I think we’re all on the same page with cycling glasses insofar as style is genuinely an important consideration. Besides a few odd models, very few are marketed as more aero or offering any significant performance advantage besides being able to see better. I’ve tested well over 50 pairs of the best cycling glasses now in everything from high summer sun to winter gloom, via plenty of mud and spray from other people’s tyres.
While they won’t make you go any faster, the best models mix comfort, optical clarity free from distortion, and performance across a whole host of light conditions, either through modern lens tech or the ability to swap to a clear lens when the gloom descends.
Last updated on 16th February 2026
Quite a few new products were brought in, and the mix was reshuffled to make it more useful, with some that don’t cut it culled. Most pertinently, the Smith Wildcat is now my pick for winter use and the Oakley Velo Kato comes in as offering the best coverage, but I still think the Oakley Encoder is the best option overall, despite it being quite an old model now.
Best cycling glasses available today
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Best overall
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Buy it if
✅ You want a do-it-all pair of glasses: The lens clarity is excellent and the Prizm Road lens works well in all conditions.
✅ You want glasses that don’t interfere with your helmet: Those with smaller heads always suffer from arm-helmet interference, but this is minimal with the Encoders.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You want an uninterrupted field of view: The lenses provide mostly good vision, but the nosepiece can sit in your eyeline.
❌ You want multiple lenses: Although the Prizm Road lens performs well in a variety of conditions, the Encoders don’t allow you to swap lenses.
If you want a do-it-all and do-it-well pair of cycling glasses, it’s very hard to look past the Oakley Encoder. They aren’t necessarily the best at one thing in particular – they’re not the largest, the lightest, the cheapest, or the best value – but they are very good at almost everything all in one go.
The lenses are excellent, with a frameless design that, thanks to a brow ridge, doesn’t feel floppy or flimsy as most others do. The Prizm Road lens is the way to go if you’re riding tarmac mostly, and is great in full sun down to twilight gloom in my experience, offsetting the lack of a clear lens or the ability to swap to any other lens.
There’s no distortion, the nose and ear grippers are tenacious, so they don’t fall off your face or even budge slightly, whilst being gentle enough not to cause the bit above your ears to hurt after a few hours.
They also aren’t massive, so if you’re not into the giant optics of the likes of the POC Demos or larger Sutro models, then they cut a more modest, understated figure.
For the full rundown, have a read of my Oakley Encoder review and you’ll see why I love them so much and keep coming back to them ride after ride.
Everything I’ve said here is also true for the vented variant, the Encoder Strike. It’s a slightly different lens shape, but not enough to make it perform any differently. If you live somewhere particularly humid, then go for these instead.
Best budget
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Buy it if
✅ You want a great value pair of cycling glasses: Nothing beats the APE Optics Vega Evo for value, coming with three lenses as well as a prescription lens insert for under £40.
✅ You want a modern, premium look on a budget: The Vega Evo mimics more premium models with a semi-frameless design and contemporary colours.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You want top-tier materials: The materials feel a little cheaper than higher-end models, but that’s because they are, and you’ll save a significant amount of money as a result.
The Victory Chimp Vega Evo’s don’t feel quite as premium in terms of materials and construction as the rest of this list, but they are substantially cheaper, and still look the part… which is important!
What they lack in absolute lens optical performance, they make up for in the number of lenses they offer; you get loads. A mirrored one for sun, a clear one for nighttime, a yellow one for when it’s gloomy, and a polarised one for… well, I don’t personally rate polarised lenses for riding, but if you’re doing any watersports or driving with them, it is still nice to have.
Importantly, they offer a really decent level of performance at a price less than 1/5 that of some of the more expensive options in this list.
My Victory Chimp Vega Evo review should fill you in on all the details if you want more info.
Best lightweight
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Buy it if
✅ You want a featherweight pair of cycling glasses with a barely-there feel: One of the lightest pairs of glasses on the market and up there with the best in the business.
✅ You want superb clarity and an uninterrupted field of view: The Clarity lens technology impresses, offering a crisp and unobstructed view ahead.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You’re looking for a budget-friendly option: With a high RRP, these are a premium investment, offering high performance but at a steep price.
You may be thinking, ‘how much difference can lightweight glasses make?’, which is certainly a valid question. The differences between heavy ones and lightweight ones are minimal in gram terms, but on the face, you can certainly tell the difference, especially after a few hours.
The POC Elicits are extremely feathery, with skeletal plastic arms and a thin, frameless lens. You get a clear lens in the box, which makes them brilliant for nighttime and winter use too, and the flat lens that sits further out from the face makes them more resistant to fogging than more heavily wrapped versions.
