The Shore goggles from Ryders is designed by mountain bikers, for mountain biking. In order to provide a mountain bike-specific fit, Ryders has incorporated a high bridge over the nose so as not to inhibit breathing and to allow the goggle to sit lower down on your face than a moto or snow goggle would. This ensures the Shore goggles mesh perfectly with almost all mountain bike helmets.

A set of mountain bike goggles also needs its own specific venting system that is inherently different from those found in moto and snow goggles. According to Ryders, “Our vents are designed to block the vapor from your mouth and nose, while channeling fresh air from the front and sides of the (goggles) to flow up the back of the lens, keeping your face cool and eliminating fog problems.”

The frame itself is designed to be ultra flexible, ultra durable (the flexibility helps with this), and lightweight. Attaching this quality frame to the face is high density, multi-layered, hypoallergenic foam that maximizes comfort and minimizes the build up of nast’ from sweating day after day. Keeping all of this in place is an adjustable strap with anti-slip beading that locks into the helmet for a solid feel.

While the frame, strap, and foam are all important, the lens is the heart of every goggle. If the lens is crappy, the goggles are worthless. Thankfully, the Shore’s lens is anything but crappy! The lens on the goggles I tested had a clear tint for low-light conditions, but still blocks “100% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays, and harmful blue light to 400nm.” It also features a dual-lens construction, which works to eliminate fogging by putting a gap between two lens panes. Topping that off is an anti-fog coating for more protection as well as a scratch-resistant coating.

But possibly the most important feature of the Shore’s lens is the shatterproof polycarbonate lens material. No matter how hard you crash, this lens will not shatter. It may get busted up, but it won’t splinter into little eye-piercing shards. Finally, Ryders has integrated posts for tear-offs directly into the lens for easy loading.

But how would all of these features translate on the trail?

Real World Testing

Downhilling at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

I’ve spent some quality time with the Shore goggles, but it didn’t really qualify as rest and relaxation… more like body pounding and nervous adrenaline rushes! The Shore did its job and kept my vision clear and unimpeded.

I know this may sound rather cliché, but I really did almost forgot that I was wearing a pair of goggles. They were honestly that comfortable! I’ve used goggles in the past with foam padding so thin I could feel the frame pressing straight into my face. Not so with the Shores! The triple-layer foam did an excellent job of cushioning my face, allowing me to focus on the trail in front of me. Also, the MTB-specific design worked superbly with my helmet. I had no uncomfortable pressure points to speak of.

Close up.

As for fog, I didn’t even think about my goggles fogging up until after the fact when I realized that they simply stayed clear the entire time.

At first I wasn’t sure if the goggles would stay secured to my helmet, as the strap area on my lid doesn’t have a deep recess or clip. I had no reason to worry, though, because the strap’s rubber seemed to just lock into the hard shell of my helmet as if it were velcro. This goggles stayed put all day without a single adjustment.

What more can really be said? When something just works the way it was intended to perform, it tends to take the words right out of the reviewer’s mouth! The one thing left for me to say is that the Shore goggles offer this stellar performance and quality construction with supreme attention to detail at an extremely affordable price: only $49.99 MSRP. For just 50 bones, you can’t possibly go wrong!

Many thanks to Ryders Eyewear for providing the Shore goggles for review.

Sunglasses are an absolutely essential piece of mountain bike gear, but they are often overlooked, or at least misunderstood. With prices ranging from $15 at your local convenience store to well over $200 for a pair of name-brand shades, it can be difficult to decide what you really need in a pair of sunglasses.

I’ve found that with shades, as with most things, you get what you pay for… though it’s often difficult to identify the benefits of the most expensive products. If you’re operating on a budget, the best idea is usually to aim for a product somewhere in the middle that provides real performance at a real value, and Ryders Eyewear does just that.

Specs

The Seeker Black TR90 glasses I recently received come complete with  photocromatic polycarbonate grey lenses with 100% UV protection. They feature standard anti-slip nose pads as well as strips of rubber above the ears for comfort.

On the Trail

From the first moment I tried them on, I could tell that the Seekers were designed for use on the trail. Despite the beefy arms they are still lightweight, and those arms wrap around the sides of your head and hold on tight! In addition to performing well on the mountain bike, these would be perfect for trail running and other activities. I’ve even worn them for a long game of ultimate frisbee under slightly overcast skies: perfect!

The tint on these shades feels like it was purposely designed with deep-forest singletrack in mind. The tint is very light compared to many other sunglasses, and while they do cut the glare in direct sunlit mountain meadows, it doesn’t feel like quite enough protection in full sun. That’s OK though, because in the deep woods where I ride these glasses are truly in their element!

