My future's so bright I've gotta wear shades

Last week I got hooked up with Ryders Sunglasses to test our and review.  I've been stalking the Ryders site for a while now, knowing that they have some pretty amazing sunglasses and although I love my pink no-namers, I would be needing some new cycling ones soon. So I was pretty stoked when I opened the box to find two different pair to use - the Vela and the Hex.

Vela -  Retail $39.99
Right out of the box, I liked the look of these glasses.  I'm a fan of rimless or at least no bottom rims when I'm cycling because of riding aero.  I was sent the white ones with the mirror lenses (it's not quite orange... more of a dark brownish color).  I loved the feel of them.  They have adjustable non-slip nose pads and non-slip temples which I'm a huge fan of, especially when I ride.  They fit great -snug on my head, but not squeezing it, but I also knew that they wouldn't bounce around.  It was a cloudy day on Saturday when we rode, so I opted for the other pair, but Tom wore them and said that they were prefect, even as the day brightened up.  They came with a nice little bag, but I always worry that I'm going to crunch my glasses with something and put them in a hard case.

Hex - Retail $69.99
I'll be honest, when I first opened these, I wasn't thrilled.  The lenses were clear and I have this thing with clear glasses... I was a bio-chemistry major and any time I see someone with clear lenses, I am immediately time warped back to my lab days.  Not a pleasant memory.  I loved the black sleek frames, but ugh, the lenses.  Then it happened - they started darkening.  Say what?  These might be the best glasses ever!  They have a photochromic lens which means that they darken in the sunlight.  When I showed them to Tom, he said "these are the perfect sunglasses for anyone in Ohio where the weather changes in a minute".  I agree.  The Ryders Website has a great explanation of the lens here.  I wore them on a run on Friday (I never wear sunglasses while I run).  They started out very light gray and within minutes, were tinted to a very dark gray.  As the sun set, they lightened a little and adjusted perfectly.  They didn't bounce and didn't cause a headache (which is the reason I've always avoided running with sunglasses).  Since Saturday was cloudy, I opted for these glasses and was so happy to have them as the sun started shining 40 miles into our 60 mile ride!

It was like having two pairs of glasses in one!  These came with a great hard case.

Tom wearing the Vela and me in the Hex

Both pairs of glasses come in a variety of color frames and lenses (I'm still eying the hot pink ones... maybe I'll splurge and get myself a pair).  And if these aren't the style you're going for, Ryders has something for everyone.  They have a great chart helping you choose the right lens for your activity and many of their glasses are adjustable through the nose and temple. I'm super happy with my pairs and would definitely recommend them to you if you are looking for a quality product that's fashionable and functional!


And this is a totally random picture from our ride, but Tom is pointing to a little dot on the far off tree.  It's actually a huge bald eagle's nest. We couldn't see much more than a head sticking out when we stopped this week, but two weeks ago, we saw a big one in the nest and then another big one a few trees over.

*** Please note - I was given these glasses free of charge and the opinions that I presented are solely mine.  I am not getting paid to review these products.***