All Arround MTB

The full-frame design of the Renegades won’t be for everyone, but if you don’t find the bottom of the frame poking into your eyeline distracting, then we found they were a good fit and didn’t allow any light to leak in. Despite the lack of venting, the anti-fog coating stands up to both humid and cold slogs well, and the ‘Reactiv’ photochromic lenses transition from light to dark and back again quickly. The lack of an adjustable nose bridge means you should try before you buy, but testers with a range of face shapes found them comfy. Grippers on the arms eliminate any slippage. Our only niggle is with the supplied case, which can be compressed, potentially damaging the glasses. While they’re pricey, the urban styling of the Renegades means you can wear them around town too and get more use out of them than you would a regular pair of riding glasses. Price $165 (with Reactiv Zebra Light lenses)

If you don’t get on with goggles but want full-coverage optics, these Tifosi glasses are, ahem, worth a look. The perimeter frame covers from cheekbone to brow and wraps a long way back. While the lens has vents at the top and bottom, they’re tiny, so there’s little chance of rain, debris or dust getting through. Peripheral vision is good, with the frame only visible right at the edge of your field of view. The arms and nose piece are bendable for a secure, head-hugging, snout-saddling fit even on small skulls.There’s none of the ‘HD’ wow factor you get with some top-end specs but optical quality is OK and Tifosi lenses are generally very scratch resistant. You get three lenses included too – clear, smoke and all-conditions red. They do need to be nursed carefully and patiently out of/into the frame, though – we snapped our first sample set while trying to switch lenses. Rubbing them to warm up the plastic slightly helps. Price $97

If looking awesome is your thing, then Pit Viper glasses are probably on your shopping list already. At 127mm wide, they’ll fit most faces without looking ridiculous, and offer excellent protection against bug strikes and trail debris when you’re shredding the gnar. This model’s polarized lens is best suited to sunny environments, but clear-lensed glasses are available too. Three adjustments – ‘Turbo’ (arm/lens angle), ‘E-Spot’ (arm length) and ‘Nose Bender’ – make it easy to find a comfortable fit. (Pit Viper recommend running the Turbo adjustment one down from maximum so that you can always turn it up – a great mantra to live by!) They also vent well, and it takes a serious amount of huffing and puffing to get them to steam up for a prolonged period of time. The Pit Viper logo does enter your peripheral vision at times, but you soon get used to it. The price isn’t bad too. Price $89

Ryders’ new Roam glasses turn optic logic upside down, but the idea behind them is actually quite clever. The optional half-rim frame clips onto the bottom of the lens, not the top, to stop it slicing into your cheeks if you use your face/helmet as a brake. Alternatively, unclip it and use just the standalone nose bridge for an ultralight (30g) lab technician/roadie look. Either way, ventilation is good, and the nosepiece and arm tips are bendable so you can sit the glasses just right on your face for a super-secure fit. The photochromic ‘FYRE’ anti-fog lens is excellent too, with a range of tint options. It’s not polarised, but glare reduction and clarity are excellent, and it reacts fast enough not to make the transition from open sun into woods too lethal. Despite becoming some of our go-to glasses, the Roams are holding up well in terms of scratch damage too. Price $285

While the name may not be exactly catchy, the bold Euro styling of Uvex’s Sportstyle 705 glasses is hard to miss. Inside the hard carry case you have three lenses to choose from (clear, orange and mirrored). Changing them is a fast and easy process – simply release the clip just above the nosepiece and pivot the lower half of the frame down. The arms have flexible ends, so they can be bent into position to ensure a snug fit. It’s the same story for the nosepiece too. On the trail, the glasses stayed put when clattering through braking bumps or battering into rock fields, despite the nosepiece not feeling particularly grippy. The lack of vents on the lenses did worry us but we had no fogging issues, even on the clammiest days. Our main gripe is that the thick, brightlycoloured lower half of the frame is hard to ignore when riding. Price $112

The Dolomite 2.0s are available with Tifosi’s Fototec lenses, which react to light. At just 26g they’re pretty light too. They stay in place manfully even when faced with a midsummer sun cream/ sweat cocktail and the arms are long enough that the rubberised tips grip the side of your head nicely.

SMITH’S PIVLOCK ASANAS are a revelation for those with smaller faces, who can find it a nigh-on impossible task to find riding glasses that fit.

JULBO’S PHOTOCHROMIC Zebra Light lens lets between eight and 80 per cent of the available light through, depending on the intensity of the sunlight, and the change is so speedy and seamless that it’s barely noticeable on the trail.

THE UNUSUAL LOOKS and hefty price of the Jawbreakers mean they won’t be for everyone, but hit the trail and you’ll find it hard not to be impressed by these glasses.

As pricey as some top end Oakleys, POC’s DO Blade glasses have a lot to live up to. POC’s large lenses fortunately offer ridiculous levels of clarity and a complete lack of distortion, so we never found our eyes straining after a full day’s wear. They’re lightweight, and the adjustable nosepiece and flexible arms help keep them comfortable too.

The latest piece of eyewear to leave the Oakley vault is the new Jawbreaker sunglass. Codeveloped with famed road rider and master sprinter Mark Cavendish, the Jawbreakers pack the same quality visual performance that you’ve grown to expect from Oakley. Along with some proven design features like Switchlock, Unobtainium and their High Definition Optics, these glasses have some new features that we’re anxious to test on the trail.

Adidas Eyewear have long been the racer’s choice of eyewear in Australia – thanks to their wide range of frames and lenses. For 2015 they have launched a new model in the long-lasting Evil Eye style.

GOGGLES OR GLASSES ? A dilemma for many enduro riders. With massively oversized lenses, Adidas's new EVO Pros aim to combine the eye protection and wide field of view of goggles with the practicality of glasses.

SO GOOD The Arqus specs come with three lenses, which are relatively easy to fit. Each gets the same four sizeable vent slots to help dump heat and prevent fogging.

SO GOOD Madison have more or less nailed the ergonomics here. The comfortably curved one-piece arms hug the head without feeling tight and have rubber grippers on the inside of the tips to prevent slipping, and the nose piece is soft and flexible.

SO GOOD Tifosi's Light Night Fototec lenses are beautifully crisp and clear. They also react subtly to changes in light, though not quite as quickly as the lenses on the Enduras.

SO GOOD The flexible arm tips and two-position adjustable nose piece help to make the Overdrives some of the comfiest specs on test.

SO GOOD The Endura glasses' flexible, easy to mould arms help provide a secure, comfortable fit that's tight enough to ensure they don't move about but not so snug that they'll leave you with a headache.

SO GOOD Clarity through the photochromic lens is good and changes in light are dealt with in a subtle yet effective manner.