Hi guys
I’m a new member; just joined after doing some research on some new sunglasses which I’m long overdue.
Just a short intro on who I am first since i just joined
I’m still only a teen but have been doing tri’s ever since I was 12, I only did swimming and running before then.
I had a crappy cheap pair of sunnies since my dad bought them from me since I started and now I’m wanting for more especially since I saved up some $ from this year’s summer jobs.
Oakley’s IMHO are pretty pricey; and they’re even more inflated here in Hong Kong. (I’m planning on asking a friend or relative to bring the glasses back from the US so no worries on shipping there)
I was looking at Rudy Project since they’re having a 2for1 promo going on e-rudy. Or alternatively just buying the glasses itself and using the various coupon codes on the internet to knock the price down
I was wondering which would be more suited to triathlon or if there are any cheaper alternatives.
For reference the 2for1 promotion the price that I’m being quoted is $250
For just the pair of glasses itself its $160.
Same price for both models.
I want to decide fairly soon as I’m gearing up for a “3/4 distance OD triathlon” on September 23rd Any tips and advice? (bike course is very hill and I’d say evenly split 15% flat, 42.5% uphill, 42.5% downhill)
Of the high end sunglasses, I like Rudy. I am now back to cheap sunglasses for triathlon. They are typically left unattended on your bike while you swim, they get knocked off, they get thrown down in T2 when they are all covered with sweat. Really easy for them to get scratched, broken or lost. Some of the cheap frameless model are really nice for riding with your head down. If they don’t work, give them away and try something else.
Of the high end sunglasses, I like Rudy. I am now back to cheap sunglasses for triathlon. They are typically left unattended on your bike while you swim, they get knocked off, **they get thrown down in T2 **when they are all covered with sweat. Really easy for them to get scratched, broken or lost. Some of the cheap frameless model are really nice for riding with your head down. If they don’t work, give them away and try something else.
I’ll agree with you on this one. My first and only pair of Rudy’s are off the low cheap end and I’ve gotten them tangled in my helmet before somehow while in T2 when taking off my helmet.
But then again I’d like some with “bigger lenses” as the lenses are quite small on my current Rudy’s (I don’t even think they sell them any more) and it doesn’t have any of the rubber grippers for the nose and the side of the head.
I’m leaning towards the Hypermask performance right now with the ImpactX (photochormic) lenses. I’ll be giving E-rudy a call later to ask if they’ll take my mum’s AE credit card as the billing address is different from the shipping address that I’d like it to be shipped to.
I’m slightly confused. You say Oakley’s are a little pricey, but then ask for opinions on $160 Rudys. Oakley jawbones are $160 (amazon, not oakley.com) and come with a dark and a light set of lenses. I have these and they’re fantastic. They’re awesome for both cycling and running. Even though you can’t get the 2-for-1 deal, $160 is still less money than $250. Deals like that only save you money if you plan on either selling the other pair for more than $90, or using them eventually. If you only use one pair, $90 is a pretty expensive shelf addition. As for the Oakley specific HK inflation, I thought your friend was bringing them over from the US anyway…
There is no right answer here. Like a lot of things in triathlon, from which energy drink you prefer to your favorite gel flavor, it is mostly personal preference. If you do races where you are likely to be in aero alot then frameless ones will give you a clearer field of vision. But if you are doing shorter races or find yourself in packs like in ITU races it is not as big of a deal. Rudy is great and I give them lots of love because they are a sponsor of my team. I also love Tifosi because the price point allows me to experiment with various designs. You may also want to consider a helmet that has a visor on it. That is what I use and then only use sunglasses on the run. Then it is all about fit and comfort. At your age I would probably aim for the lower end price-wise until you really find something you like. As the other poster said, your sunglasses do take a beating. Find what works for you and go with that. Good luck and welcome to Slowtwitch. Best,
-Doug
I’m slightly confused. You say Oakley’s are a little pricey, but then ask for opinions on $160 Rudys. Oakley jawbones are $160 (amazon, not oakley.com) and come with a dark and a light set of lenses. I have these and they’re fantastic. They’re awesome for both cycling and running. Even though you can’t get the 2-for-1 deal, $160 is still less money than $250. Deals like that only save you money if you plan on either selling the other pair for more than $90, or using them eventually. If you only use one pair, $90 is a pretty expensive shelf addition. As for the Oakley specific HK inflation, I thought your friend was bringing them over from the US anyway…
Just my $.02
well if you filter amazon by price the jawbone that comes up for starters only has 1 lens type and it isn’t photochromic compared to the rudy’s that I have picked out right now if you get what I mean. (getting the best for the least $ spent)
I do intend to use the glasses for myself only
I hope I’m making sense and not blabbering right now. Please do tell me if I’m not making sense.
