Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery is one of my everyday "must goes" on the interwebs.
Even when the story arcs seem needlessly drawn out sometimes, I tune in every day, either to find out what happens "next" or just to get a slice of life of characters who are all bike crazy, but in very different ways. There's Yehuda, the slightly preachy and overzealous transportation cyclist, Joe, the Roadie who's his partner, Thistle, bakfiets mom and mechanical engineer, Sister Sprocket- Shaker fixie pixie, and a host of other entertaining side characters.
I've been searching for a new pair of glasses. Now that we're getting more grey days and I'm almost always biking home after dark, I don't need sunglasses as often. However there are still a lot of times where I need to wear something to protect my eyes, either from flying crud or from plain old cold air. They need enough ventilation that they don't get all foggy at stoplights too.
If I were a racer, there are all kinds of amber and yellow lenses that I could wear, but I think I would feel silly wearing such sporty things with my regular clothes.
I have thought about buying clear lensed "vanity glasses" but I'm worried that they will scratched too easily. I'm tough on sunglasses, I toss them in the basket, lose them all the time, fatigue the cross pieces etc, Because I'm so tough on them I'd prefer a "dispososable" price point, something that will last the winter but not necessarily much more. $20 or less.
So, What would yehuda wear? What do you wear to protect your eyes? What should I look for to get me through the months ahead?
when I used to commute out to Bedford and back, I'd wear a set of 'sporty' sunglasses with interchangeable lenses. The ambers were good for adding contrast on flat grey days like today, and the yellow lenses helped cut headlight glare on the dark roads of Lexington. One can occasionally find closeouts of these kinds glasses for a decent price at the City Sports outlet in Downtown Crossing or on semi-regular sweeps of the clearance bins in the basement of the Fenway REI (though, admittedly, not for $20 or less). I've been a little less prone to wearing them lately as I've been wearing contacts less often and contacts more frequently. Also, I don't find yellow lenses to be that much of a boon in urban riding.
ReplyDeleteThat's the long winded answer to what I wear :) What would Yehuda wear? Maybe it's all of the wool, but I keep imagining Yehuda with some kind of old school glacier/mountaineering glasses, like Julbo Sherpa; which would honestly be wretched for cycling given the loss of peripheral vision ... but, gosh, those fully curving arms and nicely rounded lenses...
For your purposes, I think clear non-prescription lenses should be fine. As far as protecting the lenses, just minimize your need to carry them in a bag. Leave them on until you get to your desk and then do the same when you get home? I mean, unlike regular sunglasses, there's no specific reason why you have to take them off whenever you enter a building, right?
Safety goggles. Cheap and effective. Some even make pretense of being stylish. If you're lucky, you might be able to get them free. Any hardware or tool store if not. They'll work to keep the cold away down to about 10F as well, though they tend to fog up when you stop.
ReplyDeleteSteve A, Are you sure you're not actually my dad posting under a false name? He swears by them for biking, but they're not really the look I'm going for. I already have a couple of pair for working with power tools, so it's not like getting a set is a big hassle- and yes I think they were free:).
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking I should try "Cat Crap" or a similar anti-fog substance sold for ski goggles on whatever I end up with.
Yehuda's cap protects and shields his eyes from all angles, so if you're wondering what he would wear--I think he goes for that cap in the dead of winter.
ReplyDeleteI tried wearing a cap like that and it cuts down (maybe down to 1/3 chance) on stuff flying into the eyes and indeed helps with glare/sunlight a bit. And it doesn't fog up or need Cat Crap. The one downside is that it would look ridiculous with a helmet, which some people will not go without.
Safety goggles come in many styles. For a sampling, including many that don't fit the dumpy stereotype, go to eBay and search "safety glasses." I notice that some, selling for $6 including shipping advertise "antifog." There were 7,048 of them listed, so selection is pretty diverse.
ReplyDeleteWe first started wearing safety goggles when night skiing on nights it was too warm to wear the full-up clear ski goggles. Pretty soon, we were going for style points. Antifog is good on them, but it's something you have to buy so I don't bother. Mine fog up at stops, but then clear up as soon as I start out again. Speed is the best antidote to fogging.