i am due to purchase a new pair of prescription glasses and wondered if anyone could recommend a frame type more suited to wearing with a full face helmet. Sports type frame ? As all you spectacle wearers know, it's getting the bloody things on and off without damaging or distorting the frames and popping the lenses out. Ps. I am prepared for a tirade of p***taking! lol
Hi DD I put on and take my helmet off without the glasses on. If I tried keeping them on it would result in damage to myself, my glasses or both. I like my current helmet, it is a good fit and I prefer the safety aspect of full face protection. I just wondered if there were any types of glasses specifically designed for or more suited to wearing with full face helmets.
straight arms on the frames like some sunglasses can work well. saves having to loop the arms behind your ears. i took an old pair of mine and straightened the arms.
No tirade of piss taking Mick, as DD said I always take mine off before I take my lid off, I explained to my lovely optician my concerns and she recommended a thin metal arm type fitting, a bit like those aviator sunglasses types, which I hasten to add I have as well and they do the job fine mate.
Hi Mark, Yes, that's very much what I use now, it is just that I am due to get some new glasses and was going to get some more bike specific if they were available. I am quite surprised with the massive range of clothing/gear available for bikes that nobody makes 'helmet' friendly glasses. Might be a business opportunity here ?
Must admit, the visor idea did cross my mind, but if it steamed up and you had to lift it visibility would be even more impaired. Plus I don't trust that Dragons Den lot, they steal your ideas. lol Wearing normal glasses does give a secondary protection when the visor has to be lifted so I am okay with that actually. Cyclists, swimmers, skiers etc all seem to have sport specific glasses, even Dennis Taylor had his own snooker glasses. Why have bikers not kept up ?
I've been looking at the same problem and the some of the Oakley frames seem to work really well as they are straight arms and really thin but my concern is how long would it be before they got bent, also they're not cheap
I buy mine on-line and it works really well. I think they actually come from Holland, but I don't care tbh. They have an immense range of frames/lens/options on lenses and deliver pretty quick. Usually takes about 14 days from order to arrival time. And at a fraction of the cost from the high street opticians.
Metal frames, preferably titanium, straight arms and polycarbonate lenses (just in case). I find that the helmets with moveable cheekpads accommodate my glasses the best.
I recently bought a new pair with springy titanium arms on spec from a high street retail outlet. The end of the arm kinks outwards to secure behind your ear. Totally useless for full face helmet use, even with the kinks straightened out as much as possible, cuz you can't push them on with your lugholes flattened against your noggin. They are just about passable with a looser fit flip helmet I also have, specs on first before putting the helmet on. But with the kinks straightened out they are no longer secure when helmetless. The new ones also have a big optical area, which seemed a good idea, except with my open face HJC the pull-down tinted visor can't pass over them, so all things considered a bit of a waste of money really. I'm back to wearing an old pair with traditional straighter arms. Lesson learned, as Ade said, take your helmet/s to the optician when buying.
A Shoei helmet with metal frame specs works well for me. If in doubt take your helmet to the opticians when you select you frames. Don't try to get your helmet on or off with your glasses on. It hurts!
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I am now convinced that my normal choice in frames and polycarbonate lenses are the way to go. I will get the next pair on line though as suggested, I do feel to have paid out an awful lot to opticians over the years, the remainder goes on dental bills.
Yes, nearly forgot about the trying on in the shop bit, which I like the idea of. So here's the plan, take my helmet with me, get something that feels and looks right and record the frame number. Offer my gratitude to the opticians for letting me twist and bend their frames and then buy on line. Cracked it!
I wouldn't quite say that, but I must admit it is about time these national health glasses I got whilst at school were replaced, cost me a fortune in sellotape repairs over 53 years.