Oakley Sutro S sunglasses review

Oakley’s Sutro sunglasses drew inspiration from the brand's legendary Eyeshade, released in 1984. Oakley utilised that heritage and gave the Sutros a modern twist, employing its high-clarity Prizm lens.

The Sutro fast became one of Oakley’s most popular designs, with Lite, Sweep and Titanium frame offshoots, drilled lenses and myriad collections, each featuring takes on the oversized shield-lens design.

The Sutro S is a commendable addition to the range, featuring a more compact design and performance fit for its price of £159 / $192.

Oakley Sutro S details

The Sutro S glasses have the same large 58mm-deep lens design as the Sutro, but the width has been reduced from 134mm to 126mm. This provides a more compact fit for smaller faces – or for those who prefer flusher-fitting glasses with little overhang.

Oakley’s Prizm lens comes with a mirrored finish and is designed to offer high clarity while enhancing contrast. It provides 100 per cent UV protection and 75 per cent CAT 3 light reduction to protect your eyes from prolonged-exposure damage.

The wrap shape, combined with a retro angular silhouette, is a softer design than Oakley’s pure performance glasses such as the Encoder or Flight Jacket.

This should appeal to riders looking for glasses that can work off the bike as well as in a performance setting.

Oakley Sutro S performance

The full frame doesn’t intrude into your eyeline and the spring in the slender angular arms is good, as are the hinges, which lock into place.

The soft rubber nose bridge is comfortable and set away from the frame enough to create a gap that prevents the large lens from fogging.

Oakley’s Prizm lens is one of the best around. The even tinting and visual clarity are excellent and there is no distortion throughout the 58mm-deep lens, which offers extensive coverage.

The fit is reasonably secure and certainly more than stable enough for road-riding duties. Off the beaten track, I was impressed by how tenaciously the nosepiece gripped, even when sodden with sweat on hot summer rides.

The slender arms, however, don’t have grippy inserts, so can be knocked upwards – especially when they're damp.

However, the narrow arms don’t interfere with helmets, working brilliantly with my road and gravel helmets, and even my low-backed urban lid.

Quality styling touches such as the metal insert in the bridge and metal ‘O’ logos elevate the Sutro S beyond sports use – I was happy wearing them off the bike and for urban cycling.

At 31.5g, the Sutro S glasses are light enough to go pretty much unnoticed, but if low weight is your thing, there are lighter cycling sunglasses out there.

Given the performance, with a cleaning bag, hardcase and second soft nosepiece included, the high price tag is reasonably justified.

Oakley Sutro S bottom line

Overall, the Sutro S sunglasses span the gap between sports equipment and top-end fashion glasses rather well.

With a lens that’s hard to beat and quality of finish that’s at the top of the tree, if you want wider usability from your premium eyewear purchase, the Sutro S glasses are a great option.

They deliver a good performance fit and an excellent lens, combined with great looks.