Optic Nerve has, well, a lot of nerve. For bargain prices, they crank out spiffy, functional designs that play well in the ’hood of far pricier shades. A case in point is the Autovaughn. Talk about functional: It’s a snug-fitting wrap with a nonslip nosepiece, temples with subtle but grippy rubber inserts at the tips, and ventilation openings at the corners of the lenses for antifog airflow. That last feature is much appreciated when you’re barely staying afloat on a steep mountain biking gradient; the last thing you want then is a foggy whiteout. All this is delivered in a style that’ll let you hold your head up high on street as well as the trail—no jocky geek factor. The copper lens is a smart choice. It lets in 27% of visible light rays—on the light side, and not what you want for a day traversing the Wapta Icefields in bright sunlight, but fine for shoulder seasons and hikes or runs that dart in and out of the woods. But don’t look to $59 sunglasses for brilliant optical quality. Passable and protective is what you get—and pay for. Eastern Mountain Sports carries the Optic Nerve line:
Torrent is a street/sport hybrid with a lot going for it—particularly a low price tag. The star of its little show is a photchromic lens with impressive range. Called the Light Night Fototec lens, it starts the day at 56% visible light transmission—lighter than most other mutable lenses—and darkens to a comfortable 16% in bright sunlight. As a street shade, it’s super lightweight (24 grams) so it can perch happily for hours at a time—not that I’d want to wear it that long, optically speaking. It also has broad though streamlined temples, and a dash of attitude. Sportier attributes include shatterproof polycarbonate lenses with ventilated corners to dissipate fog, and embedded rubber on the nosepiece and temple tips. The hybrid conceit starts to fall apart if you’re a mountain biker or trail runner—the full rim obscures downward vision, but Torrent doesn’t claim to be a specialist. Optical clarity is only fair, but so is the price. It’s an impressive piece of work if you’re not an optics zealot and need decent shades for a short hike or casual bike ride. Buy it: $62 Free Shipping at Zappos
You have to wonder who Ryders sold its soul to in order to produce this three-lens sport shade for 50 bucks. No matter. What you get is an ideal lineup of polycarbonate lens tints bundled neatly in a soft-sided zippered case, so you’ve got a lens at the ready for virtually any situation. The gray lens is for bright light; its visible light transmission is 15%. The orange (an affectionate persimmon, I’d say) has 47% VLT, and the clear is, well, clear. All three are 100% protective against UVA and UVB light and wrap nicely for sidelight protection. You can’t expect brilliant optics at this price point, and you don’t get them. But these are decent and functional lenses: Sprint is an ideal beater set. The flexy temples grip well. Rubber nose pads are awfully rigid, but at least they’re adjustable; you can nail an optician fit. The system is everything I like and don’t like about interchangeables. Like? The aforementioned range of lenses. Perfect. Dislike? You really have to manhandle them to get them into the frame. Be sure to carry a lens cloth, because you’ll have your grubby fingerprints all over them before they click in. I found myself wearing the orange lens most of the time and forgoing the swap hassle, because a hassle it is. Wear them for virtually any land-based sport; they’re even ventilated to prevent fogging on a mountain bike climb. But nonpolarized Sprint isn’t a good choice on or around water. Not RXable. $50. Info: ryders.com.