They don’t grip so well as the Encoders, so if you have a small head, they may not stay on as well, but I never found it to be a huge problem with my pinhead. The optical performance is excellent, and the frameless nature of them means your view is never interrupted.
If you want a more wrapped version, then POC also makes the Elicit Toric, which is functionally identical besides having a curved lens. You get better wind protection, but a set more prone to fogging. Personally, I prefer the standard version, and reach for them most often when it’s really hot and humid, due to the increased airflow behind the lens.
Check out my POC Elicit Clarity review for all the rest of the details.
Best for winter
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Buy it if
✅ You want a good value pair of glasses for year-round riding: With both a coloured and a clear lens included, they’re ready for any weather or light condition.
✅ You want full coverage: A big lens means big coverage, and that’s what you get here.
Don’t buy it if
❌You want glasses that play nicely with helmets: The arms can interfere with some helmet cradles, but their flat profile makes it less problematic than with many other glasses.
I’ve got the S3 from 100% in a colourway that’s a clear homage to Gulf Racing. Given the brand’s background in American Motocross, it feels semi-fitting. The soft-touch finish, something that you can only really get from 100% to my knowledge, does also lend a noticeably premium feel to proceedings, though if you have greasy hands from a dropped chain, the frames can hold stains more than others.
Finish and colours aside, the S3 are a brilliant pair of cycling glasses. Perhaps not as complete as the Demos and the Encoder, but still very good. The nosepiece doesn’t hold so well, and while the arms grip very well, they are quite long and don’t have a strong wrap, meaning they’re more likely to interfere with the rear cradle of a helmet.
The HiPER lenses, an orange base with a silver exterior in this case, are excellent in both shape and contrast. A little less good than the Prizm offerings from Oakley and the Clarity lenses from POC, but on the flipside, you get a clear lens in the box with every set of 100% glasses, so you can use them at night and in the winter with ease. For really filthy gravel rides, this is excellent, as you can just throw the clear lens on and not worry about scratching off the lens coating with grit.
Another benefit to these, mostly for aesthetic reasons, is the wide range of colour options. I’d always advocate for choosing the lens you need first, but I appreciate that for a lot of you cycling glasses are a style-first decision, so if you need options, then you’ll have many to choose from here.
My 100% S3 review goes into all the reasons why I think these are the best choice if you spend a lot of time riding outside in winter.
Best optics
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Buy it if
✅ You want the absolute best optics: No distortion, total coverage, great Prizm performance across a whole range of light conditions.
✅ You hate wind in your eyes: These are basically impervious to the wind.
Don’t buy it if
❌You want to take them off: Yes, you can put them in your helmet, but you can’t fold the arms away, which gets quite annoying sometimes.
These cycling glasses really aren’t going to be for everyone. They’re huge… I mean HUGE… and you can’t fold them away as the arms have no hinges for some mad reason, but if you can put up with the frustrations of having to store them open, and any comments that you look like a Power Ranger, then you’ll be rewarded with the most incredible optical performance on the market.
The Prizm Road lenses are excellent, just as they are with any Oakley glasses that sport them, but here you have such a giant lens with such a heavy wrap your field of view is totally uninterrupted. Counterintuitively for such a big pair of shades, once they’re on, it’s like you’re not wearing a pair of glasses at all, or like you’re wearing a visor.
This added coverage means they’re also totally windproof. Even on the fastest descents, you’re not going to have air rushing in behind and making your eyes water. For big alpine descents, they’re ace, but I’ve happily worn mine all day for 200km rides in late winter, and they’ve been absolutely golden.
They’re a little heavier than some, but the arms and nose work well to keep them in place and, more importantly, make sure they’re not going to hurt after a few hours on your ears. Naturally, if you’ve got a smaller head the size is going to be a harder sell, but if you just want the best optical performance possible, then it has to be the Velo Katos.
My Oakley Velo Kato review goes into how I got on with them over a couple of months.
Best photochromics
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Buy it if
✅ You ride in changeable conditions: The lenses will adjust to the light, so you can use them for dark starts through to bright days
✅ You don’t want a massive set of shades: These are small, understated, and neat. Perfect for a minimal aesthetic and smaller heads.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You want adjustability: There are no additional nosepieces or any way to tweak the fit, so if you have a narrow nose, they may not be for you
❌ You want a sturdy grip: Like many frameless options, they’re quite flexible, so don’t grip as tightly as some
The Galibier Grand Tour photochromic sunglasses take our best photochromic spot this year. These wallet-friendly sunglasses from the Irish brand offer brilliant value for money, and I have been riding in them regularly for well over a year. They have been my trusty companions for a grim winter of riding this year and have never faltered.
