Whether it’s protection from the sun, mud, dust, or errant tree branches, sunglasses are a good accessory to ride with. Finding a pair that works for you isn’t always easy, so I was stoked to try Smith’s Motive and Wildcat sunglasses this summer.
The Smith Motives struck a chord with me right away. They fit my face well, stayed in place during rides, fit with some of my favorite helmets, and they provide a huge field of view. Unfortunately, the Wildcats didn’t work as well for me. They were too tall for some of my helmets and slipped down my nose after I got sweaty on a ride. I did like the Wildcat’s low-light lens, which worked great in its intended conditions.
Smith Motive Sunglasses: How They Fit
Right away I liked how the Motive sunglasses fit me. I can push them right up my nose until they touch between my eyebrows, but they still leave enough of a gap at my forehead to vent themselves really well. The lenses are wide, and there is no lower frame to interrupt your vision. The arms are slightly longer than I’d require, but that was never an annoyance.
As far as helmets go, the Motives proved a bit wide for some of mine. They wouldn’t fit with Smith’s Payroll helmet or my ABUS MoDrop, as the arms were wide enough to contact or not fit under the sides of the shells. The Motives worked great with my Oakley DRT5 and Specialized Ambush 2 helmet.
Ride Impressions
My Motives came with ChromaPop Violet Mirror lenses and clear lenses. My first ride was in drizzly conditions to light rain, so I started with the clear lenses.
The clear lenses produced no condensation during the climb, and I only got a tiny bit of fog on them while stopped twice. Both times the lenses cleared up quickly, even by just sliding the glasses down my nose. In any kind of motion, condensation was never a problem.
The field of view the Motives offer is excellent, especially from left to right. The lenses extend far out to both sides, so you can’t see the edges as you ride. Top-to-bottom visibility is also great, as the bottoms are out of view and the top clearance is very good. If you really look, the bottom outer edges of the lenses are visible, but my eyes never went there during rides. Initially, I felt like I could see the nosepiece quite a bit, but this was quickly forgotten.
The Motive’s large lenses do a great job of blocking wind, and will protect your eyes from dirt and debris. They were also very good at staying put on my nose; I never needed to adjust them during a ride. Aside from the arms feeling a bit tight on my temples after one early test ride, I had no ongoing comfort issues with the Motives.
CP Violet Mirror Lenses
Allowing 10% light transmission, Smith’s ChromaPop Violet Mirror lenses are dark enough to provide ample shade for a fully exposed ride on a bright, sunny day. The ChromaPop lenses are also tuned to enhance color, clarity, and definition. I did notice trail surfaces looked very well defined with them.
There is a tradeoff for having enough shade for full sunshine: The Violet Mirror lenses do get a bit dark when you dive deep into the woods or if the sun goes away. They were hardly unbearable to ride within such conditions, but they’re a bit darker than you’ll need in the shady forest.
At no point did I manage to produce one bit of condensation on the Violet Mirror lenses. Clarity is also excellent with both the clear and Violet Mirror lenses. Changing lenses is very easy with the Motives; just tug on the outer top corner of the frame and the lens literally pops right out (be ready to catch it!). Putting lenses in is just as easy.
One final note: Since I like their looks and the lenses are fairly dark, I sometimes wear the Motives causally as well as for riding.
The Motive sunglasses weighed in at just 27g.
MSRP for the Motives ranges from $175-185. There are six different frame and lens combinations available. Smith includes a hard case and soft spare lens bag with each pair.
Wildcat Sunglasses: Fit
Knowing the Wildcats are a popular sunglass I was stoked to give them a try, but they just didn’t jive with me like the Motives did. First off, the Wildcats always want to sit crooked on my face. Despite playing with the adjustable nose pads, the glasses always took a bit of fiddling to get them sitting level. This is not an issue I typically have with sunglasses.
As for compatibility with helmets, I found the Wildcat frames too tall for Smith’s Payroll helmet. It should be noted that I have a shallow skull, and the Payroll helmet fits quite deep on me. I had the same issue with my Oakley DRT5 helmet – The sunglasses are tall enough to contact the forehead. The Wildcats did work fine with my shallower-fitting Rudy Project Protera and my ABUS MoDrop.
Ride Impressions
My Wildcats came with Smith’s ChromaPop Rose Blue Mirror lens (ideal for low light conditions) and a clear lens.
My first ride was with a clear lens, and it provided crystal-clear vision. It was a warm, damp day, and I only got a bit of fogging while stopping for breaks. As soon as I got moving, the condensation disappeared quickly, and I had none whatsoever while moving up or downhill. Throughout my testing with both lenses, the worst condensation I got was during that first humid ride, and only while I wasn’t moving. Otherwise, both lenses did a great job of staying clear.
The Wildcat’s frames are visible in your peripheral vision, particularly at the outer bottom edges, but as soon as you get focused on the trail they become easy to ignore. Throughout all my test riding, the Wildcat’s arms and nosepiece remained perfectly comfortable. The length of the arms is also ideal for my head.
ChromaPop Rose Blue Mirror Lens
I first tried the Rose Blue Mirror lens in sunny conditions that were not ideal for it… and it was not ideal! The lens did offer decent shade from the bright sun, and it was clear it was helping to brighten up darker patches of the forest. However, I discovered some issues with reflections in direct sun.
One day I wore the Wildcats while driving to work, and I noticed the lens produced reflections of bright lights (like oncoming car headlights). I could also see blue dots on the lens with both of my eyes, and a blue haze appeared at the outer edges of the lens. Once I noticed this, it became pretty distracting!
Of course, these sunglasses aren’t designed for driving in bright sunshine, so I rode with them in sunny conditions. Even on the trails, when the sun was behind or beside me it created reflections on the lens. Fortunately, the lens proved to be great in the conditions it was intended for…
One day I got a perfectly ideal overcast, dimly lit summer day. The Rose Blue Mirror lens is great in these conditions. The yellowish hue makes the deep forest appear brighter (especially yellows and greens) and helps your eyes see with better definition. To my naked eye, the woods seemed duller and the colors looked more muted. Also, in low light conditions, there were no issues with reflections on the backside of the lens.
Swapping lenses on the Wildcats isn’t really difficult, but it involves a bit of tugging and pulling. It’s hard to change them without getting your fingers all over the lenses so be ready to wipe them clean!
Another issue I had with the Wildcats was they didn’t stay in place well. As soon as my skin got sweaty the Wildcats would slide down the bridge of my nose. On a bumpy trail, they would slip downwards within a few seconds of riding.
After one ride like this, I realized I had the nose pads pushed outwards, and my skin was touching the frames more than the rubber pads. However, I rode again with the pads pushed inwards and the glasses hardly did any better at staying in position. Also, I’m confident my helmet wasn’t pushing downwards on the frames, the nose pads just weren’t providing much grip.
The Wildcats hit my scale at 31g.
The Wildcat sunglasses retail for $215-255 depending on the model. Smith offers a large assortment of frame colors and lens options. A hard case (with a slot for an extra lens) and soft bag are included with each pair.
