Sunglasses and mountain biking go hand in hand, but sunglasses do more than just cover your eyes. By choosing the right lens color, you’ll get better clarity and vision while riding; choosing the wrong color can damage your vision. Lens color plays an important role in cycling.
Many of us have worn standard sunglasses. These glasses are used to darken bright sunlight, which is great if you ride in heavily exposed areas with no shade or dim light. In low-light conditions, on the other hand, dark lenses are often too dark to clearly see or identify objects or definitions in the track. This can be scary and even dangerous for mountain bikers, especially at high speeds. So what is the best color to use when riding? Below we will briefly outline the lens colors that are suitable for different conditions.
Brown Lens
Brown is a good “all-around” lens color choice. It filters out blue light waves and enhances green shadows (i.e. trees, bushes and grass). It’s dark enough to protect your eyes in bright conditions but also improves contrast, clarity and depth perception. As such, brown should be your first choice for sunny days on the mountain bike.
Red or Rose Lens
Red or rose-colored lenses are perfect for sports and outdoor activities. They block blue light, improve visibility and depth perception, provide maximum contrast and enhance detail. They provide the brightest view in low or no light conditions, helping to improve your athletic performance and safety. So when there is little or no sunlight, it is more important than ever to have tints that allow you to quickly and clearly identify the smallest details.
Yellow Lens
Yellow lenses are best for cloudy days, but can be useful in all types of weather. It is known for improving depth perception in low light conditions. Yellow lenses enhance vision in cloudy or foggy conditions, increase depth perception to filter out blue light, and help you identify the contours and details of roads and trails so you can focus on cycling.
Clear Lens
In addition to polarized lenses, mountain bikers need to have a pair of clear lenses. Clear lenses are very useful in low light conditions when riding at night or when there are dense clouds. You are still protecting your eyes and your vision will not be impaired by tinted lenses. They also protect your eyes from dust and debris while riding. Naturally, they are not a good choice for sunny days.
Transition lens
Transition lenses, also known as photochromic lenses, help your eyes adapt to the change in environment from dark to bright, while still protecting you from everything else. They are clear or nearly clear when the light is dim or you are on a dark trail, and they become darker if you are on a bright and exposed trail. If you are moving quickly through the woods, they will not be able to adjust quickly. They need time to change shadows.
Conclusion
In short, the color of your lenses is relevant to mountain biking. In fact, your lens color is the most important factor to consider when selecting lenses for cycling. You will need to determine the lighting or conditions you ride in most often and look for a lens that will maximize your vision and clarity. Of course for mountain biking lenses, it is inevitable that you will encounter stones attacking your lenses during the ride, and impact resistance is not to be ignored. I heard about MRY some time ago from a friend, a replacement lens merchant whose lenses meet ANSI Z87.1 standards, which means they have been tested according to strict protection guidelines. I bought a few pairs to try out for a few months and he did deliver everything it promised, definitely value for money.