Transparent epoxy resin adhesives are interesting for load-bearing joints in the fields of façade technology and glass construction. Until now, there was a lack of knowledge about the influence of ambient conditions on the curing process of these adhesives. Thus, we present the results of an experimental study performed on two-component, cold-cured and on single-component, cationically cured epoxy resin systems. The analysis refers to the influence of the reaction temperature respectively of the light source on the curing speed, the thermo-mechanical properties and optical characteristics of these adhesives. This paper presents a selection of results of various analysis methods to evaluate these effects. These comprise calorimetric, thermo-mechanical and spectroscopic methods.