When you're powering your bike alongside traffic at 20 mph and you've got a six-inch stretch of street between you and the shoulder, the last thing you need is to be blinded by an unrelenting sun. Like the wind in your face, there's not much you can do but fight through it, but a competent pair of shades will help you plow through any angle of sun. Oakley's latest, the cycling-specific Radarlock Pitch, which expands the company's push for better lens-swapping designs, proved more than up to the task.
During our group bike test, a few of us ran the Radarlocks through the rigors while biking around San Francisco Bay and the challenging terrains around northern California. On first usage, the lens provided noticeable protection against the sun's unforgiving UV rays as well as any unexpected fog or haze – always a concern around these parts. When the sun did go down, switching out the dark polarized lens and popping in one designed for low light was a cinch, thanks to the innovative Switchlock button located near the left eye hinge. You just slide the button back a little, bend the hinge, and gently pull the lens out. Swapping one lens for another can be done in under a minute, once you get the hang of it.
As far as comfort, these Oakleys could still use a bit of work. Even with moderately sized skulls, the glasses could feel a wee bit snug. It was most noticeable upon initial wearings but faded over time. For some folks, the nose clamps got a little tight. For others, it was more noticeable around the head. For those with smaller heads, fit issues generally won't be an problem.
Structurally, the glasses were durable and felt like a necessary kit component in any condition. There were occasional difficulties fitting them over or under helmet components at times, but the shades were always dependable and didn't slip, due to the rubberized side pads along the sides, made Oakley's proprietary Unobtainium material. (No, that's not the same as the fictional element featured in Avatar. It's a rubber that gets sticky when it gets wet, so your glasses don't slip.)
Oakley does offer an upgraded line of Radarlocks with polarized lenses for an $80 markup. The tradeoff is that ambient objects you may encounter along the roadside – really, anything that might present a wavy glare into your retinas – come off as slightly psychedelic, which some of our testers found distracting. Trust yourself to look past it while maintaining a command of your surroundings and you're golden. But if easily distracted by shiny objects, you may want to stick with the baseline model.
After nearly 100 miles on the road, the Wired Bike Team came off feeling as if the Radarlock Pitch was one of the best sunglasses we've ever worn. While not perfect, they're the best road-specific cycling shades Oakley has ever made, and that's saying something.
WIRED Excellent protection against bright glare. Structurally sound. Decent wind deflection in all elements. Nail the balance between coverage and venting.
TIRED Tight fit around some noggins. Cumbersome to slip on while helmeted.