A few months ago I was at standing in the seventh circle of Hades (also known as the Post Office), when a young woman pulled up in front of the building on a motorcycle and then walked inside the building. Since we were in line at the Post Office we had plenty of time to talk—and when she put her helmet on the counter I asked her about her cool goggles. She had a pair of Airfoil 7617 Goggles and claimed that they kept her eyes from drying out on long rides. After looking at the glasses a while I thought they would work well for winter cycling as well, so I ordered a pair.
Airfoil 7617 Goggles With Polarized Lenses
The reason I liked the design of he Airfoil 7617 Goggles is that during winter cycling my eyes often feel like they are burning as a result of the cold air hitting my face. Since the Airfoil goggles fit up tight against the face that problem is eliminated. Airfoil goggles come with two pairs of 100% shatterproof polycarbonate lenses—the dark grey pair is polarized and the other pair is light blue. The polarized lenses really cut the glare from snow, water and ice. The light blue lenses enhance contrast in low-light situations, but I prefer yellow lenses in low-light. These goggles also come with a free soft case/cleaning cloth.
Air Vent On The Airfoil 7617 Goggles
The Airfoil 7617 Goggles fit well, but since I always ride with a helmet I have to put the goggles on first (but that is not a problem). The flexible nose-bridge on these goggles provides a comfortable fit. These goggles have vents on the side to help prevent fog. However, if you sit at a light for too long fog can build up a bit, but once you get moving again it disappears. The only problem with these goggles is that they restrict peripheral vision a little—but not enough to be a problem.
Airfoil 7617 Goggles retail for $31 on the Pacific Coast Sunglasses Website, but you can find them on Amazon.com for $24 (with free shipping). Pacific Coast Sunglasses, Inc. is a California-based company that specializes in sunglasses and goggles for motorcyclists—they have been in business since 1984.
Chatter
December 14, 2012 at 9:36 AM
You did not mention it, but how badass do these goggles make you look? Just curious as that is often a function of the motorcycling gear!!!
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Yeah, I didn’t mention it — but you are so right!
Bokchoi Cowboy
December 14, 2012 at 9:48 AM
I have a set of goggles that look exactly like those. I got them at a market in Laie, Oahu Hawaii.They were on the “cheap sunglasses rack”. Did not have an additional lens or anything else. Worked pretty well when borrowing my brother-in-laws motorcycle and when riding in cold weather on the bike. They do fog up a bit when not moving or there is a lot of moisture in the air.
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Since you did not get a second pair of lenses I doubt if it was Airfoil, but the style of these glasses make them work pretty good.
elisariva
December 14, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Very cool! My only question – do you have trouble reading your bike computer or watch with the polarized lenses? I forgot my glasses when I flew to Lake Tahoe for a century ride and bought a pair there that were polarized. I couldn’t read any of my data!
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 3:17 PM
Polarized lenses are a problem with seeing my Garmin GPS because it has it’s own anti-glare finish and does not match up well with ANY polarized lens.
tischcaylor
December 14, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Note to Santa (who surely reads your blog): Goggles like those could make me take the bike out in the cold.
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 3:20 PM
You will have to ask Santa really nice (and it probably wouldn’t hurt to show this article to your husband as well husbands have been known to take a hint before).
timredkitten
December 14, 2012 at 4:09 PM
i went for Anon Hawkeye snow sport goggles with clear lense (other options available).
possible benefit: totally unobstructed vision on the sides, which i really appreciate in traffic.
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 4:16 PM
I also have several brands of winter snow goggles for when it gets really cold — and they do have better side vision. It just would look kind of funny to wear snow goggles when it is just in the 30′s though.
jennsmidlifecrisis
December 14, 2012 at 5:47 PM
Hi! You probably already noticed, but I nominated you for the Liebster award. Instructions are available on how to ‘accept’ in my post:
http://jennsmidlifecrisis.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/the-liebster-blog-award/
All Seasons Cyclist
December 14, 2012 at 5:57 PM
Jenn — Thank you so very much! That is very kind of you! I sincerely appreciate it! However, since this award is so much like the “Kreativ Blogger Award” I don’t really have anything else I can say (I guess I am not that “creative” anyway).
The “answer” to that reward is at: http://wp.me/p1sFbY-TC
I hope your “mid-life crisis” is gong well!
ahwhattheheck
December 20, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Don’t they fog up like hell when climbing? I’d be interested in them if you say “no”
All Seasons Cyclist
December 20, 2012 at 9:25 AM
I live in the Chicago area — climbing is not a real problem here since the terrain is as flat as a pancake. Now if you want to talk about constant high winds…