If you are looking at photos of the ProTour you will notice most riders sporting glasses from a major manufacturer that start with the letter after 'N'. However, look a bit closer and you will notice another very prominent, yet understated brand in the bunch - Rudy Project.

Team Jelly Belly riding the Rudy Noyz and Rudy Sterling helmets (watch for an upcoming review)

• Name/model: Rudy Project Noyz
• Compatible with: Both skinny and flat faces
• Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: US$199, CNY 1,399 or SGD $269
• Company website: www.rudyproject.com
• Competitors: Oakley, Smith, Briko . . .

A little while back we had the good fortune of catching up with the guys at RPA in Singapore (the official distributors of Rudy Project products). We always aim to sit down with the people who really know the products so we can write our reviews with the correct information at hand. Read on to know more about some 'technically cool eye-wear' and its quest to protect your eyes from sun, grit, grime rain and sharp bits flying through the air while you are riding or (hopefully not) crashing. We tested the Noyz model to see how it stacked up against the competition.

The Noyz model sits at the top of the Rudy Glasses hierarchy. The Noyz sells for about 269 Singapore bucks, weighs in at around 31 grams, and comes in 12 different frame colours. To add to the good news it is also Rudy's 25th anniversary this year! What better way to celebrate their anniversary than to get out and see the world through their blue coloured lenses?!

Keil Renjin at the 2010 Tour de Qinghai lake with the Rudy Project Noyz ready to go

One thing we thoroughly enjoyed during this test was the that each time we rushed out for a ride with the glasses firmly affixed to our face, we felt excited by the knowledge that these glasses had recently been seen on the front of the peloton at the Tour de France and won a stage of the Tour de Qinghai Lake! We felt like we were at the forefront of today's cycling fashion!

History
Rudy Project was created by Rudy Barbazza in 1985 - his goal was to improve the performance of athletes all over the world. His vision was clear: to build the worlds most technologically advanced sports eye-wear. Rudy Project works with athletes from all fields and according to Jason Jong "really listens, and thinks about what they really need". One thing that really stands out about Rudy Project is their focus on research and development rather than spending huge sums on hype and marketing. According to Jason, they spend a much bigger budget on research and development - ensuring their products are 'simply technologically better'. Technically Cool, then seems to quite aptly describe the stuff they are producing.

Marketing blurb

"Suitable for a wide variety of sports and at all performance levels, the new Noyz sunglasses of Rudy Project have turned out to be one of the crown jewels of the 2009 collection." 

Reality
What we liked right away about the Rudy's: They're light, they're white, and when we first put the glasses on we were astounded at the optical quality. The frame is constructed of Grilamid, and is finished with a gloss sheen that makes it easy to clean. The frames have some sharp graphics in black with red accents. The arms had grippy sleeves in red and the glasses are held in place on your nose with what Rudy Project calls their Ergo IV ergonomic nose piece.

The Ergo IV Ergonomic nosepiece

The nose piece is worth commenting on as it has a large range of adjustability making it easy to get a comfortable fit for people who have both high and low bridged noses. It's also easily replaceable if it is ever damaged or wears.

We wore the Rudy's for both training and racing rides and enjoyed the glasses for both. The lenses seemed robust, and a visual “eye ball” inspection show them to be quite a bit thicker than the lenses on a number of other glasses we have tested. This does add to the weight, however the Noyz had a more durable feel. Rudy has made themselves famous because of their lenses. The latest version or their famous lenses are called ImpactX and is GUARANTEED UNBREAKABLE FOR LIFE. The lenses are also said to be extremely scratch resistant (we didn't have a chance to test this) and they are designed Additionally if you are a prescription lens wearer the Noyz is easily converted to your prescription.

The red grippers are easy to remove from the Grilamid frames, clean and replace

We found the lenses a little bit too dark for mountain bike rides where you are riding in heavily shaded areas with unpredictable shadows and ground effects, however Rudy has an easy fix – 15 different lens transitions.

Pros

• Good colour selection (12 different frames and 15 different lenses!)
• Lightweight
• Easy to swap lenses

Not so Pros . . .

• Sunglass style is subjective?

Bottom Line
We have heard that Rudy Project shades are now the choice of many countries militaries and obviously the glasses have many more uses than cycling. It seems like the Noyz has been thoroughly researched and designed for 'extreme pursuits'. Our final thoughts were that these were tough glasses, that look good and will continue to do so for the long term.

Interested in other sunglasses reviews on cyclingnewsasia?

• Oakley Radar Path
• Smith Reactor Sunglasses
• Oakley Jawbone
• Tifosi Optics Pave Sunglasses

The test rider:
Height: 185cm                    Weight: 67kg
Gender: Male                    Years riding experience: 13 years
Type of riding done mostly: Mountain biking, road racing, road training and CROSS! Our reviewer has previously tested and worn glasses from Smith, Oakley, Briko, and Rudy Project.

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