Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, new brand HindSight has released its Edge rear-view cycling sunglasses, which use semi-transparent mirrors to give a continuous view of the road behind.
HindSight Edge sunglasses are available to pre-order now at a discounted price of £174.99 (full price £199.99) for the Sport model, which has a plastic frame and most closely resembles conventional cycling shades.
The Edge Hemp (£209.99) and Edge Hemp Core (£219.99) are more casually styled, but all models feature the same unique lens design.
HindSight was founded by physicist Alex Macdonald and the sunglasses were developed with input from Team GB Olympic track cyclist Callum Skinner.
HindSight says its glasses make cyclists safer by allowing them “to see forwards and backwards with a simple shift of focus rather than having to turn their heads”.
The glasses are intended to be a “stylish and functional” alternative to rear-view radars such as Garmin’s Varia and conventional helmet- or bike-mounted mirrors.
While road safety was seemingly the priority, HindSight says the concept offers an advantage to pro riders and other athletes, such as rowers, who might benefit from seeing competitors behind them, without having to look backwards.
It also offers a potential aerodynamic bonus because it reduces the need to change position on the bike – a real concern for time triallists, in particular.
The HindSight Edge glasses rely on two-part angled lenses with sections of semi-transparent mirror at the outer edges, to offer a view behind.
The brand says it studied the optics of the eye as well as cyclists’ real-world experiences to arrive at a final design.
It’s fair to say, conventional bike mirrors aren’t beloved of performance-oriented cyclists, however practical they may or may not be. Could you be tempted by a stealthier glasses-based alternative? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
