Racing Goggles

Think of these goggles as the original gravel-grinder eyewear. Such eye protection was common in the peloton from roughly the 1920s to the end of the ’40s. Remember, road cyclists in those days often faced routes that weren’t paved. A pair of goggles was necessary to keep dust and debris out of the eyes. This pair, with clear lenses, has tinted plastic “awnings” that shield a rider somewhat from the sun’s rays.

“They really seal your eyes,” says Michael Barry of Mariposa Bicycles. “They aren’t uncomfortable. They just don’t work as they should anymore because the elastic band and the rubber seals have deteriorated.” Barry notes that even though there are small holes in the frame for ventilation, these goggles would be hot against a rider’s face.

As roads got better in the post-second World War era, goggles, and any eyewear for that matter, mostly disappeared from cycling. “It’s interesting that riders didn’t wear anything over their eyes for a few generations,” Barry says. “I think it was for safety reasons. If you do crash with glass-lens glasses on your face and even some of the older frame materials, it could be dangerous.

“There are very few pictures of riders in the Eddy Merckx generation of cyclists wearing glasses. You’ll see a few pictures of Bernard Hinault in Ray-bans. It was really when Greg Lemond came with the Oakley Eyeshades in 1985 and 1986 that it really changed. Then, glasses became the cool thing to have.”— MP