Quietly released alongside Oakley's radical new Jawbreaker sunglasses are the new Radar EV shades. They're the third major iteration of arguably the most successful and widespread cycling sunglasses, the Oakley Radar.
While the Radar and Radarlock frames are a popular choice among BikeRadar staffers – and appear on the faces of a large portion of the professional peloton – they're not perfect. With the Radar and Radarlock (though not the XL model) the lens is a touch too short at top, blocking some visibility when tucked into an aero or time trial position. Some have also complained they can see the nosepiece when wearing the original Radar and that the arms interfere with the retention systems on some helmets. And, despite their additional coverage, the Radarlock XL glasses are somewhat prone to fogging.
The new EV looks quite similar to the Jawbreaker as far as the top half goes, though without the Switchlock lower rim. Available in the Pitch and Path lens shapes, the EV lens appears to be slightly taller than the standard lens – we suspect similar in size to the XL. Also carried through from the original is the three-point fit, meaning the frames only contact the bridge of the nose, and the sides of the head in an attempt to eliminate pressure points. Frame and gripper materials will remain the same as previous model options.
As previously mentioned, the new Radar EV is available in the Pitch and Path lens shapes, as well as standard, polarized, and the new Prizm lens options. Prizm is a new concept from Oakley where the lens is designed for specific conditions (ie: 'Road' or 'Trail'), greatly increasing contrast and therefore increasing environmental visibility with less eye strain.
We now have our hands on a pair of Radar EV’s with a Prizm Road lens, we'll be reviewing these to see how they measure up to previous iterations and the new Jawbreaker. We weighed out sample at 28g.
Prices range from US$170/ £135 / AU$240 to US$230 / £175 /AU$300