Lamicall photochromic cycling sunglasses review + discount code

Winter is creeping in fast here in the UK. The clocks are about to change, mornings are crisp, and my standard dark sunglasses are heading straight into the drawer for the next six months. (If you are also prepping your bike and kit for the colder months, check out my 5 tips for gravel cycling in the winter).

Between family duties and general life admin, I rarely have the luxury of heading out for long daytime gravel epics midweek. Most of my riding happens in short, punchy windows - either early in the morning before work or late in the evening. That means I almost always find myself cycling partially in the dark. In the morning, it is pitch black when I wheel the bike out of the garage, only for the sun to come up halfway through the ride. In the evening, I set off under bright golden hour skies and pedal back home in total darkness.

I am one of those riders who simply cannot ride without glasses on. Not a chance! Cold wind makes my eyes water like crazy, and flying midges, loose trail grit, or low-hanging brambles always seem to home in straight on my face.

The problem is, regular tinted sunglasses are useless in low light. Once you dip into a wooded trail at dusk, you are riding blind. Clear safety glasses work at night, but they leave you squinting the moment the sun breaks through.

So I started hunting around for a pair of photochromic glasses to sort the problem out once and for all.

Grab a 5% discount on Lamicall sunglasses

If you want to grab a pair of Lamicall photochromic sunglasses, you can save a bit of extra cash on their official site. Use code BAB5 at checkout on the Lamicall store for 5% off your order. You can also check out full offer details on my dedicated Lamicall discount code page. They are also available on Amazon.

Finding the Lamicalls on Prime Day

I browsed around the usual cycling brands for days. Most photochromic cycling shades from the big-name labels sit somewhere between £80 and £180. I previously reviewed premium eyewear like the Vallon Watchtowers, but dropping over £100 on shades that will inevitably get splattered with abrasive trail mud or bounced off gravel is a tough pill to swallow for daily winter grinds.

Then, during one of the recent Amazon Prime Day sales, I stumbled across these Lamicall photochromic sports sunglasses going for around £26.

Now, I had never heard of Lamicall making cycling eyewear before. But at £26, I figured why not take a punt? If they were terrible, they could live in the glovebox of my car as emergency spares.

A day later the parcel landed on my doorstep, and I was genuinely surprised by the quality right out of the box.

Everything was packaged securely in a tidy retail box. Inside, you get a solid zippered hardshell case fitted with an external carabiner clip (handy for clipping onto a backpack), a soft storage pouch, a microfiber cleaning cloth, and a user manual outlining all the specifications.

Right on the box is the UV400 certification. For me, 99.9% UV protection is a non-negotiable requirement on any cycling eyewear. Even when photochromic lenses are completely clear in overcast conditions, your eyes still need proper shielding from harmful UV rays.

Fit and frame design: spot on for a smaller face

I have a relatively small face, so shopping for modern shield-style cycling glasses is usually a nightmare. Most pairs look like oversized welding masks on me, or they slide down my nose bridge every time I hit rough washboard gravel.

I slipped these on, and the fit was immediate perfection.

The frame is made from TR90 memory polymer and weighs barely anything - I weighed them myself on my scales at exactly 27g. You genuinely forget you are wearing them within seconds.

There are several clever design touches here that make a lot of sense on a bike:

• Top-frame semi-rimless construction: The frame only runs along the top brow of the lens, leaving the entire lower half completely frameless. This makes cleaning dead-simple. Road muck and rainwater have nowhere to gather along the bottom, so you can wipe the lens clean in a single swipe without dirt packing into the rim grooves.
• Large single-piece shield lens: It provides massive wind coverage and protection without blocking your peripheral vision. You do not catch the frame edge in your eye-line when glancing back over your shoulder for traffic.
• Anti-fog corner ventilation cutouts: There are dedicated air slots cut into the upper corners of the lens. These channel airflow across the inner lens surface while moving, stopping warm breath and sweat vapour from condensing into fog.
• Clever pinch-to-fit adjustable nose piece: The nose bridge has a very neat, clever design. You simply pinch it with your fingers to adapt to your nose bridge shape, and it stays exactly like that. It locks into position comfortably without sliding down when you sweat.

I opted for the Gold tint version. It gives an amber, warm contrast that sharpens up potholes and trail obstacles brilliantly under flat, overcast British skies. If gold is not your thing, the Lamicall official store also offers them in Blue, Transparent, and classic Grey.

My golden rule for any eyewear is simple: I want to forget about them the moment I put them on. Clean, sharp vision, zero pressure points behind the ears, and no slipping. These ticked every box immediately.

Testing the photochromic reaction on the windowsill

Before heading out on the bike, I wanted to see how quickly the photochromic transition worked. I placed the glasses on my sunny windowsill to let them catch direct natural sunlight.

Within a couple of minutes, the lenses darkened noticeably, morphing from clear glasses into a proper set of tinted sunglasses. Fading back to clear took a little longer once brought indoors, but that is completely normal for optical photochromic lenses. Unless you are dealing with military-grade electronic liquid crystal lenses that cost a small fortune, chemical photochromic transitions always take a few minutes to reset.

Trail test: 3 rides in autumn conditions

At the time of writing, I have taken the Lamicalls out on three proper rides across local gravel tracks and quiet lanes.

The ventilation cutouts did their job nicely. Even during slow, grinding climbs in damp morning air, there was no noticeable moisture build-up on the inside of the lens. The moment you pick up speed on a descent or flat sector, the airflow clears the lens effortlessly - performing just as well as eyewear costing five times as much.

They also play very nicely with cycling helmets. The low-profile arms slide cleanly under helmet retention straps without digging into the sides of your head, and the top frame does not collide with the brow of the helmet when hunkered down in the drops.

What about durability?

It is obviously too early to deliver a three-year durability verdict. But let's be realistic: no pair of cycling glasses lasts forever. Between grit flying off the front tyre, occasional drops on hard gravel, and wiping lenses with the corner of a muddy jersey, cycling shades take a beating.

For the price, you get exceptional build quality, cracking optics, and great eye protection. Even though they cost a fraction of high-end brands, I plan on looking after them just as carefully as my £100 pairs because I genuinely love riding in them.

Pros and cons of the Lamicall photochromic sunglasses

Final verdict and discount code

If you are looking for an affordable, ultralight pair of photochromic sunglasses for winter commuting, low-light training, or autumn gravel rides, these Lamicalls are a no-brainer.

I got in touch with Lamicall directly to see if they could offer a discount code for Bikes and Bacon readers. Despite the low entry price, they kindly agreed!

You can use promo code BAB5 at checkout on the Lamicall website to get 5% off your order. They also carry a range of other cycling accessories - including handlebar phone mounts and brackets - so it is well worth browsing around.

If you prefer ordering via Amazon, you can also grab them directly on Amazon.

Catch you on the trails!