Best: Overall

We love the warm cast offered by the purple-green lenses of this pair – they give everything a glow but also boost contrast, helping you to spot potential hazards on the trail or road ahead. They’re aimed at gravel riders and off-roaders, although there’s nothing to stop you from tearing up the streets in them too.

Drilled holes across the brow do a decent job of stopping them from steaming up in cooler conditions and there’s a spare set of clear lenses for when light levels drop. Swapping them was a cinch – you just pop them out at the sides by bending the arms slightly. There’s an extra nose piece in the zipped case along with a lanyard so you can carry them around your neck while off the bike.

Best: For a tight budget

We had to triple-check the price of these – never mind double-check it! You get polarised lenses, a super-light 20g frame and a carrying pouch for a paltry £35. Wear them out in the wilds on your racing bike if you want – we won’t stop you – but we reckon the non-wraparound design is better suited to whizzing around town.

The one-piece mirror lens in our voight-kampff vision pair looks great on or off the bike – and at this price, you won’t lose too much sleep if you sit on them or leave them on the counter at your favourite café. Goodr doesn’t take themselves too seriously – always good to see – and there’s a great selection of weird and wonderful frame colours available on the website.

Best: Photochromic

Designed in France and now made in Italy, the Chronoshield has been around in one form or another since 1986. We love the big bug-eyed look that reminds us of slimmed-down ski goggles. They’re beautifully made with a solid frame that feels like it could easily survive skittling down the road. To find your optimal fit you can bend the ends of the arms along with the grippy nose pads and there’s a clip-on brow sweat pad, something we didn’t really need in rainy Manchester.

The outstanding feature of our top-end review pair is the phantom photochromic lens which adjusts quickly to changing light levels and looks gorgeous. Cutout sections at the corners of the lens help to stop it from steaming up, and it did a superb job of cutting down distracting road reflections on wet rides. If the £215 price tag is a bit steep for you, take a look at the non-photochromic versions from around £140.

Best: Prescription glasses

With so many potholes on our roads, these could be a lifesaver if you need glasses in everyday life. Our short-sighted tester had a pair made to his prescription and thought they were brilliant. Rubber tips to the arms, plus an adjustable rubber nose bridge, mean they won’t slip when the going gets damp or sweaty, while little cutaway vents at the corner of the lenses stop them steaming up.

We went for photochromic lenses and it proved a smart choice – they make riding a lot more pleasant on bright days and adjust rapidly when light levels drop. You can also buy with standard tinted or clear lenses if you prefer.

Best: For customisation

These must be the most customisable cycling glasses on the planet! Head to the SunGod website and you can have fun swapping frame colours, lenses and much more to create a unique design. The customisation doesn’t stop at swapping colours – each pair comes with three differently-sized nose pads so you can choose the ones that best suit your face. You can buy both zero frame and bottom frame versions or pay a little extra for the freedom to swap between the two.

We found the lack of a frame across the brow meant they worked really well with a helmet – there’s no plastic to obstruct your view when you have your head down while trying to conquer a Strava segment.

Best: Performance pair

These smart frames were designed with sport-use in mind – with sticky grippers on the arms and nose-pad to help them stay rooted in place even when you get sweaty. We love the curved profile of the lens which really improves the field of view. The sapphire lenses we tried performed really well in bright conditions and even when we got caught in rainstorms we didn’t feel they were too dark. We also liked how the temple grippers help to lock the frames in your helmet if you decide to put them there while riding uphill. Oakley includes a spare nose pad, soft pouch and hard case to keep them safe on the move.

Best: For looks

If you’re not into sporty-looking glasses, this is a more low-key option from American company Roka. Weighing roughly the same as a packet of crisps, you’ll barely notice them on your face, and with sticky Geko grips on the nose and arms, they’ll stay in place whether you’re heading out for a ride or riding to meet your mates for drinks in a beer garden.

The polarised lenses help to cut glare and thanks to the lens coating and air vent on the front, we didn’t experience any fogging up. We found the bronze lens colour to be perfect for bright or even overcast weather conditions. They’re expensive, but, Roka packages them with a very nice hard case and soft pouch to soften the blow.

Best: Large sunglasses

With bright orange frames and lenses, this large pair from motocross are 100 per cent not for shrinking violets. The pair we tested had the Hiper lenses which enhance detail so you can spot nasty potholes and gravel patches earlier. We loved the extra field of view you get with the huge lenses.

We were impressed by how the slightly tacky plastic used in the frames helped to glue them in place even in downpours. You get a spare clear lens for darker days, meaning you’ll be able to wear them even in the winter months. You get a premium hard case, soft pouch and a spare nose piece as part of the package too.

Best: For adjustability

We love how easy it is to customise this pair to really get a great fit. You can bend the nose piece and arms to get a more secure fit, and there are removable bumpers for the top and bottom of the frame (which you can add or remove depending on your preference). You can even remove the arms with the touch of a button to clean the lens, and you get a hard case and soft pouch to keep them safe.

The “Multilaser Ice” lens we tried performed really well in bright and overcast conditions. They might be badged Le Col, but if you buy them, you’ll be benefiting from maker Rudy Project’s 30-year experience making sports glasses.

Best: For multi-use

If you’re not looking for the latest cool styles and just want a pair of glasses to protect your eyes, these are a great choice. You get swappable dark and clear lenses, a soft carrying pouch, plus a zippable hard case. The adjustable rubber nose bridge and inserts on the arms help to stop them from sliding off your face, and they can be used for running as well as cycling. Changing the lenses is a little fiddly at first but you’ll be a dab hand once you get used to it.