Bollé Chronoshield £215

Weight 39g

The Chronoshield glasses benefit from a lightweight and durable nylon frame, with clever features to make them incredibly comfortable to wear.

The rear half of the arms are made from a malleable and soft rubber that can be bent to any shape that suits your head. They will retain that new position until you bend them again, keeping the glasses locked into position. This single feature alone makes them one of the most secure fitting and comfortable sets of eyewear tested.

Adding to this comfort is a self-adjusting nosepiece that features the same grippy rubber. This Thermogrip rubber is hydrophilic and stubbornly stays in place despite my best efforts to sweat them off my nose.

As a tribute to the Eighties Chronoshield, a removable foam padded brow bar is also included to aid in sweat absorption. The lens is the star of the show. This particular version came fitted with Bollé’s Phantom photochromic lens, in the road and trail-friendly Brown Red tint. It transfers between 15-35 per cent of light dependent upon tint, which I found suitable for everything from gravel riding under forest canopy, to open road riding in bright sunshine, without feeling like it was too dark or needing to squint. The golden/bronze tint is high contrast; picking out all the little nuances in road and trail imperfections really does enhance your vision. Finally,

Bollé has coated the lens with a proprietary anti-fog layer that has been pretty impressive in how quickly it clears any slight misting that might occur.

There’s no getting away from the fact the Chronoshield glasses are large to the point of extreme, eclipsing even the Smith Wildcats in proportions. They have the widest and deepest field of vision I have experienced outside of a full goggle, and they offer complete eye protection.

At £215 for this Phantom lens version, the Chronoshield glasses are very expensive. The range does start at £145 with a standard lens if you like the style but balk at spending the full amount. Lenses: Phantom Clear Green, Phantom Brown Red, Brown Blue, TNS Gun Colour: Matte Crystal Navy,

Matte Black, Matte Pink,

Shiny White www.bolle.com

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