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Lens For Cycling On Cloudy Days

Tim7

Oakley Beginner
6
51
Looking for a lens for cycling on cloudy days and when there is low light, near sunset. Right now all I have is
a grey lens, I can get by with it, for now, but need something to let more light in for the conditions mentioned above. Have the M-Frame right now hoping to get a Radar Path soon. Any recommendations?

Thanks In Advance,
 
Looking for a lens for cycling on cloudy days and when there is low light, near sunset. Right now all I have is
a grey lens, I can get by with it, for now, but need something to let more light in for the conditions mentioned above. Have the M-Frame right now hoping to get a Radar Path soon. Any recommendations?

Thanks In Advance,
I love blue iridium for approaching dusk and cloudy days but it is a super rosy color to look through and some people may think that may be too extreme. Persimmon is also good for a low light day or cloudy day (more of an orangish yellowish color) although I wouldn't really recommend wearing them during a sunny sunset. G30 is also a good low light cloudy day lens.
 
On a proper cloudy day I like using yellow lenses in my Radarlock and racing jackets or if its a bit brighter I have a persimmon one which is also good. I have the photochromic black iridium / clear lens radarlock and that is brilliant for days with sunny spells and then cloud or dusk & dawn rides. As mentioned the g30 lens is also good, similar to persimmon but with more of an anti glare coating for brighter conditions. Thinking about it i have all those lenses as its not often sunny here in England although has been pretty decent the last month so am getting a good use out of the jade, violet and +red lenses.
 
If you ride when sun is setting down photochromic is a good choice. G30 is nice for low light conditions.
 
Of the two stock radar path photochromic colorways, I'd recommend the VR50 version for the use you're describing.
 
Jade has been decently versatile for me. Some may say it's too blue/purple for cloudy days but the LT% works out well enough for me.
 
Have the M-Frame right now
Ah, then the world is your oyster!

My suggestion is to try them all.
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But the better response- what kind of conditions are you riding in, and what is your intent?

If you're just looking for a lighter lens than gray but still grey, slate is a nice option. At 23% to grey's 18% it's a nice bright view, but it had iridium so it can handle the flat reflections from a setting sun better than grey. Another similar option (though not available in M Frames) would be Light +Red Iridium. Another still would be light grey at 39% (also not an M Frame tint), but my guess is for most people light grey is really a do-nothing lens as it won't handle sun very well when you do get some, and won't enhance contrast when you don't. But if you're looking for lighter neutral tints, there you have it.

If contrast is your goal you have several options. VR50 (a nice 50% transmission with good contrast for the red side of the spectrum), Persimmon (a 61% lens that paints the world orange), Yellow (somewhere north of 80%, similarly, just brightens things with a yellow tint) are all solid, common choices. Persimmon and yellow have the added benefit of being available as HI versions, which adds a light iridium coating to help a bit with glare.

If you still want sunglasses for a good amount of light, but just want added function as the light begins to fade, once again contrast is a good option. My guess is since you're concerned with letting in more light than grey you want something with more than 20% transmission. VR28 (28%) and G30 (30%) are the two big contenders at this level.

Now, if your major enemy is GLARE, a light polarized tint might be what you're after. Unfortunately your options diminish. Light grey polarized (35%), Shallow Blue Polarized (20%), and OO Grey Polarized (18%) are the top of the heap. Amber polarized (30%) is in there, but I'm not a fan of that one. Deep Blue Polarized (17%) and Positive Red Polarized (18%) barely squeak in there.
 

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