There is no right answer here. Like a lot of things in triathlon, from which energy drink you prefer to your favorite gel flavor, it is mostly personal preference. If you do races where you are likely to be in aero alot then frameless ones will give you a clearer field of vision. But if you are doing shorter races or find yourself in packs like in ITU races it is not as big of a deal. Rudy is great and I give them lots of love because they are a sponsor of my team. I also love Tifosi because the price point allows me to experiment with various designs. You may also want to consider a helmet that has a visor on it. That is what I use and then only use sunglasses on the run. Then it is all about fit and comfort. At your age I would probably aim for the lower end price-wise until you really find something you like. As the other poster said, your sunglasses do take a beating. Find what works for you and go with that. Good luck and welcome to Slowtwitch. Best,
-Doug
Thanks! Well considering I’m too young to begin with if we’re going to talk about big ITU races eh I wouldn’t go looking for a TThelmet/visor sorta thing.
Well the glasses I have right now have taken a beating for the past 3-4 years already
I would get the Oakley Radar Paths. Assuming you don’t buy fake ones in Hong Kong. If you look at a large majority of pro runners/cyclists/triathletes they are wearing Radar Paths because they work.
Don’t buy cheap sunglasses. Especially when biking…glasses are meant for protection.
As far as durability, my radars have survived a couple of crashes, being dropped off a 3 story building, etc. etc. Yes the lenses/frame might get scratched but they’ll still work.
I would get the Oakley Radar Paths. Assuming you don’t buy fake ones in Hong Kong. If you look at a large majority of pro runners/cyclists/triathletes they are wearing Radar Paths because they work.
Don’t buy cheap sunglasses. Especially when biking…glasses are meant for protection.
As far as durability, my radars have survived a couple of crashes, being dropped off a 3 story building, etc. etc. Yes the lenses/frame might get scratched but they’ll still work.
thing is I’m also looking at $/performance&value
I was looking up radar paths and radar lock paths on Amazon and they’re all about 210-220 and the photochromic ones for for $300 compared to $160 for rudy’s :s
I don’t think that there is anything better than that for " $/performance&value"? I’m open to any suggestions short of getting a random cheap pair of sunnies
If not; which ones would you recommend? (out of revenge and hypermask performance) I don’t always go into aero position since I took the aero bars off my bike…my dad is convincing me with the hypermasks though since they’re rarely seen in Hong Kong and they’re “unique” since practically everyone here only uses Oakley Radar’s or Jawbones.
If an option in Hong Kong; try contacting a local rep and see if they’ll throw you a pair for *stickering *up your bike or helmet. Its always worth a tri.
If an option in Hong Kong; try contacting a local rep and see if they’ll throw you a pair for *stickering *up your bike or helmet. Its always worth a tri.
for oakley or rudy’s?
oakley is a big no. They know that they’re in demand and people will buy them regardless of the inflated price so they won’t bother negotiating.
rudy’s…well no one has them. I’ve asked the store where my dad bought my old rudy’s from and they haven’t gotten back to me yet and I doubt he’ll be able to get me the price that I got discounted off e-rudy.
Even though I’m learning mandarin I cannot read the Oakley China site. I’m guessing this is the oakley region that would apply to you?
As far as brand for me its Smith, Pivlock V2, but thats only because the rep is local. Maybe its not Rudy or Oakley, are there any sunglass companies based in Hong Kong? If so check them out. Free is always cool. You could also try contacting a rep in the states, maybe they would ship you a pair. Don’t be afraid to just shoot emails to whoever… it may lead to something, as teens we sit looking at our computers wasting time anyway.