The tint is dark enough to cut down on glare from the sunlight filtering through the limbs while not being too dark in the deep shadows, even during early morning and late evening rides. Before the Seekers showed up on my doorstep, I was trying to get back into the habit of riding sans glasses, as my current pair were just too dark. However, riding with glasses does provide the general dust-blocking, spiderweb-breaking, whippy-branch-deflecting benefits over just rolling shade-less. But in order to do that in the deep woods, the tint has to be perfect.

One last thought on the tint: while this may just be personal preference, I’ve been enjoying the straight black tint without any change in color. For the past couple of years I’ve been riding with a pair of light brown shades that were an amazing pair of glasses, but every time I got on my bike it felt like I was entering an alternate dimension of dull brown and orange. The straight black tint of the Seekers makes all of the colors feel so real out on the trail, and it helps me enjoy the beauty of creation around me without having to squint my eyes all of the time.

Price

The model of the Seeker I tested had photopolar technology, which combines technology from several of their other glasses, and MSRPed at $89.99. Other models of the Seeker with less expensive lenses range in price all the way down to $39.99

If you are looking for a pair of shades to use while mountain biking under heavy tree cover that offer serious performance at a reasonable price, be sure to check out the Ryders Seeker!

Thanks to Ryders Eyewear for providing these glasses for review!

OK, now I get to show off a bit and for once I don’t need to wear a helmet or ride along with constant fear of knocking out a tooth. Just look at that handsome devil above… I assure you the only reason I look good is the shades. The VTX sunglasses from Ryders (MSRP $59.99) are super versatile and have quickly become my favorite blinkers for the trail.

The VTX sunglasses come with three lens choices that you can change up in a jiffy. The lenses pictured above are gray with a flash coating, perfect for sunny days. You also get a set with orange tint which provides high contrast on forest trails or for overcast days and a clear set for protection in the dark from thin twigs and dirt. With all these options included you’re really getting 3 pairs of shades that can be worn in any conditions. The VTX sunglasses come with a zipper case to hold the extra lenses and a soft, no-scratch cleaning cloth.

Now a really great thing with all the lenses is that they are optically correct and provide 100% UVA, UVB, and UVC protection. Most inexpensive sunglasses skip the UV protection and can actually harm your eyes with too much exposure to the sun.

Another cool feature of the VTX sunglasses is the adjustable nose piece and arms which can be set to your face and hold the glasses firmly in place. This is perfect for me since one of my ears is slightly lower than the other (go figure) but it also means I can set these specs in place and forget them when I’m bombing down the trail.

On the trails the VTX sunglasses are great and I’m a big fan of the orange lenses in particular. During a recent ride I noticed roots and small differences in the soil popped out visually while my eyes stayed well protected from mud splatter (thanks, in part, to the tight fit around my face). I did notice a little bit of fogging during breaks in the action but other than that I really enjoyed the Ryder VTX sunglasses.

But wait, there’s more!

Check out the Vigor (MSRP $44.99) sunglasses also from Ryders. These share some of the characteristics of the VTXs with the exception of the replaceable lenses. The Vigor shades feature the same adjustable nose and ear pieces but only include this brown lens with flash finish (other models carry a different lens color – see Ryders for details).

The Vigors are part of the Adrenaline Essentials collection from Ryders. Even though these do not have replaceable lenses, the brown lenses with flash finish still provide good contrast in medium to bright conditions and do a good job enhancing yellow and green hues. Because the lenses are not replaceable, Ryders was able to frame the lenses all the way around, making these a more fashionable choice for both on and off the trail.

I found these sunglasses worked best on the open trials and on bright, sunny days. I tried wearing these shades on a few overcast days but I found the brown lenses were a bit too dark in the deep forest. These glasses didn’t seem to fog up like the VTX sunglasses and the slightly larger lenses still kept out the crud and junk.

Ryders Eyewear produces optically correct, UV-protected sunglasses perfect for mountain biking at a great value (which means you won’t be too upset if you accidentally break or lose them on the trail). On top of that, their sunglasses look cool and fit just about any face – check out the huge selection to find the right pair for your riding style.

Cheers folks!

Some Key Features from Ryders Eyewear:

• Adjustable nose pads
• Adjustable temple-tips
• Hydrophilic nose-pads and/or temple tips
• Optically-correct, shatterproof, polycarbonate, performance lenses
• 100% UVA, UVB, UVC protection.