100 PERCENT GOGGLES

When it comes to goggles, in my head 100 Percent sits in a duopoly with Oakley. There’s no doubt brands like Fox, Smith, Dragon, and others have some fantastic offerings, but if you tune into a Downhill World Cup a majority of riders are coming down in 100 Percent or Oakley. Whilst athletes are obliged to wear sponsor’s products, riders like Loic Bruni have enough sway in sponsor choice that inferior equipment simply won’t make the cut.

While Bruni’s goggle of choice is the 100 Percent Armega, I received four other sets of goggles for this test. The first two pairs I received were the sub $100 Accuri, and the new Accuri 2. The second two sets I received were the $119.99 Racecrafts, and updated Racecraft 2s. All of the goggles I received came with a goggle bag and a clear lens, which is a nice touch. All goggles also feature 100 Percent’s triple foam layer, which kept the sweat out flawlessly.

ACCURI MIRROR GOLD LENS VS ACCURI 2 TOKYO MIRROR GREEN LENS

First up is the ‘old’ Accuri, which I received in the Luminari frame with the Mirror Gold Lens. Retailing in Australia for $95.99, these goggles represent great value for money at that price. You can get a set of goggles for half that price, the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ really rings true when it comes to cheap goggles.

On the other side of the spectrum, you can spend over three times the cost of these goggles on a set of Oakley Airbrakes. My opinion is that the increase in performance by spending $100 or more than the price of the Accuris is less than the jump from the $40-$50 mark to closer to $100.

The shape of the outgoing Accuris is very traditional, with a solid nose cut-out. The frame has a solid look and feel, while the 45mm straps with silicone strips keep the goggles in place, something the narrow straps on cheap goggles struggle with.

On the trail, the mirror gold lens worked best in slightly brighter conditions, so they were great for my lunch rides in Newcastle on sunny days. These lenses have a light transmission of 28%, so they sit firmly in the jack of all trades category. Despite a slight preference to brighter conditions, the mirror gold lens worked just fine in tree cover and dappled light.

Overall, I was impressed by the performance of the outgoing Accuris in the sub $100 price category, leaving me excited to see what improvements 100 percent had made with the new Accuri 2 model.

Despite all the lovely things I just said about the Accuri, the Accuri 2s feature some changes that make a noticeable difference out on the trail. I received the Accuri 2 in the Tokyo frame with the Mirror Green Lens.

The biggest change I noticed with these goggles is the flatter nose profile, which is the same as 100 Percent’s flagship goggle, the Armega. The change to this new profile benefits the goggles in two ways. Firstly, the field of view is increased by a substantial 17.5 percent. Whilst I wasn’t lacking for field of view with the original Accuris, back-toback riding with the Accuri 2s revealed that the increased vision is noticeable.

Secondly, the flatter nose cut-out reduces pressure on

your nose bridge, and I felt like the goggles stayed more stable on my face when I was bouncing through rough terrain. Once again, I didn’t feel like the original Accuris were uncomfortable, but the Accuri 2’s increased stability became evident with back-to-back runs down a rough downhill track.

The Mirror Green lens has a 33 percent light transmission, which I found to be slightly nicer in dappled light or more shaded trails, whilst still being much better than naked eyes in open sunlight. Unless I was riding very shaded singletrack in the trees I’d be happy using this lens for all of my dry riding, with the clear lens swapped in for low light and wet weather duties.

Another new feature 100 Percent have introduced with the Accuri 2 is that the Accuri 2 now uses the same lenses and tear-offs as the slightly more premium Racecraft 2 ($119.99), and slightly cheaper Strata 2 ($65.99). Whilst this isn’t a feature that will benefit everyone, anything that makes sourcing or sharing spares easier gets the thumbs up from me.

My one complaint with both Accuris is the lenses susceptibility to scratching. This criticism isn’t limited to 100 Percent however, I’m yet to come across a set of goggles with lenses that don’t have at least some scratches after a few riding sessions.

Overall, 100 Percent have made some great improvements with the Accuri 2, whilst keeping in place the elements that made the original Accuri such a great option under $100.

RACECRAFT LTD MIRROR GOLD LENS VS RACECRAFT 2 RED MIRROR LENS

The next two sets of goggles I had on test where the Racecraft LTD and the new Racecraft 2. Both of these goggles retail for $119.99, so I was interested to see what another $24 buys you in terms of performance increases.

The superseded Racecraft immediately felt familiar to me vision wise, due to their use of the Mirror Gold Lens. The fit of the goggles is assisted with the use of Outriggers, one of the improvements your $24 is going towards. Whilst Oakley have perfected Outrigger placement with their Airbrake goggles, for under half the price the Racecrafts do a fantastic job.

Both sets of Racecraft goggles come with a removable nose guard. While this achieves many mountain bikers dream of looking like they’re at a motocross start gate, I opted to go without as I find it restricts ventilation a touch. These goggles also ship with a stack of tear offs, which is really handy.

The Racecraft 2 features the same increased field of vision that the Accuri 2 has, which is a definite winner. The redesigned frame compensates for the larger lens and disperses pressure better, and the goggles feel more stable in the rough stuff. This stability is assisted by the redesigned Outriggers on the Racecraft 2, which sit noticeably further from the frame and apply pressure more evenly.

The Mirror Red Lens fitted on the Racecraft 2s have a light transmission of 38%. I found this 10 percent increase over the original Accuris to be appreciably better in low light conditions. In really bright sunlight I found the Mirror Red lens fine, but some may prefer a darker lens in this situation.

Overall, for me, the $24 price difference between the Accuri 2 and Racecraft 2 is one that I would front for the improvements the Racecraft 2s feature. The inclusion of the outrigger frame design is one that makes a noticeable difference to goggle stability out on the trail. This being said, the Accuri 2 is also a high-quality goggle priced under $100. Whilst I’d love to try the Armega, in particular the crème de la crème Loic Bruni model, I can’t find any fault with the Racecraft 2 for my gravity riding.