..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
rudy project exowind glasses - rxsport prescription inserts
in the early part of my itinerant period, i spent a year or two closeted behind a reception desk on which endless paperwork was grudgingly completed. just under the counter was a sequence of strip lights, all the better to illuminate those delightful carbon-backed forms. and you wonder why i write everything in lower-case. don't get me started.
anyway, a diet of fluorescence made headaches a part of that same daily life, summarily cured by opting for lenses with a graded tint on my spectacles. the tint cut the headache inducing glare from the lighting, but allowed untinted vision when graphic necessities made such demands on unhindered vision.
but, when all that had been left far behind, and any spare time was occupied with as much cycling as mrs washingmachinepost would allow, that relatively meagre tint was barely enough to excommunicate the sun's glare as i a strafed up a 7% climb, or avoided buzzard watching at the bruichladdich sprint (a little brian smith humour there). something more substantial was needed at that point, one that procrastination delayed until i signed up for a bike ride that involved two days' cycling in the french part of france. the sun always shines unremittingly in france in june. doesn't it?
as one required to wear prescription glasses for distance, the ideal solution turned out to be a pair of rudy project kalyos cycle glasses fitted with a clear prescription insert behind the tinted lenses. these were purchased online from james coakley at rx sport, via a website that even allows prescription details to be filled in and submitted online.
actually, it ain't necessarily so that french sunshine is perennial. on day one of my bike ride it was dull and grey, while day two was peppered with light showers and a complete absence of sunshine. still, i had a rather natty pair of cycling sunglasses, and i could see where i was going.
however, as is the case with tyres, cables, brake shoes, bar tape, and cycle shorts, everything wears as the years and months pass by, making eventual replacement an imperative at some point. just when that point arrives depends on a balance between procrastination and bank balance, for while rudy projects don't quite reach the financial excesses of oakleys (up to £350), they still cost as much as a decent pair of quality tyres.
i had reached the point where switching between dark tinted lenses and yellow (for grey, rainy days) had worn the point of contact and one of the tinted lenses had a propensity to fall out, though thankfully not at the point of riding. since the prescription inserts were still perfectly intact and in no need of change, from both a practical and vision point of view, i was keen to purchase a replacement pair of rudy projects that would accept the same inserts.
according to james coakley at rx sport, the exowind and ekynox models were my two options, from which i chose the former, costing £102 with a pair of dark tinted photochromic lenses. though i'm sure i'm stating the glaringly obvious (pardon the pun), photochromic means that exposure to ultraviolet light (the sun) causes them to darken incrementally depending on the strength of that light. intriguingly, there appears little or no difference when wearing, at least, not to the wearer.
i'm more than happy with my choice, since they fit particularly well, the impact rx lenses are, to all intents and purposes unbreakable, and the prescription inserts snap into place very easily in a groove each side of the nose bridge. however, if your tastes extend to living without prescription inserts and more towards prescription tinted lenses, aside from the rudy project options, rx sport also offer oakley, bolle, adidas, and nike, as well as free postage in the uk.
i placed my order on a monday morning, and the sunglasses arrived in the mail on wednesday. pretty darned good by my reckoning. i could have paid £5.95 for next day delivery, but islay's one of those places where manana is really a couple of days too soon. two days is fine by me.
so, if myopia is something that afflicts you, and you need a decent pair of prescription cycling glasses, might i recommend contacting james at rx sport. (the cost of a pair of rudy project exowind sunglasses with prescription inserts is from £138.99 depending on choice of lenses, with a current lead time of one to two weeks).
rx sport prescription sunglasses
thursday 21st march 2013
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................