While not as central as wetsuits and shoes, sunglasses are still an important part of a triathlete’s gear. After all, sunglasses protect your vision, which is critical to your success. Whether it’s the sunlight in your eyes or the debris flying into your face, sunglasses protect you during two components of the triathlon.
In a Hurry? Here are the Top Choices
The 3 Best Triathlon Sunglasses
However, with the number of choices out there, it can be confusing to narrow down the selection. Fortunately, we’ve done that for you – check out our top picks for the best triathlon sunglasses below.
1. ROKA Advanced Sports Sunglasses
The Matador is made for comfort and is extremely lightweight at only 28g. However, ROKA has managed to do this without compromising on durability and performance. Made from TR-90 nylon, the frames do not warp and are both, flexible and strong.
The sunglasses also feature a V-Core temple that doesn’t interfere with helmets and ensures comfort. Additionally, the construction includes titanium wires in the arms so that users get the perfect fit. This extends to the nose as well and the Matador offers geko grip fit with a special elastomer for the nose. The nose and temple pads are also hydrophilic and chemical resistant, making them excellent for triathletes.
The lenses not only offer sharp optics with no distortion, but also boast anti-scratch, anti-fog, hydrophobic, and oleophobic coatings. Additionally, the lens can be removed and is interchangeable with other lenses available from the company.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Durable
- Removable lens
- Precise fit
- Various lens coatings
Cons
- Not suitable for those on a budget
2. Torege Polarized Sports Sunglasses
These sunglasses are affordable but don’t sacrifice quality. They feature three interchangeable lenses that cover all bases – a colorful one to reduce glare and improve contrast, a yellow one to enhance contrast, and a black one to eliminate glare. All three allow different levels of light transmission but are 100% UV400 coated and polarized. The polycarbonate construction ensures durability with claims of being impact-resistant, scratch-resistant, and unbreakable.
However, this pair of sunglasses doesn’t stop there. It also ensures comfort with soft, rubber nose pads and the lightweight construction. Although triathlons may cause you to sweat, this isn’t an issue with these sunglasses, since the ventilation system ensures them being anti-fog. A perfect fit is ensured with the TR90 radian and the sunglasses feature a no-slip design so that you don’t have to keep adjusting them all day.
Pros
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Extremely affordable
- Durable
- Ventilated and anti-fog
- Excellent fit
- Three interchangeable lenses
- Polarized
- Comfortable
Cons
None.
3. Tifosi Women’s Alpe Polarized Sunglasses
These sunglasses are a great option for triathletes with small to medium faces as they have wraparound lenses for maximum coverage and feature shatter-proof lenses and a polycarbonate construction for increased durability.
They also brag a custom fit with adjustable arms and rubber nose pads. In fact, both the arms and nose pads are hydrophilic, and thus ensure comfort and no slippage. These sunglasses are also fully polarized and offer 100% UVA/UVB protection.
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- Comfortable
- Durable
- Adjustable features for a custom fit
- Hydrophilic arms and nosepads
- Polarized
Cons
None.
Features to Consider When Buying Triathlon Sunglasses
Make sure to consider the following factors before making your purchase to ensure that you’re opting for the best triathlon sunglasses.
Adjustability
In a triathlon, you’re constantly on the go, and it’s important for your sunglasses to stay in position despite all the movement. Because of this, adjustable nose pieces are essential in a good pair of triathlon sunglasses. This way, you can focus on speed instead of constantly fiddling with your sunglasses. You should also opt for adjustable arms on your sunglasses to make sure that they fully conform to your head.
Durability
One way to ensure durability is to opt for polycarbonate lenses. Not only are they lightweight and thin, but they’re also impact resistant. This is especially important when you think about flying gravel during cycling.
Comfort
The best triathlon sunglasses are comfortable. This is essential since triathletes need to be on their “A” game and cannot afford to be distracted. Proper fit plays a huge part in this so you should make sure that your sunglasses fit perfectly. It is also important to ensure that the sunglasses are lightweight so that you don’t constantly feel them on your face.
Wraparound Lenses
UV protection is essential in a triathlon. Whether you’re cycling or running as fast as you can, you need your vision to guide you. While any pair of sunglasses can somewhat protect you from the sun, triathlon sunglasses need to have wraparound lenses so that there’s no chance that the sun can impair your vision. Wraparound lenses cover the sides of the sunglasses and ensure that there’s protection on all fronts.
Hydroleophobic Coating
This coating provides a game changing advantage to triathletes since it is water- and oil-proof. Because the coating repels moisture and grease, water cannot cause streaking to the sunglasses and any smudges can be cleaned easily.
Photochromic Lenses
Photochromic lenses, also known as light-adaptive lenses, adjust to the surrounding light, i.e., they are clear indoors and automatically darken in sunlight. You will need different levels of protection throughout the triathlon and photochromic lenses are a great way of ensuring this without making an effort.
Polarization
Polarization should be a given, but we’re mentioning it anyway. Sunglasses shouldn’t just be tinted – polarization is important so that you’re protected from the harsh glare of the sun.
Our Final Thoughts
All the sunglasses on this list are triathlon-approved. However, one does stand out from the rest – our top pick for the best triathlon sunglasses are the Torege Polarized Sports Sunglasses for beginners, and ROKA Matador Sports Sunglasses for more advanced triathletes. Good luck!
