CYCLING EYEWEAR

A protective, effective and stylish pair of sunnies is one of cycling's essential purchases. But can you find what you need for under £80? We test eight pairs to find out...

- Warren Rossiter

It's incredibly easy to spend a large wedge of cash on cycling specs, with premium cycling sunglasses now costing in the realms of several hundreds of pounds.

And while it's completely understandable and mandatory for safety concerns that all riders want to protect their eyes from the harmful dangers of UV rays not forgetting insects, gravel and other objects hitting at high speed into the mix - it can be fairly galling to have to pay top whack for what's a cycling essential.

Unlike in the recent past, however, there's now a huge array of choice at the entry-and mid-level price points. And buying cheap no longer means that you have to dispense with style. As the following pages and eight reviews testify, we're pleased to report that there's a wide selection of brands and options that are producing both great on-bike performance and style for less than £80.

Glasses are also prone to being sat on, lost on café stops or vulnerable in any crashes, so if you're accident prone or have a habit of losing your keys, then splashing out on a £200+ pair maybe isn't the smartest fiscal move.

While you won't always be able to secure tint-adjusting photochromic lenses at this price, plenty offer multi-lens packages. Finding any that offer compatibility with corrective (prescription) lenses is a tough call but, again, this isn't impossible.

Quickfire information

Optics

Curved-profile lenses provide a clear, undistorted view, both at the front and in the peripheral-vision zones. Look for polycarbonate lenses with full UV protection credentials.

Rubber arm grips

What seems snug on dry skin in the shop may not grip so well on a sweat-soaked face after 100km. Make sure the rubber arm socks and nosepieces are tacky/sticky, and not hard.

Prescription options