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So, having had pretty good vision most of my life, the last few years I've needed reading glasses for, well, reading, and other close-up work.
This is a bit of a bugger on mid-ride bike faffing and fettling, or indeed checking the phone/map for navigation.
I sometimes carry a pair of reading glasses with me on a ride, but find they break easily squashed into a pack/bumbag/jersey pocket.
So what do other people do/use? Feel like I want something robust and/or something where the arms & frame can bend/be squashed a bit without breaking.
Moon on a (long-sighted) stick?
Tifosi do some photochromic riding glasses with built in reading lenses. Seems a pretty good solution.
I use Hydrotacs which make your glasses bifocals, they stick on with water. Not a perfect solution, but compatible with whatever you use for cycling glasses, prescription or otherwise. Ideal for being able to read the GPS.
Or the pound shop sells £1 reading glasses (just magnification, no prescription, obviously). They’re ok for brief use if you only have a weak prescription.
I'm very interested in this as I have the same issues. What I do is carry glasses in an old fashioned, clunky, heavy (relatively) metal spec case in my camelback. On local trails its fine as I know where I am and where I'm going. On less familiar territory its a total pita: stopping, removing sunglasses, finding gasses case, putting on glasses reading map/phone etc. Usually I rely on my mates to deal with direction finding but they're not much better than me! Often three half blind guys and a girl with no sense of direction - frequently lost.
This was a real big deal for me, for the same reasons as you plus reading my garmin. I went with rad8 photochromic mtb glasses, +2 in the bottom and 0 in the top. They have been a revelation and I now use them for runnning, bikes and hiking and the photochromic lenses work so well. I should be on commission with rad8 because I’m constantly raving about these glasses!
After being at the side of the road fixing a puncture and have to rely on touch alone to check for anything left in the tyre I bought some of those nooz glasses. Expensive for what they are but just go in a back pocket with the phone and money. I’m still ok reading the garmin but guess I’m time it’ll have to be some bifocal riding glasses
You can get low profile readers in plastic tubes which are pretty tough. Try a pound shop or similar.
I bought some of those nooz glasses
Those look good. But how well do they stay on your nose?
Depends on your nose, bit tight on mine but they do the job if you need to fix something at the side of the road or check the cake menu in the cafe. They aren’t a substitute for normal reading glasses though.
Had these in a wishlist for ages, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004GURF2Q/ , I just wear standard wraparound specs for cycling unless I expect to be still out near sunset.
I use bifocal safety glasses - got some clear and some tinted
(edit - at least one of mine is that ^ volt-x brand)
I bought some of those nooz glasses
That is what I would do. You can stick the very thin holder onto back of phone.
I wear varifocals as need glasses for everything but don't wear any when riding for some reason.
I use those Voltx ones on the road, for offroad the reading part can get in the way a bit for looking at the trail. I have a fat nose, so glasses tend to ride a bit high.
Bifocal safety glasses for me too. Mine are the clear Bloc ones, cost £11.30 on Ebay. A smallish area of the lower part of both lenses are +1.5 and the rest 0. Do the job well.
I have a couple of these I leave in my hill & cycling bags. I pack them in the shoulder strap pockets. Small and neat.
PocketBlade reading glasses
I've got some BBB photochromic specs with a little +2.0 bit at the bottom. Recommended.
I made up some bifocals to try for riding, but prefer my varifocals. For those who don’t need with prescription for distance those stick on bifocal segments are a good idea. You can experiment with position, you could also try having on non drive side only, as a type of mono vision, so you can still look at your drive chain.
Don’t forget to choose a lower power if you want to read your Garmin at arms
Length.
The BBB ones are a good bet, 1.5, 2.0 or 2.5, clear and dark lens included and reasonable price.
Those Hydrotacs ... How many do you get in a pack?
You can get low profile readers in plastic tubes which are pretty tough. Try a pound shop or similar.
I don't think that's good for your eyes. Those cheap glasses will only worsen your vision. I'm using contact lenses.
Bifocal/varifocal contacts?
My near sight has just gone in the last 12 months; having to wear reading glasses for bike maintenance, shaving, the lot. I've ordered a set of those Voltz because map reading was turning into a drawn-out performance, I'll be interested to see how they go. Longsight is still fine (had a test two months ago to check), it's just the close-up stuff.
I bought some BZ Optics photochromic glasses and they changed my life! I can now read my Garmin while riding. Not cheap but brilliant specs and I wouldn't be without them.
Dogsby
You can get low profile readers in plastic tubes which are pretty tough. Try a pound shop or similar.
I don’t think that’s good for your eyes. Those cheap glasses will only worsen your vision. I’m using contact lenses.
This is only for repairs, I use them a few times a year or if I need to read a pub/cafe menu.
I can recommend Nannini Conpact reading glasses. They fold up in to a case that is only 10mm wide and are pretty tough/flexible
https://www.nannini.com/shop-cat/eyecare/readers/page/1/?lang=en
Pince nez. Only a few pounds on Ebay. Keep on a thin cord round your neck. Far from being ideal but plenty serviceable for occasional map reading or phone message checking. They lie flat against your chest and are hard to damage.
They look odd but WTF? Who cares as long as they do the job?
For you old duffers whose eyes are getting worse and worse at reading, the good news is that if you're also short-sighted, your eyes will become better at long distance as you age. My last three prescriptions have been progressively weaker and without specs in good light my vision is now almost good enough to drive.
I have cheap prescription reading glasses with anti scratch coatings. I just keep them in a pocket and consider them sacrificial ie no case so they are there when I need them
another vote for the BZoptics photochromics - genius bit of kit.
I thought I'd try the Volt -X safety glasses after the recommendations above, first ride with them yesterday and they were great on the road bike, perfect for glancing down at the garmin. I bought the smoke ones and the yellow lenses but you can get all 3 for under £30 on Amazon.