Glasses for mountain biking, with a camera in the frame

1. Not impact-rated: read this first

Search for glasses for mountain biking and the pages that come back are dedicated MTB eyewear: brand category pages, tested roundups and a rider thread on Reddit. On a mountain bike your eyes meet low branches on tight singletrack, stones flicked up by the rider in front, roost from a berm, and sometimes a crash.

OXIVUE frames carry no published impact rating. We do not sell them as eye protection and we do not claim they will shield your eyes from branches, stones or a fall. If your riding involves rough descents, overgrown trails, bike-park laps or racing, wear eyewear sold with a published impact rating (or goggles with a full-face helmet) and mount your camera on the bar or your chest.

That narrows where camera glasses fit. They make sense on smoother riding: gravel and fire roads, flowing trails at a relaxed pace, rail trails, the spin to and from the trailhead. There, what they add is real. A touch on the temple captures what you are looking at, and open-ear speakers carry directions, music or a call while you still hear the trail and other riders.

2. Camera glasses vs rated MTB eyewear

The table puts our two picks next to dedicated MTB eyewear as a category. We do not quote any eyewear brand’s specifications or prices; they vary by model, so check the listing of the pair you are considering.

Prices checked 2026-10-09; checkout price may change. Free shipping starts at $99, so either pair on its own qualifies. Two or more pairs in one order are 50% off all eyewear.

3. M14 ($149 at checkout): the wrap for smoother trails

The M14 is the OXIVUE frame built for motion, and it is the one we point cyclists and skiers to. It is a wrap-around design with a one-piece shield, a Sony IMX219 8 MP camera, open-ear speakers and dual microphones for calls. It weighs 52 g, heavier than our 41–42 g frames, and it is rated IPX4, which covers splash, spray and rain only.

• Battery split. The M14 is rated 4 hours of listening and 7 hours of calls, the reverse of the M08 family. If you stream music for a whole day out, plan around the 4 hours.
• Four colourways, all tinted. Nero (smoke shield), Azzurro (blue mirror), Ghiaccio (ice-blue mirror) and Tramonto (sunset-red mirror). The shield cannot be swapped, so there is no clear or photochromic M14.
• Translation. 139 languages through the HeyCyan app, useful on a riding trip abroad. It needs your phone and a connection, and only you hear the translated audio.
• Where it fits. Open trails in good light, gravel and fire roads, the road section of a loop. Not rough descents, and not as a substitute for rated eyewear.

Road and gravel riders get more detail in our smart glasses for cycling guide.

4. M02C Clear ($109 at checkout): shaded singletrack

Wooded trails are where the M14’s tinted shield becomes a problem, and it is why “clear mountain biking glasses” is its own search. The M02C can be ordered with a Clear lens, so it is our pick for trails under tree cover, early starts and late finishes.

It weighs about 41 g, uses a Sony IMX219 8 MP sensor with dual stabilisation, and is rated IP65: dust-tight and protected against water jets, which suits dusty summer trails and a wet ride home. It is not rated for immersion, so keep it out of river crossings and do not hose it down with the bike. It is rated 7 hours of listening and 4 hours of calls and charges magnetically.

The M02C is also the only OXIVUE frame with “Hey Cyan” visual AI, which can describe what you are looking at. On the bike that matters less than the clear lens and the lighter frame. It shares the same limit as the M14: no published impact rating.

5. Clear, photochromic or tinted

Lens colour comes up in the search results’ own “People also ask” box. We do not publish light-transmission figures for our lenses, so we will not tell you which tint suits which trail. Here is exactly what each option is:

• M02C Clear. No tint. The option for shade and low light.
• M02C Photochromic. Darkens in UV light and lightens again out of it.
• M02C Sunglasses. A full-tint lens.
• M14. A fixed shield in smoke (Nero) or a blue, ice-blue or sunset-red mirror finish. No clear option.

We make no polarisation or UV claims for any of these lenses. You choose the M02C lens when you order, and the pair ships with that one lens; no spare lenses are in the box. If you want several lenses for changing light, check what the MTB eyewear you are considering includes.

6. Filming a ride: glasses or a mounted cam

Glasses film from eye level, so the clip follows where you look: the line you picked through a rock garden, the view at the top of a climb, a friend riding ahead. A bar- or chest-mounted action cam films from the bike or your torso and keeps rolling without you touching it, which is why it is the usual choice for descents.

• Captures are deliberate. On OXIVUE frames a photo or clip starts only with a touch on the temple. On a smooth section that is a quick tap; on a technical descent, keep both hands on the bars and leave the glasses alone.
• No display. Nothing appears in your view. Files go to the phone app, where you review and save them.
• Two tools, one ride. One setup that covers both: rated eyewear plus a mounted cam for the descents, and camera glasses for the climbs, the road home and the trip itself.

For the wider trade-off between camera glasses and action cams, read smart glasses vs GoPro, and for other sports see sports sunglasses with a camera.

7. Trail rules, audio and consent

Open-ear speakers leave your ears uncovered, so you still hear riders coming up behind you, a bell or a shout. They also leak some sound at high volume and will not cut through a strong wind the way sealed earbuds do, so keep the volume low enough to hear the trail.

Bike parks, trail organisations, clubs and race organisers may have their own rules on cameras and audio devices, and those rules can change. Check the rules for the venue or event before you ride with camera glasses. When you film other riders, walkers or anyone else, ask for consent wherever the law requires it; our smart glasses recording laws by state guide has more detail. This is general information, not legal advice.

Shipping, refunds and warranty. Free shipping from $99. US orders typically arrive in 5–9 business days; international orders take 9–14 business days, and outside the US import VAT and duties are paid by the recipient on delivery. No refunds except transit damage (replaced or refunded); faults are repaired or replaced under the 2-year warranty; change of mind and unmet expectations are not refundable. None of our frames take prescription lenses or carry an impact rating. Compare every model on the comparison page.

Frequently asked questions