Another essential accessory for the avid cyclist is a pair of sunglasses. Make no mistake, cycling sunglasses aren’t all about fashion. Rather, they are an essential accessory to keep the sun out, as well as protect a cyclist’s eyes from dust, wind, and grime.
But with all that is available on the market today, what exactly should a cyclist be looking for when choosing a pair of sunglasses? In this article, we’ll give you a rundown of what we think are the best cycling glasses in the market today under $50.
Ultimately, the style will come down to personal preference, but there are some key features that one should consider when looking for the perfect pair:
The Lenses
Naturally, you want a pair of lenses that will adequately protect you from the sun’s glare. That being said, you don’t want your lenses to be too dark, making it difficult to pick out the detail of the trail in front of you.
The Shape and Design of your Cycling Glasses
You will also need something that has adequate coverage. This is the reason why most cycling glasses are big. It isn’t actually a fashion thing, but it’s so the rider’s view will be fully covered, and there won’t be any risk of glare, wind or dust, coming at an angle, affecting the eyes.
Rain Protection
It will also be a good idea to choose cycling glasses with a hydrophobic coating that will let water slide off. Glasses without this feature will often have water markings on them when it rains, and this can effectively obscure a rider’s view, which can be very dangerous.
Anti-Scratch Coating
This will be another welcome feature on a pair of cycling glasses. Obviously, there will be times in your trail when microscopic dirt, kicked up by the wind, will go smashing onto your cycling glasses. Over time, these scratches will accumulate and impede your vision. Cycling glasses with a layer of anti-scratch coating can mitigate the accumulation of those scratches, and extend the cycling glasses’ utility.
Now that we know what to look for in cycling glasses, here are some that we found online that are great options—all of them, by the way, cost less than $50.
MIRA Breeze R Polarized Sports Glasses
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These glasses don’t just look great, they have a super-strong TR90 frame that won’t break easily. The tint is an excellent yellowish hue, too, that brightens things up in overcast situations.
The Mira Breeze R Polarized Sports Glasses also provide 100% UV protection in a lightweight and stylish package. We also liked the rubber nose pad, which somewhat secured the glasses to our face. These glasses won’t be falling off no matter how rough your trail turns out to be, that’s for sure.
Lastly, the price. It’s literally a steal for all the features you’re getting.
FEISEDY Polarized Sports Sunglasses
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These cycling glasses had excellent coverage. They are really stylish, too, and come in a variety of colors. It has the same TR90 frame as the Mira Breeze, and in terms of durability, we’d say this won’t break easily. The lenses are sturdy and scratch proof and interchangeable, so you don’t have to worry about roughing it up (just not too rough!).
The silicone nose tip felt comfortable. I didn’t have any problem with it in particular, but my buddy, who had a more narrow nose said it was a bit loose. So, I guess that is something to consider. All in all, this pair was great. The field of view was amazing, and the detail in front of me seemed to pop out. I’d definitely recommend these cycling glasses considering you’re getting a lot of features for the price.
Hulislem Blade Sport Polarized
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This is another cool-looking pair of cycling glasses. What I liked about it is that it’s just generally a great-looking pair, even for everyday use. The Feisedy above was, from a design perspective, clearly designed for cycling, while this can be for cycling or for just everyday use.
The frame is made from polycarbonate and is really light, strong, and durable. It also affords 100% UV protection, so that’s great. I guess it’s also worth mentioning that the Hulislem Blade Sport is one of the top-selling sports glasses in Amazon, and holding this thing in our hands, we can certainly see why.
ROCKNIGHT REVO Sports Sunglasses
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This one is something we’d highly recommend, especially if you’re getting glasses for cycling in particular. Now, we know all the glasses we mentioned here are great for cycling, but all of them are multi-purpose, for everyday use or for other sporting activities. And that’s not a bad thing. But the Rocknight Revo would be high on our recommendations list for those looking for glasses for cycling, in particular.
We were surprised at how clear and distinguishable this pair made everything in front of us feel. It’s like we were given superpowers or something, I kid you not. This was something I would totally expect from expensive pairs of cycling glasses, but not from something this affordable.
The frame is strong and lightweight. The field of view is amazing—absolutely full coverage. And the lenses, which are also interchangeable, block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
We particularly loved the yellow lenses, which we noticed made lowlight conditions orders of magnitude clearer. As for the fit, we’re not complaining; it was extremely comfortable.
