on that, I'm thrilled to have Oakley as a sponsor of my (R)evolution effort this year. I really thought I knew most of what there was to know about Oakley sunglass products until I spent some time with the staff of the local Oakley store. Hopefully this post will help other cyclists make better decisions about lens selection. That's the plan.

I noticed, as I'm sure most fans have, guys on the pro tour have a range of lens selections to chose when responding to weather and road conditions. It's not a luxury for them-it's strategic. It makes good sense for those of us not in Flanders this weekend or preparing for the Tour to have 2 to 3 lens options to select depending on where we are riding or what we are doing off the bike.

The best lens for cycling over a wide variety of conditions is the Fire Iridium lens, like the one that came with my new Radar pair. The good news is you can now completely justify buying and wearing arguably the coolest looking lens available. The Fire Iridium lens is designed for medium to bright sunlight and is a contrast rather than neutral lens. Lenses designed for contrast "improve visual acuity" according to Oakley's website, but I've found that to be very true. My eyes in short, suck and because of the way they suck, according to my optometrist I can't get prescription Oakleys.

The Fire lens is the one chosen in most conditions by riders. I've worn mine in cloudy conditions-we have had plenty of those lately, and brighter conditions. They are the lens I will probably use 70-80% of the time.

The second lens in my arsenal is the VR28 Polarized which is a contrast lens too. There are some conditions where glare is a real problem. This is why in the brightest conditions you will see the pros wearing this lens the Positive Red Polarized or the Black Iridium Polarized lens. These lenses are designed to filter glare coming off asphalt or other surfaces that reflect light. The difference between these three lenses is VR28 and Positive Red are contrast lenses and the Black Iridium Polarized is a neutral lens. Neutral lenses provide a truer color perception or transmission. These lenses are probably a better lens to wear if you're driving.

One of the lens selection factors to consider is the amount of light it transmits. Most of the lens selections for general use allow 9%-18% light transmission. There are options for darker conditions other than a clear lens, which will give you some light filtering and contrast, which could be important in cycling situations. Lenses such as the G30 (30% transmission), Persimmon (61% transmission) and Yellow (90% transmission) all are contrast lens options.

All of the Radar sunglasses have some of the same features regardless of the lens(es) you choose. Oakley Radar lenses are treated with a coating to make them hydrophobic. Sweat and rain just run off and don't stick. Hydrophobic lenses are easier to keep clean because finger prints, skin oils and even suntan lotion are easily wiped off. The lenses are also anti-static to reflect dust or in the case now in North Carolina-pollen.

There are three lens shape options and two nose pieces to best fit your face and nose. Even though the lenses are designed to allow good airflow, there are also vented lens options. Oakley has even developed a material for their nose pieces that makes them stick to your face better when they get wet.

If you have any questions after reading this post you can call Oakley's customer service/order line at 800-431-1439. I highly recommend going to the local Oakley store and specifically the Crabtree Valley Mall store if you live in Raleigh for great advice and help. The staff there is highly knowledgeable and happy to teach while helping. I dare you to get out of the store with only a pair of sunglasses.

There is one other item you really should buy with sunglasses or lenses. Oakley has a lens cleaning kit to take care of your new glasses. Here's the best part, if you buy a lens cleaning kit from Oakley, they will refill it with solution for life! No guessing on what is ok to use with your lenses. Now that's customer service!