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As soon as the sun has melted the last remnants of snow from the mountain slopes, our desire for adventure awakens. Get out of the daily grind and into nature. With the right equipment, it's twice as much fun. To ensure that you always have a clear view on your adventure tours, we have tested 16 of the latest sunglasses for you. We got to the bottom of the fundamental question of which goggles are best suited to mountain bikers: a model with self-tinting lenses that covers all light conditions? Or would you prefer glasses with interchangeable lenses? In extensive laboratory and practical tests, we have determined for you how quickly self-tinting lenses adapt to the environment, whether modern interchangeable lenses can be changed easily or only with brute force and which system can be best adapted to the wearer's head.
You can find these glasses in the test:
Glasses with interchangeable lenses
- Adidas Evil Eye Halfrim Pro L
- Alpina Tri-Scray (BIKE TIP: Price/performance)
- BBB BSG 45 Adapt
- Endura Guppy
- Oakley Jawbreaker
- Smith Pivlock Arena V2
- Swisseye Panorama
- Uvex Sportstyle 702
Glasses with self-tinting lenses:
- Alpina Twist Four VLM+
- BBB Winner PH
- Cratoni HighFly
- Endura Pacu
- Oakley Radarlock XL
- Rudy Project Agon (BIKE-TIP: Test winner)
- Shimano S20R
- Uvex Sportstyle 700 Vario
ALWAYS RIGHT: GLASSES FOR ALL WEATHERS
Biking instead of tinkering: The latest generation of glasses promises simple lens changes - or even self-tinting glasses for all light conditions. What works, what remains utopia? Eight self-tinting glasses and eight interchangeable frames tested.
Tinting
- Adaptation to slow, strong fluctuations in brightness, from bright sun to night
- One pair of glasses for everything (with a clear initial tint), no tinkering on the go
Change
- Filter colour to suit the area of application, e.g. contrast-enhancing, brightening
- Predictable darkening
- Also works well in the car, for example
- Function independent of temperature and resistant to ageing
THE WHEEL GLASSES
"Photochromatic" or interchangeable lens - which is the better option in 2015 if a single pair of glasses is to cover all light conditions?
For the models with interchangeable lenses, we asked the manufacturers for models with "advanced mechanics". In other words, models whose lenses can be changed without leaving a fingerprint in front of the pupil. Various latches and hinges now replace brute force when pressing the lenses in and out. Adidas, Alpina and Oakley's Jawbreaker in particular stand out with their practical solutions. However, only Alpina also supplies the three sensible tints: clear for twilight, reddish brown to orange for low-contrast light and neutral grey for bright sun. With the competition, a lens can cost up to 160 euros.
The most universal self-tiners, on the other hand, start out as bright as possible. Their strength is still not their ability to adapt in a matter of seconds, for example when moving from an alpine meadow to a pine forest: they need up to ten minutes (Uvex) to become light again. They become dark much faster. The most important innovations in this class are lenses such as the Photochromic 2 from Rudy Project. While all other lenses turn a neutral grey, these luxury lenses turn a contrast-enhancing reddish brown.
Our experience: Self-tinting lenses are great when you get into the twilight. Otherwise, medium-dark, contrast-enhancing lenses are convincing. If they are easy to change - all the better.
THE DETAILS
You can read this article or the entire BIKE 7/2015 issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop reorder:
