Keep your eyes on the trail – no matter the light conditions – with one of these pairs of riding specific sunglasses.
What to look for in sunglasses
- Lens quality – You only have one pair of eyes so look after them with the best lenses you can afford.
- Fit – Make sure the sunglasses fit your face.
- Looks – Remember they have to look good with your choice of helmet.
- Light conditions – Either you’ll need multiple glasses for different light conditions or a pair that offer interchangeable or photochromic lenses.
- Durability – Sturdy construction is key to your sunnies lasting, but also to protecting your eyes in the case of a crash or a branch brushing by at eye level.
Lazer Krypton KR1
RRP R1 485 | www.lazersport.com | Tester: Seamus Allardice
The Lazer Krypton KR1 sunnies take no getting used to; they are remarkably light, feature a far smaller frame and a slightly narrow fit, making them super comfortable. The show-piece of the KR1s are the ZEISS optics lenses, which feature an anti-fog coating and frames are designed for the lenses to be interchangeable. The functionality of the interchangeable lenses are not as great as the Jawbreakers or D’Arcs though, as you have to pop the lenses out by force rather than sliding them out, which concerns me for the long term life span of the lenses. That being said the frames feature a bit of flex and are said to be virtually indestructible. If changing the lenses scares you, there’s the option to get the KR1s with ZEISS photochromic lenses too. If you already own a Lazer helmet you can change the temples and attach magnetic M2 eyewear temples so that the glasses clip magnetically to your helmet rather than sit above your ears. All-in-all I think the bold colours options, great quality lenses and competitive price will make the Krypton KR1s really popular on the trails.
Rudy Project Tralyx ImpactX
RRP R3 590 | www.rudyproject.co.za | Tester: Shayne Dowling
Unbreakable lenses! Ok so that’s a good start. Watching the Tour de France and there seem to be an awful lot of Rudy Projects about, so that’s another positive. The glasses look great and let’s be honest, even if the lenses were superb, if the frames look bad you’re not going to buy them. These are stunning and with the looks come great functionality – they are extremely light, have an adjustable nose piece and interchangeable lenses with a range that cover pretty much all light conditions. The airflow of the glasses is brilliant, strategic air vents ensured that I had no steaming up even when climbing. My test pair has the ImpactX 2Black photochromic lenses and I can comfortably say I have yet to experience anything as good. I would highly recommend getting these lenses as they will cover most conditions. I used them in 40º Celsius with bright sunshine, constantly in and out of the shade and they performed brilliantly. I even tested them on a night ride and only when it got really dark did I take them off. The lenses, according to their website, are guaranteed unbreakable for life. I highly recommend the Rudy Tralyx.
adidas evil eye evo pro vario
RRP R4 300 | www.moscon.co.za | Tester: Seamus Allardice
The vario lenses are adidas’s new do it all lenses, designed for the ever changing light conditions you typically experience on a ride. The adidas evil eye evo pro, with vario lenses, which I tested, feature a fairly large frame. The advantage of this is that the frame doesn’t protrude into your field of vision and it covers the eye sockets completely which reduces aero-drag (if you’re into that sort of thing). Because of the large nature of the frames they might not suit everyone’s face but the two-colour construction and simple lines make them rather good looking. Functionality wise, the evil eye pros feature an air vent in the bridge, a sweat deflecting band on the top bar and a superb anti-fog coating on the vario lenses. The hinges also allow you to tilt the glasses up or down for a better fit. The real highlights, though, are the vario lenses which transition from providing protection for bright light conditions to being completely clear for total darkness without any noticeable lag. If the large evil eye evos aren’t your style the adidas evil eye halfrim and tycane sunglasses are also available with vario lenses.
Oakley Jawbreaker Photochromic
RRP R2 800 | www.oakley.com | Tester: Seamus Allardice
The Oakley Jawbreakers were probably the most eagerly awaited riding glasses around when they were released last year, and with the characteristically bold Oakley design it’s easy to see why. They’re sported by the likes of Mark Cavendish on the road and our very own Erik Kleinhans on the mountain and if you’re not the shy type they’re a flashy addition to your riding wardrobe. The lenses feature cut-outs to ensure ventilation and like the adidas evil eye evos, the large frame design increases peripheral vision and reduces aero-drag (as you’d expect from glasses designed for the Manx Missile himself). The Jawbreaker lens changing system is super simple; just squeeze the nose pads together, rotate them up on the hinge (located on the bridge), push the nose pads up until the top clip releases the top bar and then flip the lower rim down to release the lenses. Oakley’s photochromic lenses are top class, as you’d expect and if photochromic isn’t your scene you can get the Jawbreakers in a variety of Oakley’s Prizm Polarized lenses.
D’Arcs Meridian Photochromic
RRP R840 | www.darcs.co.za | Tester: Seamus Allardice
The D’Arcs offer great value for riders who can’t afford or justify the expenditure of some of the other glasses we’ve tested. But I’ve had a pair of D’Arcs Meridians for over a year and I’ve got great use out of them without any issues. They’re simply constructed, but are lightweight and durable with a comfortable fit. The Meridian design is far more subtle than the other sunglasses in this range, which ensures a good general appeal. The lenses meat the European Standards for UVA, UVB and Optical Clarity so there’s no need to be concerned about their quality either. The polycarbonate photochromic lenses change from clear to grey as the light brightens and feature air vents up near the top bar to help reduce fogging up. If you’d prefer separate lenses for different light conditions you can also get the D’Arcs Meridians with a set of four lenses, which allow 100-80%, 80-43%, 43-18% or 18-8% light transmission for different light conditions.
