Cycling sunglasses are an essential accessory for any cyclist, whether you ride mountain bikes on challenging terrain or cover long distances with road bikes. Choosing the right model is key to ensuring clear vision and avoiding discomfort caused by sun glare, dust, or changing light conditions during your ride.
There are different types of lenses on the market designed to adapt to each lighting condition and improve the experience on the bike. In this sense, the recommended cycling glasses are divided into three main categories:
✅ Polarized: ideal for reducing glare and enhancing sharpness on surfaces like asphalt, rocky trails, or wet terrain. They are perfect for both road cyclists and those who practice mountain biking in environments with sudden changes in light.
✅ Transparent: designed for low-visibility conditions, such as rainy routes, fog, or night cycling. They are widely used in endurance events or technical descents on mountain routes with little light.
✅ Photochromic: they combine the best of both options, automatically adapting to the surrounding light. They are a versatile choice for those who alternate between mountain bikes and road bikes, as they offer optimal vision in any weather condition.
Taking these factors into account will allow you to find the perfect cycling glasses for each type of route, ensuring greater safety and comfort with every pedal stroke.
What are photochromic lenses
The lenses of photochromic sunglasses are made of polycarbonate and have a surface layer of chemical compounds that react to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. These chemical compounds are alloys of chlorine, silver, or copper. When light hits them, they change their state, temporarily altering the sun filter of the lenses. If a greater amount of light hits the compounds, the lenses darken, letting less light through. On the other hand, if the amount of light is small and weak, they lighten. This allows us to have all-in-one sunglasses that quickly adapt to all types of lighting conditions.
Reasons to buy photochromic sunglasses
This versatility of photochromic sunglasses makes them highly recommended for cycling, in any modality, especially mountain biking. These are their main benefits for cyclists:
They adapt to any light condition
The intensity of the light usually varies on every ride with your bike. Whether you go out early at dawn and return with the midday sun, or if a mountain bike route combines meadow areas with forest sections, for example. Photochromic cycling glasses adapt in a few seconds to each situation, filtering the necessary light to avoid glare and not lose clarity.
No need to change lenses
Many conventional cycling sunglasses come with several sets of lenses (polarized, clear, etc.) that you have to change and install before each ride, depending on the light level that day. With photochromic glasses, you have a single pair of lenses for all types of conditions, so you can forget about the sometimes cumbersome lens changes.
They filter ultraviolet light
In addition to their ability to adapt to different light intensities, photochromic lenses also have ultraviolet radiation filters, which protect eye health. Bike rides, whether for training or just for fun, are usually long and last several hours, so continuous exposure to sunlight without a UV filter can be harmful to the eyes.
Disadvantages of photochromic sunglasses
Photochromic sunglasses are great allies for cyclists and guarantee clear vision without glare when faced with changing light. But they are not infallible, and their very composition is not as optimal as one would wish in certain situations. Below, we tell you some of their disadvantages.
They are not very effective in high temperatures
In areas with extremely hot summers, photochromic sunglasses do not darken as much as they should. Because of this, they do not filter the intense sun rays of this time of year sufficiently, increasing the risk of momentary eye blindness.
They do not lighten in intense cold
On the other hand, in extreme cold, usually accompanied by cloudy skies, rain, etc., they have trouble getting lighter. So you may not get the sharpness and clarity of vision you need, forcing you to take off your glasses to continue the ride.
They do not adjust the brightness level instantly
The chemical compounds in the filter of photochromic cycling sunglasses take between 10 and 20 seconds to change color. This means that adaptation to the surrounding light is not instantaneous. If you are standing still, this is not a problem. But it can be an issue if you are pedaling depending on your speed. For example, if you suddenly enter a very dense and dark forest area, the sunglasses will remain darkened and you will have already covered a good part of the section without getting the necessary clarity.
Their level of protection varies with extreme temperatures
In addition to their low sensitivity to extreme temperatures, the lenses of photochromic glasses do not provide sufficient sunlight filtration in extreme lighting conditions (very dark or very bright). The category of lenses in which the photochromic filter operates ranges from 1 (low brightness) to 3 (high), but not in 0 (very little light or night) nor in 4 (very intense brightness, such as in high mountains or at sea).
They are more expensive
Photochromic glasses are usually more expensive than other cycling glasses. On average, the starting price for a range of photochromic glasses is 20 euros superior more than polarized ones.
Buy yourself some cycling glasses
If you are going to buy new sunglasses for cycling, photochromic ones should be your first option if you have a more or less generous budget. They will allow you to ride without glare during light changes caused by weather conditions or the environment, maintaining clear and sharp vision throughout your route. However, you should keep in mind that they lose their properties in extreme lighting and temperature conditions (too much or too little light), and the lenses are more likely to wear out faster than polarized ones, so their care and cleaning must be more thorough. If you go training in high mountains or very close to the sea, photochromic sunglasses will not filter sunlight enough and you will not get the necessary protection for your eyes.