need eyewear and riding posture advice

[achoo]

I am nearsighted and my eyes have never managed to get used to contacts. I need to wear a prescription. I have a road bike. If I wear my current glasses (they are not cycling glasses) my face is angled down and I end up looking (not 'seeing') over the top of my glasses as if they are reading glasses. If I raise my face so that I can see through my glasses, my neck starts hurting and I would say the posture is neither sustainable nor proper.

(In the future I may try a recumbent bike, and do an end-run around this problem. But right now, I need to solve this problem on my current bike.)

I am looking for cycling glasses that

1. allow my face to be angled down comfortably
2. allow me to look ahead horizontally through an area covered by my prescription.
   
   
   1. Not sure if Addidas' Rx inserts come up high enough for that. But really feel that somehow people are wearing them while cycling and seeing through the inserts. If so, how?
   2. Goggles can 'sit' on my eyebrows slightly elevated off the bridge of my nose, but this changes the effect of the prescription slightly and may cause headaches. It just doesn't seem right.

Also, if you have any advice about riding posture, I'm all ears.

Final note: the bike has already been fitted to me by a professional.

 

[smithsr]

I am just about to get a pair fitted. My family gave me the main frame for Xmas and am now waiting for the prescription lenses. It looks as though they may work fine as the lenses rotates up from the arms to change the viewing angle.

I also use a pair of Dakota Smith frames with a large lense area that seems to work well enough as optometrist set the lenses up for bike work. They still do not have the full wrap around effect of the sports glasses that reduces wind blast over the eyes and the occassional insect.

 

[leebm]

I understand your problem completely as I have a -8.25 diopter adjustment which also limits the type of glasses I can use. I also have never been comfortable with contact lenses.

Another issue that I've run up against is getting a set of cycling sunglasses with multiple lenses so I can adjust to the varying light conditions. I've been using the Bolle Parole (4 different lenses). I've had these for six years and just purchased the Bolle Swiftkick with the Modulator lens.

As for your "sweet spot" on the lens issue, use an optical shop that has a steady making Rx-insert type sports glasses. Before I got my first set, I spoke with the shop in regards to how I was going to use the glasses and my position on the bike. They may be able to adjust the lens as you will be looking through a "higher" spot on the lens when in riding position.

Another possibility is to use one of the specialized companies that make cycling sunglasses. Two URLs are provided, though I've not used either of these companies due to the strength of my prescription.

http://www.sportsoptical.com/
http://www.bicyclerx.com/

Here's a brief article on Sports Optical from Pez
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/default.asp?pg=fullstory&id=4266

 

[achoo]

thanks for the replies so far.

anyone else have any experience with any of these? (they're carried by my dr's shop and covered by my insurance discount)

• Addidas with prescription inserts
• Rec Spec
• Oakley (not counting the really expensive ones used in the NBA)