Whether you’re heading into winter with an ever-lowering sun blinding the road ahead, or you’re heading into summer and need to keep that all-day glare at a minimum, chances are you’re still needing a pair of specs to protect your retina. In this roundup we take a look at some of Tifosi Optics cycling sunglasses and lenses, and a cheap but likely great value for money MOTO-style google option for mountain bikers from Ride 100%.
Tifosi Optics SLICE sunglasses
Eyewear on the bike needs to offer 100% protection from those retina-damaging UV-rays, it needs to be shatterproof to protect your eyes from grit and stones kicked up from the road, and most importantly, it needs to look pro, right? Ticking all those boxes are the SLICE (up your life, couldn’t help myself) sunglasses from Tifosi. They’ve been around for a while now, but worth a mention nevertheless. The SLICE lenses are wraparound and frameless. The design should provide an unobstructed view of the road ahead and feel featherlight on your face.
The frames are made with Grilamid TR-90, making them durable and lightweight and the nose and earpieces are adjustable. Made from hydrophilic rubber, the more you sweat the more they grip.
The SLICE sunglasses are available in two flavors, one of which features a Fototec lens that darkens tint as the day gets brighter. The other choice is an interchangeable model. All are priced at $79.95 and are backed with a lifetime warranty on manufacturer’s defects.
Tifosi Optics Enliven color enhancing lens
Worth checking out are the color enhancing Enliven lenses from Tifosi Optics. The lenses have been fine tuned to filter out some wavelengths of light so that the wavelengths corresponding to blue, red and green are most prominent, making that beautiful countryside you’re rolling through even more beautiful. The Enliven lens is available for Tifosi’s Slice, Vero, Davos, Crit and Alliant sunglasses just now, and will set you back $49.95. The lenses are vented for increased airflow so shouldn’t steam up on you.
Ride 100% Strata Sand Goggles
OK, the Ride 100% Strata Sand goggles aren’t specifically marketed at MTB, but at $40 a pop, who cares? These are built with dusty conditions in mind, to keep the finest particles away from your eyes. Probably just as good for dusty alpine bike park laps as ATV sand dune shredding. Complete with special closed-cell foam, a smoke lens and a bonus clear lens, the Strata Sand is prepared to deliver unmatched value to the market.