Cycling sunglasses do more than shield your eyes from sun. They're also the only defense between聽you and every bullet-like projectile that gets kicked up by聽the聽wheels and blasted at your face.聽We聽tested聽these five new bike-specific shades鈥攁nd one goggle鈥攆or nearly six months. In the looks and protection departments, they聽aren鈥檛 all created equal. Here's how they stack聽up.
Oakley Prizm Trail Jawbreaker ($220)
We wanted to hate these glasses because you have to be Mark Cavendish to make them look good. But retro 鈥80s styling aside, we could find no fault with the聽. The lens-change mechanism is the smoothest, easiest system we鈥檝e tried, and the semi-mirrored lens we received, which was made for trail riding, did an incredible job of bringing out depth and adjusting between sun and shade (and was also fine, if a bit bright, on cloudless road rides). Finally, the shape of the lens and the all-around vents made for the best performance of any glasses we聽tried: no sweat drip and聽no fogging. Style be damned!
Best For: The bold聽sytle-conscious聽among us who want top-shelf聽shades.聽
Rudy Project Ergomask ($225)
The clarity and sharpness of are second only to Oakley's, and the monster one-piece-wrap lens makes for an unobstructed field of vision. There鈥檚 a聽bumper on the bridge that kept the glasses off our face and prevented fogging, and the fully adjustable nosepiece is the best of the bunch. Despite its dark tint, the silver-mirrored Laser Black lens worked for all but the dimmest of days. Not everyone liked the Terminator looks, however, and the soaring price tag meant that most testers were reticent to buy, even with the three-year frame warranty.
Best For: Discerning lens geeks.聽
Boll茅 Diamondback ($110)
Like the Rudy Ergomask, the 聽has聽a one-piece lens, though the nylon frame that encircles it has some fashion flare. And the contrast paint job matches the mirrored lens coating for even better looks. Unfortunately, the optics aren鈥檛 as clear as the more expensive models on this list, and the lens shape has a way of collecting sweat. We did appreciate the rubberized temples and nose, which kept the glasses聽well positioned. Heads up: these glasses are not for people who appreciate high-precision specs, but we鈥檇 keep them around for mountain biking, especially since they cost half of some of the other glasses on this list聽(and are therefore cheaper to replace).
Best For:聽Mountain bikers on a budget.聽
Smith Squad MTB Goggle ($60)
Not all situations call for goggles, but when it鈥檚 dusty or muddy聽and wet, the extra protection can mean the difference between sending聽and crashing. The new , which is Smith鈥檚 first dedicated mountain bike goggle, is one of the finest of the breed聽we鈥檝e tried. They never fogged, even on a couple of sticky, rainy days in Crested Butte, thanks to the extra-tall padding and vents around the face. And the lens-switch capability (ours came with both mirrors and clears) was surprisingly straightforward. We also liked the rubberized strip on the elastic band, which gripped the back and side or our helmet and made it easy to push the Squads up out of our face. Best of all: they offer the most protection for the least amount of money.
Best For: Dusty or sloppy conditions when you need real eye protection.聽
Ryders Face Anti-Fog Photochromic ($130)
The oversize lenses and curved shape of these nylon frames meant the fit snugly to our mugs and provided ample coverage for even the driest-eyed among our ranks. And they looked good on nearly everyone who tried them. The rubberized nosepiece prevented slippage, though it鈥檚 not adjustable so a couple of riders had a hard time with fit. Ryders鈥 big push is for their new anti-fog treatment, which worked quite well, preventing steaming in front and causing outside moisture聽to bead off. The optics were the poorest of the bunch, however, and the orange tint, which supposedly was photochromic, was too bright for everything but the dimmest days. As such, we鈥檇 either get these Faces for rain days only聽or opt for a darker lens for all-around use.聽
Best For:聽贵辞驳-蹿谤别别听谤颈诲颈苍驳.听
Smith PivLock Arena Max ($160)
The brings a new shape to a time-tested design, and the result is arguably the finest all-around riding glasses money can buy, for mountain or road. The frameless design means they鈥檙e so light you barely notice them. Yet unlike the Rudys or Oakleys, the styling is sharp, not over-bearing, even in the oversize聽Max edition. Our Purple Sol-X Mirror lens was ideal for blaring, mid-afternoon rides, and the bundle included a clear and red lens for variable聽light conditions. Switching was simple, though we did snap the end off the adjustable nosepiece while making the swap (thankfully, the break was cosmetic only).聽
Best For:聽People who聽want only one pair of shades.