How to find the perfect swim goggle for triathlon

Posted by Huub Design UK on 28th Aug 2018

How to find the perfect swim goggle for triathlon

Swim goggles are one of a triathlete’s most important pieces of race day equipment, so our scientific approach to tri kit extends to developing the best racing goggles you’ll find for triathlon. Within our range, you’ll discover photochromatic, self-regulating lenses that adapt to light conditions to give you the best vision possible, as well as anti-fog, scratch resistance and leak resistance to ensure triathletes get the most out of their swimming goggles.

Selecting a pair of goggles isn’t easy, there are so many choices and without trying them all on it's hard to know what will suit best. There are a few things to consider to narrow down your selection, all of which will be individual to the swimmer and the 'swim'. The ideal scenario is to find a google that suits all, however as a triathlete, you will find yourself in varying locations, from the pool to the sea.

The fit of a goggle

Perhaps the most essential part of getting the right goggle for you. Everyone’s face is inevitably unique, and therefore all goggles are going to sit slightly differently. Goggles with a larger socket or seal usually fit a wider range of people due to a softer and broader rubber seal that will shape around the eye socket. When you look at the goggles with a smaller and sleeker socket, it gets more important that you make sure the fit is right. Making sure the goggles come with varying nose bridge sizes gives a much greater chance of getting that perfect fit. The worst thing you can have is a pair of leaking goggles, or one that aggravates eye socket and nose. Additionally, when swimming in the open water your awareness is crucial, the majority of which comes from your vision, so you don't want to impede that with goggles full of water!

The lens of a goggle

The most undervalued aspect of a pair of goggles, people don't necessarily always think about light conditions and sighting. You could be swimming at the crack of dawn when the sun is rising, or you could be swimming in overcast and gloomy conditions. Each of these conditions will have a lens which is most suited. For cloudy conditions the best choice would be a clear lens, however, this doesn't necessarily have to be non-colour, it has been found that certain colours such as yellow in fact highlight features such as buoys and coloured flags and make them stand out in gloomier conditions. Mirrored lenses are the best option for strong sunlight and bright days. Sighting while swimming is hard at the best of times, so you want to make sure you have the best visibility and do not have to squint to see where you are going!

The shape of a goggle

Similar to the fit of a goggle, the general rule of thumb is that the bigger the goggle the increased chance of it being comfortable. Here at HUUB, we look into all aspects of making a swim faster, and one of these is drag and streamlining - the goggle has a sizable impact on this. If you are all about speed then you want a goggle with minimal drag that almost sits within the eye socket without impacting vision too much. Some would argue that these goggles aren't as comfy as a more traditional bulky goggle, however, this isn't always the case. A final thing to consider is your proximity to others when swimming, in essence how likely is it that you're going to get clonked around the head? A goggle with a bigger seal and malleable frame will be able to absorb the impact easier and will have less chance of being dislodged.