Tifosi Sunglasses have been seen on more and more cyclists in local group rides recently. We weren't sure if it was price, quality or a combination or both. We contacted the good folks at Tifosi to find out . . .

Name/model: Tifosi Optics Pave Sunglasses – Gun Metal
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: US$59, CNY 399 or 79 Singapore dollars
Weight: 29 grams
Company website: www.tifosioptics.com
Competitors: Oakley (?), Smith . . .

With sport sunglasses reaching heights of mark-ups previously only enjoyed by overpriced movie popcorn, could a US$59 pair of glasses compare to ones that are nearly triple the price?

Marketing blurb
•    Brow made of Grilamid TR-90, a homopolyamide nylon characterized by an extremely high alternative bending strength, low density, and high resistance to chemical and UV damage
•    Adjustable ear and nose pieces for a customizable, comfortable fit
•    Aluminum Temples

Looks
The Pave’s are almost deliberately understated. With a choice of relatively tame frame colours, the glasses are meant to just work, not win a fashion show. Likewise, the lenses are designed to be functional and the color choices are simply based on what works – no radiant reds or oranges here, just the colors that are designed to produce the best optics for your ride.

The frame is also very balanced with the lens. You wouldn’t necessarily want to wear these as regular day to day sunglasses, as you would still definitely be recognised as someone who blurs the line between fashion and sport ala wearing white socks and trainers all the time, but they aren’t as over the top as some of the Oakley’s that should only really be worn by professional baseball players or cyclists, and only when they’re doing their sport.

Features
The most immediate feature that you’ll notice is the metal (in this case) aluminium temple which adds a feeling of solid construction without really adding much weight. The lenses and rest of the frame are plastic and rubber and nothing more that would really be out of place on any other set of glasses. This particular pair of Pave’s had Tifosi’s Fototec lenses, which are their photochromatic lenses that adapt with changing lighting conditions. More on this in a bit.

Reality
For me, sports sunglasses are all about not knowing they’re not there. Although recently fashion has trumped functionality with a few brands, during the race, you’re not worried about how the frame colour matches your kit or bike, you’re more worried about the guy who’s putting the hurt into you in front of you that you’re frantically trying to grab the wheel of. Much like a good pair of cycling shoes, shorts, jersey, etc., sunglasses should do their job and you shouldn’t notice that they even exist – they should become one with you and become part of the experience.

I couldn’t have picked a better day to try out the Pave’s – it was overcast with a strong chance of rain. I slipped the glasses on, and although I found the lenses a bit smaller than I would have liked, I quickly ‘became one’ with the glasses and ceased to remember that I was wearing them.  My face is fairly standard, but I’m a taller guy, so typically wear L helmets and need glasses that aren’t for the small faced. The Pave’s fit well and were light enough to not even notice they were there.

During the race, the glasses continued to impress. Many riders chose to go without glasses because of the rain, but I decided to keep mine on, which was the right decision. At no point did the Paves hinder my sight and they protected me from the grit and rain that was plaguing the other riders who chose not to wear sunglasses.

Did the Fototec lenses make a difference? Yes, in these conditions they definitely did. I never felt like I was getting too much light or too little. In these conditions normally I’d opt for a pair of yellow lenses to give a bit more contrast to the road and environment, but didn’t feel that I needed them here. Although I do find the amber/yellow colour almost comforting after so many years of using that colour of lenses, I quickly ceased to notice.

Pros

• Lightweight and flexible – they are very light and fit my ‘larger’ face well. Slipping them under the straps of my helmet was also very easy and I didn’t have any pressure points on the bridge or temples where the sunglasses were resting
• Tough – Granted they are new lenses, but when we raced the conditions were less than ideal with mud and water being thrown up from the road and when I needed to clean them off, a shot from the water bottle was all that was necessary
• Fototec Lenses – photocromatic lens darkens or lightens with changing conditions. The lens did a remarkable job adjusting to the conditions
• Interchangeable lenses – I’m a big fan of one frame and several sets of lenses for varying conditions. That being said, for the price, you could buy another complete set of Pave’s for the same price as an extra set of lenses from some of the other manufacturers . . .

Not so Pros . . .

• Fit for cycling is good, running maybe not so – during a warm-up run, I found that the glasses didn’t stay seated as well as my regular sunnies, so I erred on the side of caution and decided to stick with what worked
• Lenses could be larger and darker – Although the lenses cover most of the field of vision, they felt a bit small to me. Although the size didn’t really hamper the experience, I typically like a big ‘cover-everything’ lens. These glasses are great for 70% of the time that light conditions are variable up to super-bright, but you wouldn’t want to chuck your polarized lenses just yet.

Interested in other sunglasses reviews on cyclingnewsasia?

• Oakley Radar Path
• Smith Reactor Sunglasses
• Oakley Jawbone
• Tifosi Optics Pave Sunglasses
• Rudy Project Noyz

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