Costing just £40 and weighing 115g, the SixSixOne Radia goggles promise affordable performance.
Offered in two sizes – small and large – these are designed to fit children and adults respectively.
Although they come fitted with a smoked, mirrored lens as standard, a clear version is available to buy separately for £12. This clips into the frame using a traditional pegged design, relying on the flexibility of the frame and lens for fitment.
Coated with an anti-fog and scratch treatment, these mountain bike goggles promise to keep vision clear and improve longevity.
A 40mm-thick strap is size-adjustable and has a tear-off peg, but the frames are also compatible with roll-offs.
Dual-density foam is bonded to the curved frame to improve comfort and sweat absorption.
A soft carry bag and lens wipe are included.
SixSixOne Radia performance
The traditional push-fit design of the lens, and the flexibility it shares with the frame, make fitment and removal easy. However, installation requires plenty of manipulation, meaning greasy finger marks on the lens are inevitable.
The smoked, mirrored lens is best suited to open, bright-light trails. Here, it dampens glare and dazzle well, taking the edge off otherwise squint-inducing light.
Its optics are good, with no perceptible distortion or reflections, even when looking almost directly into bright light sources.
But dive into dark, dense forests and the standard lens is too tinted, making dimly lit trails seriously hard to negotiate.
Although clear replacement lenses are available for just £12, none were in stock when I tested the Radia. If the tinted lens’s optics are anything to go by, the clear one will be just as good and worth the £12 investment.
On your face, they’re comfortable and feel light; unsurprising given their 115g weight. Plus they don’t pinch your nose.
The frame’s relatively small height and width mean they fit comfortably in full-face helmets such as Bell’s Full-9 and MET’s Parachute MCR, but also open-face models such as Troy Lee Designs' A1 and A2.
Their stability is also impressive. The strap doesn’t need significant tension to keep them in place, boosting comfort.
Despite their modest size, your field of vision isn’t impacted; the frame doesn’t encroach into your peripheral vision and the viewport is generous relative to their dimensions.
Anti-fog performance is commendable even in extreme conditions. Only steaming up briefly when stationary and worn in the cold and damp with plenty of heavy breathing, they clear almost instantly when you start moving.
Long, stationary periods cause vapour droplets to form on the inside of the lens, distorting vision slightly, but this is no worse than any other goggles on the market.
SixSixOne Radia bottom line
Affordable, lightweight and comfortable with impressive fog control in extreme conditions, the Radia goggles are great performers.
They're hindered slightly by the stock tinted lens, and investing the extra £12 for a clear option is well worth it.
MTB goggles | How we tested
Senior tech ed Alex took to the trails to test these goggles in his Scottish homeland, famed for its cold, damp weather.
Getting sweaty and hot racing to the trailheads, Alex donned each pair to see how quickly they steamed up before dropping into technical trails in low light.
Their ability to de-mist, provide clear, undistorted optics and enable all-day comfort were key metrics, along with how easy lenses are to change and the types of extras included.
The goggles were tested with a range of full- and open-face helmets to understand their fit.
Goggles on test
- 100% Armega
- 661 Radia
- Fox Airspace X
- Koo Edge
- Oakley Front Line MX
- Smith Rhythm MTB
Product
| Brand | sixsixone |
| Price | 40.00 GBP,40.00 USD |
| Weight | 115.0000, GRAM (L) - |
Features
| Features | Colour testes: Script Blue frame, smoked lens |
