Shimano revamped their eyewear line earlier this year and came out with some new designs, which have been dubbed the S-Phyre glasses, in keeping with their other top-of-the-line shoes and apparel.
These have a full-coverage, one-piece lens. It’s a very subdued appearance, compared to what we’re seeing from brands like Oakley and 100 percent, which is a selling point for me because I don’t want to look like an extra from Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Shimano S-Phyre Glasses come with a travel box, two lenses, an XL nosepiece and a protective bag. I went with the metallic blue lens because I don’t tend to need lenses that are super dark. I like lenses that aren’t super dark for when I dive into the forest on mountain bike rides. The darker the lens, the more trouble I have going from light to dark and back again. The second lens included is clear and is great for rides at the edges of the day.
Shimano makes seven different color frames and three lenses with different color coatings and different levels of darkness, depending on the discipline for which they are to be used. There are four road models, two mountain bike models and one gravel-specific model. My metallic blue lens does come from the off-road collection.
The road and gravel lenses transmit 21% of ambient light, while the off-road lens transmits 35% of the ambient light.
The lens clarity rivals anything I’ve ever worn from Oakley or Spy. Way better than the bargain brands like Tifosi.
The lenses offer full UV400 protection and the anti-scratch coating is alleged to be three times more durable than standard coatings. I haven’t really put this claim to the test, but I’ve had a few near misses with these and have been impressed that they haven’t scratched.
The lenses attach to the frames via magnets. It does make changing lenses easier. Too easy, in my estimation. This is my one criticism of these glasses. I’d prefer stronger magnets. On two different occasions, I was closing the temples and the lens popped off; like I said earlier, near misses. But as long as the glasses are on my face, I’ve had no issues at all.
The S-Phyre glasses go for $220. I keep reviewing their eyewear because it gets very little attention, and like so many other non-bike-component products, the stuff is startlingly good.
Aside from more powerful magnets, I wish they offered a photochromic lens.