Adidas provides some of the greatest cycling glasses in the word. With my recent purchase of prescription Adidas cycling glasses, I might just have found the perfect cycling glasses for protection from both sun and wind.
I researched long and hard before I bought a pair of cycling glasses, because good cycling glasses are not cheap – and if you want them to be prescription as well, be prepared to dig very deep in your pockets (as in $200 or more). I tried on just about every pair of Oakleys and Ryders on the market.
See also our review of Mira sunglasses – our pick for Best Budget cycling sunglasses – here.
I wanted something light, comfortable and with ample clearance over the eyes (because my biggest problem with cycling glasses is that my eyes water, the fluid somehow gets on the lens, and then the whole world looks like a blurry mess). I also needed something strong enough to be almost invulnerable, because I have a tendency to drop my stuff off bikes, step on them, etc. I didn’t want to spend a fortune only to have delicate glasses that would break within weeks.
I ended up choosing a pair of Adidas Tycane Pro L cycling glasses. I asked for progressive lenses (they change color according to lighting conditions) and I also asked to have my prescription put into the lenses. (Not an insert for the prescription – actually in the lenses.)
Here’s a video about these great glasses:
Why I chose these Adidas cycling glasses
I chose these Adidas cycling glasses for four reasons:
- The Adidas cycling glasses are just about invulnerable. The optometrist showed me how flexible they are: one can bend them or snap off the ear pieces, and then just snap them back together again. If you somehow manage to break the ear pieces, you can just replace them. He told me they were tested by Californian life guards in rough beach/surf conditions. Apparently they are made of high-end SPXTM material. I have since had it happen on my bike that I manage to drop them, step on them, and watch them break into several pieces. But it’s a cinch to put them back together again! On this note: I also own similar Nike cycling glasses. I find these much less easy to work with. When they do fall apart, I take them back to the optometrist to fix, because I feel they might break if I work with them.
- These Adidas cycling glasses are so light it’s ridiculous.
- My optometrist told me that the Adidas cycling glasses have hydrophobic lenses, and are the very latest and best in terms of repelling water and preventing water streaks. As I cycle in the great rain forest we call Vancouver, that is a major plus. Experience in the rain has now shown that I can keep them on longer than any cycling glasses I have ever had, and still see through them.
- The Adidas cycling glasses have this kind of wrap-around vision effect, because I now have prescription glass even wrapping around the outer edges of my eyeballs. Maggie found it odd when she tried them on (she has almost the same prescription as I do). However, I found it awesome right from the start. I feel like I have acquired Lizard Powers!
Not all cycling glasses can be retrofitted with prescription lenses
I also chose these Adidas cycling glasses simply because I could. Not all great looking cycling glasses can be fitted with prescription lenses. For example, most of the ones that do not have a frame on the bottom of the lens cannot be fitted with prescription lenses, as the lenses are relatively heavy and have to be held in place. Also, many cycling glasses with impressively curved lenses cannot be fitted with prescription lenses.
To my happy surprise, it turned out that these impressively curved, wraparound cycling glasses could in fact be fitted with my fairly complicated prescription (I have myopia plus astigmatism – not as sexy as it sounds). It did require sending the glasses to Israel, because apparently an Israeli company called Shamir is the only one in the world that can do this fitting. I had to wait three weeks, but they came back done to perfection, with a silver Shamir card that looks like a credit card, but actually contains my complete prescription, and also serves as a warranty. Very cool.
I had also asked for glasses that double as sunglasses, and they do this too. They call it progressive lenses. It’s super subtle and very effective. They never go extremely dark – they just subtly get a little darker when I go outside, cutting out all the glare. I never notice the progression, but it happens over a period of about twenty seconds. Also, even without the progressive treatment, these glasses have a polarized lens that is supposed to eliminate uncomfortable reflected light and intensity colors.
Packaging and accessories of Adidas Cycling Glasses
Maggie and I were disappointed when we bought Oakley cycling glasses and they arrived in nothing but a cloth bag. These Adidas cycling glasses were packaged much better. They came in an attractive Adidas hard case, which can be closed to varying degrees depending on how you want them. They also had the usual cleaners with them, as well as a cloth bag. This case has stood up to very harsh treatment and still looks great.
