Boost your ride with the best lens color for mountain biking! Along with protecting your eyes from wind and debris, mountain biking eyewear improves your experience. It all starts with the lens color. Check out our short guide on choosing the right tint for getting the most out of your riding conditions.

In This Post:

Choosing the Right Lens Tint
Best Lens Colors for MTB
Rose
Amber
Brown
Yellow
Lens Colors to Avoid in MTB Sunglasses
Green
Gray
More MTB Sunglass Lens Features
Shatterproof Lens Material
Non-Polarized Lenses
Anti–Fog Tech
Transition Lenses
Shop MTB Sunglasses Online at SportRx

Choosing The Right Lens Tint

No matter which tint you go with, the key feature to look for in your MTB lens color is contrast enhancement. High contrast lenses boost color saturation by separating colors on the light spectrum. This increases definition and makes your surroundings “pop,” increasing your reaction time when you’re shredding at high speeds. High contrast lenses also make your ride more enjoyable, illuminating more detail and giving you a pleasant view. You’ll ride with more confidence and speed as you see greater contrast in your path.

Best Lens Colors for MTB

The best lens color for mountain biking is rose. This is the most versatile tint, but there are other colors that meet more specific needs. Let’s get into the full breakdown below.

Rose

Rose lenses create the best contrast for the widest range of conditions. They easily adapt to variable clouds, overcast, or full sunshine. They’re also perfect for all kinds of terrain and adjust flawlessly in and out of shade. Rose lenses create a vibrant, color-rich experience even on cloudy days.

A few of our favorite rose lens options include:

Mountain Biker Richie Schley wears SportRx Hero Dirt.

Mountain Biker Richie Schley wears SportRx Hero Dirt.

Amber

Amber lenses give excellent visibility with perfect contrast for lower light conditions. Think early morning or dusk rides, and completely overcast days. It also filters blue light to prevent eye strain and fatigue.

Here are a few of our favorite lens options:

  • ChromaPop Low Light Amber (non-polarized)
  • SportRx Ace

Brown

Brown lenses deliver excellent brightness protection with a boost of warm contrast. This tint livens green and red in particular, making it a great choice for fully sunny rides in and out of foliage. The red undertone increases depth perception. Because of their generous coverage, these are best for your brightest rides and not recommended for low light settings.

Our favorite brown lens choices include:

  • ChromaPop Brown (non-polarized)
  • SportRx Transition Brown Lens
  • SPY HAPPY Dark Brown

Clear

Clear lenses are perfect for night riding or low light conditions. Many riders prefer them simply because they want a completely unobstructed view of their surroundings. If you don’t want tinted lenses, we still recommend any sort of eye protection for riders—including clear, shatter resistant lenses. Naturally, they don’t offer any brightness protection or contrast enhancement.

Yellow

Foggy rides call for yellow lenses, which increase clarity in dense conditions. Having a clear path is one of the most important features when riding, and yellow lenses increase definition.

Our favorite yellow lens is the SportRx Bullseye, which happens to be photochromic and only available in prescription.

A mountain biker rides with yellow lenses at dusk.

Yellow lenses are ideal for low light settings.

Lens Colors to Avoid in MTB Sunglasses

Not all lens colors are helpful on the trail. Here are a few we suggest avoiding.

Green

Green lenses can provide mild red and yellow contrast, as well as increase light definition. However, since they don’t perform as well as other tints, they’re not a popular lens color among mountain bikers.

Gray

Gray lenses are ideal for brightness protection on the sunniest of days when contrast isn’t a priority. They’re great at dimming your surroundings, but not so much at increasing definition or depth perception. Gray is also dark, so it may not be helpful when you’re transitioning through shade or shadows.

More MTB Sunglass Lens Features

As well as the right lens color, there are a few other important features to consider in your mountain biking eyewear.

Shatterproof Lens Material

MTB sunglasses should have lenses made of an impact-resistant material, like polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is one of the most durable lens materials and a popular material in sport frames. Steer clear of materials like glass or regular, “cheap” plastic. Those are fine for casual wear, but not the best or safest options for riding.

Non-Polarized Lenses

While polarized lenses are great for many sports, we don’t recommend them for mountain biking. They’re effective for filtering glare, but they can also interfere with depth perception, which is imperative for proper reaction time and judging your distance.

Anti–Fog Tech

Nothing ruins a great ride quite like fogging, so make sure your lenses are treated with a quality anti-fog coating. You can also check out frames with venting. This is often found around the nose pad or bridge, but a lot of MTB sunglasses have built-in vents on the lenses themselves. The temples are another great place to look for vents.

Transition Lenses

Photochromic lenses—also called transition lenses—are great for mountain biking due to their ability to adapt to changing light conditions. These are a great option if you want to have one lens to meet multiple riding conditions. Transition lenses are great because you don’t have to pause your ride to change lenses or bring multiple pairs with you.

One note to keep in mind is that transition lenses can take up to 30 seconds to darken, and a few minutes to lighten. This might not be fast enough when riding through half shaded areas with quick light changes. Because of this, some riders prefer having separate lenses for different lighting situations. Many brands offer a bonus low light lens with frames to make this easier. In any case, having the right gear out on the trail can give you the confidence to push your limits, so make sure to choose what is best for you!

Shop MTB Sunglasses Online at SportRx

Find the best lens color for mountain biking at SportRx! We’re proud to offer the most customizable eyewear experience, no matter what your vision needs are. Let your next pair be the tool that propels you into your best game.

Shop confidently knowing that your order is backed by our See Better Guarantee. This gives you 45 days to try your MTB sunglasses on the trail. If you’re not fully pleased with them, simply let us know and we’ll be happy to set up a refund or exchange for a better pair—no strings attached! We even offer free domestic shipping both ways. Contact us to get started.