Final summer time at Crankworx Whistler, Leatt was displaying off a brand new line of biking eyewear, together with the RideViz Professional sun shades. I acquired my palms on a pair for testing, which featured an non-obligatory photochromic lens. With a full-frame design and a large-coverage lens, these shades are made for mountain biking, however can simply work for any style of biking.
I rode with the Leatt RideViz Professional sun shades from mid-summer to early winter, then once more this spring. Between the incredible efficiency from the photochromic lens, their wonderful resistance to condensation, and their snug and safe match, I’ve discovered the RideViz Professional to be a top-notch pair of sun shades that carry out effectively in any situations. I used to be significantly comfortable to search out the lens lived as much as its claims, providing a large seen gentle transmission (VLT) vary with fairly quick transitions.
RideViz Professional Sun shades – Development Options
The RideViz Professional frames are constructed with a Biopolymer materials with delicate anti-slip rubber temple inserts and adjustable nostril items. The body of those light-weight sun shades is basically constructed round their lens. The higher body, decrease body, and arms are all separate items that clip onto the lens.
The RideViz Professional includes a cylindrical lens, which is designed to reduce visible distortion. Cylindrical lenses are flatter (vs. the dual-curved Toric lenses discovered on different Leatt sun shades), in order that they don’t sit fairly as near your face and permit for loads of airflow.
The RideViz Professional’s lenses are 60mm tall. They provide an expansive vertical discipline of view, which is supposed to work effectively for aggressive driving positions, with a pronounced wraparound form that helps guarantee good peripheral visibility.
Two sizes of the RideViz Professional sun shades can be found. Small frames, meant for small or medium faces, measure 135mm vast with a 20mm bridge width and 130mm temple size. For medium and enormous faces, the massive RideViz Professional frames and lenses are 145mm vast, with the identical bridge width and temple size because the small measurement.
The 2 sizes even get distinctive lenses with totally different curvatures. The big measurement makes use of a Base 6 lens, whereas the small has a Base 7 curvature.
The small RideViz Professional sun shades weighed in at 34g on my scale. Apparently, Jeremy has a pair in measurement massive, they usually weigh 34 grams, too.
Lenses
All obtainable lenses for the RideViz Professional sun shades are interchangeable, polycarbonate lenses. Following Leatt’s ethos of conserving riders as secure as potential, the lenses are impact-tested to ANSI Z87.1 requirements. There are 4 lens choices provided with the RideViz Professionals:
Iriz lenses function a mirror coating to scale back glare and shield your eyes from vivid gentle.
Cryztal lenses improve distinction to sharpen particulars and separate colours.
Cryztal Iriz lenses provide each distinction enhancement and an anti-glare mirrored coating.
Photochromic lenses mechanically tint in line with gentle situations. Leatt’s lens presents a powerful vary of 25% to 90% VLT (90% achieves almost clear standing — Leatt’s clear lens is listed at 91% VLT). These photochromic lenses additionally reply in a short time to altering gentle situations.
All RideViz Professional sun shades come together with your alternative of lens and a spare Cryztal Rose lens (besides the photochromic fashions). Leatt says their timeline for availability of spare lenses is TBD, so consumers should select from the inventory body/lens combos for now.
The RideViz Professional sun shades are available seven body shade choices: Clear, Black, Gray, White, Neon Yellow, White/Black, and Satin Black. Costs vary from $153 to $186, relying on lens alternative, and every pair comes with a delicate bag.
Trip Impressions – Match and Helmet Compatibility
I’ve a smaller head, so I’m sporting the small RideViz Professional sun shades. The width of the small is ideal for me; the arms are cosy however snug, and the frames aren’t excessively vast, which could be a drawback with lots of at the moment’s massive protection driving shades.
The RideViz Professionals’ discipline of view is superb throughout. The tall lenses do provide wonderful high and backside visibility, and the glasses’ wraparound form places the edges of the frames virtually fully out of view. Even pushed proper up my nostril, the RideViz Professionals’ frames don’t sit too near my cheeks or brow, leaving room for airflow throughout.
The RideViz Professionals match with a few of my open-faced MTB helmets, however not all. I’ve a shallow head, and whereas the highest of the body is barely barely curved on these glasses, it sits excessive sufficient on my brow to intrude with my deeper-fitting helmets.
My Oakley DRT5, Abus MoDrop, and new POC Cularis Pure helmets all match high quality with these sun shades. My POC Tectal and Kortal lids have been each too deep on the brow, and my Endura MT500 suits too slender on the sides for the sun shades’ arms. Helmet interference will fluctuate from individual to individual and helmet to helmet. Jeremy says he has worn these sun shades with all of his half-shell helmets (six totally different fashions) with out subject.
Photochromic Lens
The RideViz Professionals I have been testing got here with Leatt’s photochromic lens, which I might be my suggestion. The lens meets Leatt’s claims of providing an enormous transmission vary and transitioning shortly from clear to completely tinted and again once more.
When there’s no daylight, the photochromic lens stays completely clear. Driving these sun shades in wet, dim situations, there’s no noticeable distinction between the photochromic lens and every other clear lens. It doesn’t take a lot gentle to activate the tint, although. As situations get brighter, they mechanically get darker in response.
Even in full sunshine, I discovered the darkest tint of the photochromic lens to be sufficient. With the photochromic lens, I’d say the RideViz Professional sun shades might work for any experience, no matter gentle or climate situations. These glasses have been all the time the suitable tint, and whereas the lens does transition comparatively shortly for photochromic, 20-30 seconds, it’s not noticeable or distracting.
I seen a touch of visible distortion when wanting by means of the very high and backside sections of the cylindrical lens. Fortunately, this was by no means an issue whereas driving, because the pretty flat mid-section of the lens (the place you’re largely wanting) doesn’t produce any apparent impact.
Condensation
Along with the lens’s photochromic efficiency, I used to be very proud of the RideViz Professionals’ capability to withstand condensation. Throughout many rides in damp fall situations, plus hotter rides within the spring, the RideViz Professionals have reliably stored their lenses clear.
I wore these glasses all through many climbs, and the one fogging I ever skilled was a bit on the high of the lens — however solely once I stopped shifting. Even on a wet climb that left me soaked with sweat, the lenses stayed completely clear till I took a break. As quickly as I began shifting (even at climbing speeds), the lenses cleared up inside seconds, they usually all the time stayed clear throughout descents.
Consolation and Safety
From the primary experience, I by no means had any comfort-related points with the RideViz Professional sun shades. The rubber nostril piece and padded arms all the time remained completely snug all through my rides. Even higher, these sun shades keep put. I by no means managed to make them budge out of place on my face or slide down my nostril in any respect, regardless of a number of moist and sweaty rides and numerous tough descents.
Lastly, the tall, wraparound lenses do provide good eye safety. Whereas some wind might be noticeable from the edges, the lenses block the breeze from the entrance very successfully. I by no means as soon as discovered my eyes watering on descents, and in sloppy situations, the RideViz Professionals stored all of the water and dirt splatter safely away from my eyes.
Evidently, I’m an enormous fan of the match, stability, protection, and lens efficiency of those shades. Take a look at Leatt’s web site for all the small print on the RideViz Professional sun shades.
leatt.com
