Fox Purevue goggles review: all the positives of MTB glasses with few of the flaws of goggles

That’s because these goggles have been designed to offer goggle-like coverage but work specifically with open-face helmets.

That means better eye protection with a lot of the positives you might only get with riding glasses and few of the downsides traditional mountain bike goggles tend to present.

Compared to your average set of goggles, the Purevues are slimmer and offer more venting, making them less cumbersome and stuffy.

That’s a real plus for those who like to pair goggles with anything other than a full-face lid.

The lenses are pre-shaped and snap into the Purevue frame easily enough. It’s the frame that helps set the Purevues apart from standard motocross-style goggles.

There’s still foam around the inside, although it doesn’t wrap the entire circumference and isn’t as thick or as plush as you’d find on standard goggles.

That’s because the Purevue goggles are designed to be worn for more than just downhill runs and need to breathe better.

To do this, Fox has included some sizeable gaps between the sections of foam.

These are located behind where the goggle strap meets the frame, as well as over and either side of the nose.

Where regular goggles use foam across the nose to support them and keep them lifted away from your face, Fox has opted to use a nose piece, just as you’d find on a pair of glasses.

While this nose piece can’t be adjusted, Fox includes two depths (2 and 7mm) to suit different face shapes, so you can tailor the fit to better suit you.

You can, of course, not use the nose piece at all if that works better for you.

My Purevue sample included a clear lens and Fox’s VIVID lens, designed to deal better with challenging light conditions – think dappled rays in the woods or belting out of the dark forest into bright sunshine.

Because I tested these through the depths of winter, though, it’s the clear lens that has seen the majority of the action.

The adjustable strap features a thick silicone band on the inside, designed to prevent the goggles from slipping down once in place.

Fox Purevue goggles performance

I’ve always found slipping goggles over an open-face helmet far from graceful. It’s not as straightforward as putting a pair of glasses on.

Without the stability and size of a full-face lid, goggles can pull and push a smaller helmet around. This is no different with the Fox Purevues. The process improves the more you do it, though.

Thankfully, once on, there’s a lot to like about the Purevue goggles.

The broad, uninterrupted field of view enables you to focus on the trail, plus the masses of coverage means the likelihood of getting anything spat into your eyes is reduced greatly – even compared to large-lens riding glasses.

The slimmer profile makes them feel less cumbersome and bulky, especially if you have a helmet where you’re able to stow goggles beneath the peak when not in use.

Stashing regular goggles here can be a little more problematic due to how wide they are, but the Purevues sat under the visors of the lids I tried without issue.

I opted for the deeper, 7mm nose piece to ensure the Purevues felt well-supported on my face.

Due to the gaps in the face foam, they’re not quite as comfortable as regular goggles, simply because the pressure created by the strap pulling them tight on your face isn’t spread as evenly and is concentrated on specific areas.

While this is noticeable to start with, the soft backing of the foam ensures it isn’t uncomfortable, and I happily rode with the goggles in place, even on climbs.

It helps that the Purevues don’t pinch your nose either. This is something I’ve felt when wearing goggles before.

Although this doesn’t cause any major issues, freeing up your nasal airway helps when you’re gasping for breath and didn’t go unnoticed – especially when trudging along flatter sections of trail.

What’s more, even on damp days when hammering up climbs and working up a sweat, getting the Purevues to mist up took some doing.

I rode lap after lap on a local test loop without issue, keeping the goggles in place throughout.

There’s far more airflow compared to regular goggles, which is even noticeable at slower speeds.

Compared to a pair of glasses, the Purevues aren’t as quick to put on or whip off and I found myself removing them more frequently.

However, I still wore these for longer than I would a standard pair of goggles, which I’d remove as soon as I was riding anything other than downhill sections of trail.

If you need to change the lens, it’s easy enough, but you’ll still need to push and pull it, meaning it’ll need a clean once you’re done.

Due to the weather conditions during testing, I stuck with the clear lens throughout, although it's nice to know a second lens is included as and when brighter conditions come along.

Despite having to clean the clear lens multiple times, it has held up well. Even when quickly swiping gritty dirt off with gloves, it hasn’t scratched or marked – which is great.

Finally, although designed specifically for open-face lids, the Purevue goggles will fit with some slimmer full-face enduro-style helmets, although things are far more hit-and-miss when paired with a chunkier downhill lid.

Fox Purevue goggles bottom line

The Purevue goggles offer masses of eye protection with impressive ventilation, helping to keep them fog-free while riding. They work really well with an open-face helmet.

While they’re not quite as quick and easy to whip on and off as a pair of riding glasses, they feel more convenient to wear than a standard pair of goggles.

They’re slimmer too, and can be pedalled in without your eyeballs boiling inside.

Although they may look a little quirky to ride in, when winter hits and the mud is being flung at your face thick and fast, the Purevues quickly prove their worth.

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