Review: Ryders Roam Fyre Sunglasses
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In today’s age, the mountain biking industry is chock full of eyewear options for cyclists who need to protect their eyeballs from the sun’s harmful rays. Ryders, hailing from Canada, is no slouch when it comes to providing innovative eyewear for bike riders at an affordable price. However, with their new feature-packed and higher priced FYRE lens system, they are stepping into risky territory. The FYRE glasses compete in a tier currently dominated by brands such as Oakley and Smith. How does the FYRE system stack up with comparable models from the heavyweight brands? We picked up a pair of the Ryders Roam and decided to find out.
The new FYRE collection features lenses that are photochromic. Don’t know what that means? Basically it means the lenses change tints based on the light conditions they’re in. It’s one of the niftiest inventions in eyewear. Do I know how it works? Heck no. As far as I’m concerned it’s basically magic. The FYRE lenses also have “color boost”, mirroring, impact protection, and military grade fog-resistance. Picking them up at retail will put you out a whopping $240. Are they worth it? Read on and find out. Or, if this much reading scares the bejesus out of you, check out the TLDR summary above.
Functionality
The Roam Fyre Sunglasses are purpose built specifically for bike riding nerds like myself. Fittingly so, they have a sporty style with their adjustable nose piece and rubberized arms. The glasses feature removable bottom rim while leaving the top rim bare. Having no rim on top helps with the vision of riders as we are constantly in a hunched over position looking up through our glasses. The removable bottom rim feature helps the glasses conform to your riding style or preference. Having the bottom rim attached increases the rigidity of the glasses for the hardcore, rough riding mountain biker or the road biker that wants a little more structure in their glasses. The bottom rim is also meant to decrease your risk of facial lacerations in case you smash your face into a tree or something while you rip up the trails. Unfortunately, I didn’t have get to experience the effectiveness of this feature while testing them due to not smashing my face into anything. What a bummer. I’ll make sure to update this review in the case of it happening next time I’m wearing them. Fingers crossed.
The fit of the Roam is perfect. They’re very comfortable, even when paired with a helmet, and stay on while riding, in part due to their adjustable arms. Field of vision with the Roam is admirable due to how well the glasses conform to your face. Peripheral vision is important for riders and these glasses do little to get in the way.
The technology and features of the Roam is what stands out above all else about the sunglasses. Try as I might, I could not get them to fog and the color boost improves sharpness on the road or trail. The photochromic shift is seamless and goes almost unnoticed while wearing them. This allows you to focus on riding without having to worry about your glasses. You can even wear them at night due to the wide range of tint.
Aesthetics
These glasses have an obviously sporty look which may limit their use to you outside of bike riding. For a rider, I think they look great on the road or trails. I personally prefer how they look rimless but putting the bottom rim on give them a more aggressive feel that still works for road wearers. Take the helmet off and these glasses may look a tad goofy for casual wear, especially with the bottom rim attached. People might think you’re about to play racquetball but they’ll still do their job as far as protecting your peepers from the sun.
Durability
The Roams hold up exceptionally well from a durability standpoint. The lenses are especially tough due to their impact and scratch resistance. Considering they are made from the same polymer that was engineered for fighter jet canopies, I’d say they will do just fine over extended use. The frame is considerably sturdy and made from high quality material as well.
Value
All being said, the Roam hits all of the performance and quality marks needed in a pair of premium riding sunglasses. They are spectacularly versatile in all lighting conditions and have all of the features necessary for any form of cycling. Though $240 is a hefty price tag for a pair of sunglasses, you couldn’t find a better pair of glasses that are built specifically for riders, by riders. Whether or not the features are worth forking over the cash is up to the individual. One thing is for sure though. If you give them a shot, they won’t disappoint.
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