
For years, I’ve worn the same sunglasses for biking that I do for anything else. They’re at least five years old, with glass lenses. (Although the lenses appear amber in the picture, they’re really dark gray — the early morning light has a weird effect.)
When I got them, I asked that they just contain my distance prescription, because I felt at the time that I didn’t need bifocals outdoors. They’ve been okay. They’re a little heavy, because of the glass lenses, and the prescription could use a little more oomph now. I think the next pair of cycling glasses I get will also have the bifocal prescription, which would help immensely when I have to do bike-related things like read the pressure gauge on my tire pump, or try to follow a cue sheet on a long ride. They’re not particularly stylish. (Not even remotely.)

But they are a little better than the ones I experimented with at the MS150 earlier this year. These, too, have only my distance prescription. Surprisingly, the prescription is still good — a bit better than my everyday sunglasses. They’ve got gray lenses too, but there’s a bit of vermillion mixed in, and when they pick up the red color of the frames, the lenses look dark red. But they’re at least 15 years old, and they look it. After seeing pictures of myself in them, I stopped using them.
So lately, I’ve been thinking it’s time for some new biking shades. One thing that’s always appealed to me about biking glasses is their wraparound style. But because of the curved lenses, I wondered if they lent themselves to complex prescriptions. I’ve poked around online a bit to see what’s out there, and the ones that are most interesting to me are also the most expensive (Of course, it works that way with bikes, too).

I noticed that Performance has a moderately-priced wraparound sunglass with interchangeable lenses — and it can also take a clip-on adapter for your prescription. You just attach it to the nose bridge on the inside of the glasses. If it’s any good, it might be just the ticket.
But I have to defer to the expertise of Bike Noob readers. Do you wear cycling glasses with prescription lenses? What kind? How well do they work for you? Do you have experience with the clip-in prescription adapters?
Will Bike Noob have to continue wearing his flat lenses and being uncool out on the roads?