The quality of Rudy Project’s lenses and frames on their top-flight glasses such as the Hypermask and Rydon is well known but, depending on the lens specced, those are priced somewhere north of £130 / US$200 – putting them out of range for plenty of riders.
Rudy Project are aware of this so for 2013 the Italian outfit have released this more affordable Stratofly eyewear, with a range of lens options and frame colours. If your budget is tight, the base model with black frame and smoke lens comes in cheaper than the fluoro/Photoclear version we tested, but we think the Photoclear lens is the best option.
The Photoclear is photochromic, adapting to light conditions – darker when it’s bright, turning clear in dimmer conditions. The minimal frames are very highly sprung so they grip your head tenaciously, rubberised-antibacterial arm tips ensuring the grip is maintained even when wet.
Rudy use the same Ergo IV adjustable nosepiece as they do on their range-topping eyewear, and this highly malleable design means getting the perfect fit is easy. The nosepiece is screwed into place, which makes the Stratofly compatible with Rudy’s own SX prescription inserts.
We had no issues with fogging when riding and the lens clarity is as good as we’ve seen at the price. The lens depth is on the shallow side compared with a Hypermask or Oakley’s Radar (40mm, as opposed to 45mm for the Radar and 50mm for the Hypermask), so it’s a better option for smaller faces. Rudy also offer a women’s version with smaller dimensions still.
At just 26g the Stratofly glasses are so light you’ll barely notice them when riding, especially combined with the clarity of the lens. The fluoro finish looks great too, though we did notice it more than a muted frame colour when riding, thankfully never to the point of distraction.
Although the Stratofly comes with a single lens, there are seven additional colour options available separately.
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.