The shades weigh in at just 23 grams, which makes them very unobtrusive to wear, though I have never had any issues with them moving around on my head due to the lightweight construction. It just makes them very comfortable to wear, though they are more flexible than even half-frame options. What I like about them, alongside the performance, is the simple styling and lens size that isn’t over the top. Lots of sunglasses are really quite big now, I think these strike a nice balance, especially if you have a small head, as I do.
I like a pair of clear sunglasses in winter. In low light levels, they come into their own, and these glasses are great for winter, nighttime or low light conditions. I can wear them in the dark comfortably, and it’s really valuable to have a set of clear glasses lenses. They are photochromic though, which means the lenses darken in brighter light. This is useful when the sun comes out, but for true sunshine, I would switch to a more dedicated pair of summer shades.
Lens clarity is spot on for me, I never have to think twice when I’m wearing these shades, and that’s a telling point for me. I’ve also recommended them to friends searching for affordable clear shades for winter and they have all sung the Grand Tour’s praises.
The glasses come with a hard zippered case, and a soft drawstring bag, always handy to keep them safe. I’m not sure you can go wrong for the money, this is a product that proves strong performance doesn’t have to cost the earth. If you have a read of our Galibier Grand Tour Photochromic review, you’ll find more as to why we rate them so highly.
Most aero
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Buy it if
✅ You want glasses that have been designed with aerodynamics in mind: The Propel’s feel like you’re wearing a visor more than a set of cycling sunglasses, and they look it too.
✅ You want glasses that stay put: With a replaceable nose gripper, curved frame, and hooked arms, these offer the most secure fit of any POC glasses.
Don’t buy it if
❌ You prefer a more casual look: Their heavily wrapped, aero-focused design might feel over-the-top for your style of riding or off the bike.
Nothing is safe from aero gains nowadays, with racers and enthusiastic amateurs alike running aero socks, aero helmets, aero jerseys, and even aero gloves. If you want to go all in, then the POC Propel is the only pair of cycling glasses that purports to offer wattage gains. These gains are minimal (sub-watt, according to the brand), but that’s better than nothing, right?
Aero aside, the Propels actually stand up very well on their merits as glasses. The extremely heavy wrap means you get brilliant peripheral vision, and the shorter height of the lens means they’re less likely to foul on the brim of helmets for smaller-headed riders. Much like the Velo Kato, they’re also brilliantly windproof, and thanks to a combination of low weight, a decent nose gripper, and hooked arms that can be adjusted for length, they stay on a lot better than the POC Elicits do.
They appear frameless, but the lens just covers the lower half-frame construction. If you ride in an aero position, you’ll be looking more out of the top of them anyway, but if you’re riding something more upright, then my advice is to go for one of the paler colours for the frames as they’ll sit in your eyeline a little less.
Our POC Propel review goes into what we think is so great about them.
Also consider
Beloved by Mathieu van der Poel, these are another great option from the biggest name in sports eyewear. Great lens options, big coverage, but certainly on the larger side.
An underrated option in my opinion, with great Zeiss lenses and a premium build quality. If you want something different from the usual crowd, then these are a great pick.
Another stellar option for winter, with huge coverage, a lens that sits far from the face to avoid fogging, and crucially, the inclusion of a clear lens as standard to go with the myriad lens options on offer.
If the Velo Kato was a little too out there for you, then the standard Kato still holds its own. Prizm lenses and a heavy wrap, but with a slightly more toned-down style. I found them quite breezy at high speeds though.
An old pair now, but one that set POC’s stall out for the style-conscious. Big coverage, and given the width of the lens the soft-touch arms can be bent to a place where they grip your head, so retention is still excellent.
Another superlight pair that comes into their own on the hottest, most humid days. You’ll barely know you’re wearing them, and they still come with a clear lens for nighttime excursions.
How to choose the best cycling glasses for you
- What colour lenses are best for cycling? Choose tinted, photochromic, or clear lenses depending on the light conditions you ride in most.
- Do I want multi-sport versatility? Some glasses are strictly cycling-focused, while others can be used for multiple sports or casual wear.
- What size do I need for my head? Smaller glasses prevent interference with helmets on smaller faces, while larger glasses offer extra coverage for bigger heads.
- What fit do I want? Glasses should fit snugly and comfortably, with arms and nosepieces that stay in place on long rides.
- How much to spend? Spending more can offer better materials and lens technology, but many mid-range options perform very well.
Everything you need to know about the best cycling glasses
If you’ve scrolled through all the models and have ended up with more questions than answers, worry not, hopefully, we can answer them all. Cycling glasses have evolved greatly in the last couple of decades to the point now where there are competing proprietary lens technologies, baffling shapes, and a mix of frame styles too.
We’ll go into what makes a good lens, what makes a good frame, some things to look out for in terms of fit and a few more things.