Again, if I compare my Adidas cycling glasses vs. my Nike cycling glasses: the Adidas case has lasted for three years, while the Nike case broke after six months. Both the Adidas and the Nike are built to fall apart under pressure, and then you can simply put them back together. This is so that if you sit on them, instead of breaking, the pieces simply disengage from each other. Making them almost unbreakable, so this is a great feature. However, it is easier to put the Adidas back together than the Nike.
Finally, these Adidas cycling glasses come with a little strap that you can use to secure them around the back of your head (if for example you need to drop your bike and run into the surf to rescue someone.) I did not use the strap at first, because Maggie (Mrs. Average Joe Cyclist) thinks they make me look like a dork. However, I started to use them and discovered that they work really well to keep the glasses steady under your helmet. And of course, when you’re wearing a helmet, no one can see the strap. Besides, I pretty much always look stupid when I wear a helmet, regardless of whether I have a strap on my glasses.
Since then I managed to lose the strap (during a particularly awful ride when I got lost at night in pouring ice-rain, and eventually had to rip the glasses off – which of course caused me to get even more lost without my prescription glasses). I called the optometrist, and they replaced the part within two days.
Performance of the Adidas cycling glasses
Cutting to the chase, how do these Adidas cycling glasses perform on a bike? In a word, awesomely. I have never had such good vision on a bike. Thanks to my new Lizard Vision I feel safer on my bike. And apparently the lens is a q10 base curved polycarbonate, which provides great vision because of a UV 400 filter, a light stabilizer, a contrast booster, a color balance and a compensation prism. Of course, I cannot vouch for any of that, but the vision does seem crystal clear, inside the house or on my bike. I also wear them on beach holidays, where it is always great to have clear vision with shades. I have never yet had to run into the surf to rescue someone, but if I do, I will let you know how the glasses perform!
I have now worn my Adidas cycling glasses many times in light to heavy rain. Unlike other cycling glasses I have worn, I hardly ever have to stop to take these off. The rain drops bead, rather than running down the glasses, so I can still see. Obviously, I cannot see as well as when there were no beads of water on the lenses. Still, it is amazing how well they do. I combine them with a peaked helmet to keep as much rain as possible off my lenses.
I have worn my Adidas cycling glasses many times and only once had a problem with tear-smearing on the lens. This was when my allergies were acting up, forcing me to go back to my Bolle Tactical goggles (reviewed here) for a brief time. Usually, I don’t have a tear-smearing problem with these glasses, because the clearance from the eyeball is generous, due to the curved lenses.
Of course, there is the usual problem of fitting the ear pieces under your helmet. It varies depending on which helmet I am wearing. In general, though, it works well, and certainly not uncomfortable or painful. A word of advice though, is to take your helmet along when you try on the glasses, just to be sure they work for you. These Adidas cycling glasses are most comfortable when worn with my super-comfy Urge Endur-O-Matic Helmet, reviewed here. But I wear them with my standard Giro helmet too, and they are fine. I always wear them with the strap on, which keeps them in the correct place under my helmet. When wearing a cycling balaclava, I put the strap and glasses over the balaclava, and it works well.
Related: How to Choose the Best Cycling Balaclava – 7 of the Best Cycling Balaclavas
Ventilation
These Adidas cycling glasses have a ClimaCoolTM ventilation system, which keeps you cool thanks to the ventilation holes. These are little rectangular holes between the lenses and the frame, on the outer edges. I don’t notice the holes, but I do feel cool wearing these glasses on hot days.
Appearance of the Adidas Cycling Glasses
I think these Adidas cycling glasses are very good looking, and I have had several people ask me where I got them. On the other hand, one guy said they were awesome because they made me look like Geordi from Star Trek. So … best to see what you look like in them, and judge for yourself.
Bottom Line on Adidas Tycane Pro L cycling glasses
These are quite expensive cycling glasses. But the quality is unbeatable – if you are willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars, and you bike a lot, and you value your eyes, they are worth the outlay. They are great for protection against the sun in summer, and icy winds in winter too. I wear them every time I ride my bike. They are also incredibly long-lasting – mine still look as good as the day I bought them. And trust me, I am very hard on my stuff.
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Hi Joe: Where did buy these? My optician doesn’t stock them? Help! Roland “fellow suffering bicyclist :-)” Tanglao
I just got them from my friendly local optictian, Dr. Mitchell in downtown Vancouver.