Both oakley and Rudy are great glasses and hold up well in my experience with them. It sounds like you can get two for the price of one with Rudy though so why not.
Even though I’m learning mandarin I cannot read the Oakley China site. I’m guessing this is the oakley region that would apply to you?
As far as brand for me its Smith, Pivlock V2, but thats only because the rep is local. Maybe its not Rudy or Oakley, are there any sunglass companies based in Hong Kong? If so check them out. Free is always cool. You could also try contacting a rep in the states, maybe they would ship you a pair. Don’t be afraid to just shoot emails to whoever… it may lead to something, as teens we sit looking at our computers wasting time anyway.
Both oakley and Rudy are great glasses and hold up well in my experience with them. It sounds like you can get two for the price of one with Rudy though so why not.
-Kevin Miles
Thanks Kevin
I myself am not sure. But I visited one of the main cycling/bike shops today to look at their catalogue after coaching some kids; they had a full range of Oakley glasses but all super hype inflated. Also; FYI in case you guys don’t know Hong Kong has no price-fixing laws…so its highly unlikely I’ll be able to find anything that has a steep variation in price no matter where I am in Hong Kong.
lol I doubt sending an email off to Oakley would help me for free since they sponsor the HK National team and I’m not particularly gifted/fast. But hey; trying doesn’t harm right? I’ll take that suggestion to mind and do that but i’m not hoping for much.
As for the Rudy’s which would you prefer and why? Both the revenge and hypermask performance I know are pretty much Rudy’s “high end” models. Which should I choose? hmmmm…
Not for nothing, but I thought this thread was a bump from one of the few threads discussing this exact issue from earlier in summer. Here are two threads already discussing the sunglass hunt ad nauseam:
I guess yours is more of a value question, which indeed is in these threads. My opinion, I exclusively considered/used those without a frame to block my vision while in the aero position and never went back. I used Tifosi for years (I like the vogels, and now they have a cool version the podium), but upgraded to Rrudy Rroject Hypermask performance because I just needed something that seemed a little more durable/higher quality. I loved the Tifosi glasses, but when I switched to Rudy Project Hypermask, the lightest sunglasses in the world, in a cool color, efficient brow piece, and awesome visual clarity (I have the yellow ones with blue tinted lenses which block a little less sun so I don’t feel like I’m in a cave and allow me to see potholes on shaded roads) I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried them. And they have a great warranty.
Not for nothing, but I thought this thread was a bump from one of the few threads discussing this exact issue from earlier in summer. Here are two threads already discussing the sunglass hunt ad nauseam:
I guess yours is more of a value question, which indeed is in these threads. My opinion, I exclusively considered/used those without a frame to block my vision while in the aero position and never went back. I used Tifosi for years (I like the vogels, and now they have a cool version the podium), but upgraded to Rrudy Rroject Hypermask performance because I just needed something that seemed a little more durable/higher quality. I loved the Tifosi glasses, but when I switched to Rudy Project Hypermask, the lightest sunglasses in the world, in a cool color, efficient brow piece, and awesome visual clarity (I have the yellow ones with blue tinted lenses which block a little less sun so I don’t feel like I’m in a cave and allow me to see potholes on shaded roads) I didn’t know what I was missing until I tried them. And they have a great warranty.
thanks for the links! I’ll be reading them before I make a final decision
speaking of which; I’m not a super strong cyclist and don’t always TT in the front nor am I always alone as most of the time I’m in the lead pack/chase pack so I can draft; are the hypermasks worth it if I don’t TT alot?
Nevermind
I bit the bullet and order the Hypermask performance
Tony (sales rep on the phone) was very nice and helped me through the transaction quickly and gave me his opinions on both glasses
Looking forward to getting my pair of glasses and I’ll be sure to do a mini review on them
.
Any tips and advice? (bike course is very hill and I’d say evenly split 15% flat, 42.5% uphill, 42.5% downhill)