If you’re torn between two pairs or even more, you don’t necessarily need to break it down to stats though. All the cycling glasses in this list will provide the legally required UV protection or more, as they are from reputable manufacturers, so if you’ve got a gut feeling that you just like a pair, then go for it. None of the pairs included here will let you down; that’s why they’re on the list.
Why do cyclists wear big glasses?
In a word: Protection. And also in another few words: Field of vision. Bigger lenses protect your eyes from debris and high winds, and allow you to see more of what’s going on around you without being obstructed by the frame or having to peer over or under the lenses.
If you’re descending at 70km/h, that’s a 70km/h wind that you need to block out, more if you have a headwind to contend with too. The best cycling glasses can basically nullify the effect of even the strongest gusts to keep your eyes tear-free and able to focus on the road ahead.
What colour lens is best for cycling?
In days gone by, cycling glasses came with a black, often mirrored lens for bright sunshine, a yellow or orange lens for low light, and a clear lens for nighttime. Now things have moved on, and a single lens can often cope with both bright sun and very low light too. Red and orange base tints, as can be found in the Prizm Road from Oakley and the HiPER Silver Mirror from 100% provide the contrast needed for low light, and a reflective outer coating improves their performance in bright sunshine.
If you had to choose one lens only, the Prizm Road is the cream of the crop, but most brands have a proprietary lens technology now, and they are all significantly better than a plain black lens.
For nighttime, a clear lens is really the only choice, so if you’re going to be riding in the dark, then make sure your glasses ship with a clear lens, or at least come with the option of swapping to one.
Are polarised glasses better for cycling?
Polarised lenses are excellent for watersports, and as they’re more expensive, it’s easy to assume they’re better, but I wouldn’t recommend them for cycling.
The polarised nature of the lenses cuts down on surface reflections, which allows wearers to see below the water’s surface. While it may indeed reduce road glare on sunny days, it will also reduce your ability to notice surface water, and could well lead to you hitting a puddle at speed without realising, which could get messy.
What sort of frame do I need?
Full, partial, or frameless?
Frameless cycling glasses offer the most unimpeded view, provided they have the same size lens as the equivalent full-frame option. A massive full-frame pair like the POC Devour will have a better field of view than a diminutive frameless set.
It mostly comes down to an aesthetic choice, and in our experience, the main difference comes not in terms of field of view but in terms of retention. Without a frame, frameless glasses are less rigid and so can’t grip your temples so securely. This is more of an issue with small heads.
Half-frames offer a halfway house, adding rigidity to the upper portion of the lens without adding the bulk of a full frame, but in most cases, it makes very little difference.
Are cycling sunglasses worth it?
If you’re on a budget, then cheap cycling sunglasses will provide many of the benefits of more expensive options at a far more reasonable price.
That being said, more premium options have advantages in terms of adjustability, field of view, build quality and optical clarity. Simply put, they’ll just do the job better; comparing a cheap pair and an expensive pair back to back is eye-opening sometimes (pun intended), but if you just want something to block out the sun and no more, then don’t feel you have to spend big bucks.
We get asked this a lot, so we put together a full piece on cheap vs expensive cycling glasses to answer it comprehensively once and for all.
Do I need UV protection?
Beyond fashion, field of view, and fit, the very purpose of any pair of sunglasses is to protect your eyes from harmful UV radiation. Sunglasses are regulated by law and must block UVA and UVB, and all the glasses here will meet the minimum required protection.
While the tint of each lens may allow varying levels of visible light through, darker lenses don’t necessarily offer increased UV protection, so if you’re concerned, then check the manufacturer’s specifications for more details.
Are photochromic lenses worth it for cycling?
In general, I’m inclined to say no, but testing the Spatz Shield has changed my mind somewhat. They have a place for sure, but to my mind, they’re best kept for spring and autumn riding, where it’s mostly overcast, rather than sunny days with tree cover and tunnels as they’re often marketed; they can’t react fast enough for dramatic changes in conditions.
The main benefit comes with more general changes in light conditions; think dark mornings and sunny midday in the same ride. Commutes and winter riding primarily.
Am I going to look cool?
Taste is a very personal thing. Your taste will vary from your friends’, but rest assured that if you buy any of these and they don’t feel quite right, either from a style or fit point of view, then you have a right to return them to the retailer.
How do we test for the best cycling glasses?
Testing is the backbone of the tech department at Cyclingnews and how we test is taken seriously, so read on to find out more.
I have in my cupboard a whole crate of cycling glasses. The ones that have made it into this list represent the best of the best, and there is a good number that I’ve tested that I don’t think warrant inclusion. I’ve been working on this guide for 18 months or so now, using countless models in all weather conditions and for various different riding styles, and with different helmets too, so I can be confident in my recommendations. I stand by the fact that you won’t be disappointed by any on this list.