Cycling and sunglasses are made for each other. They both require function and performance, they increasingly look to style and history to entice in customers and they appeal to those people who enjoy form and fashion.
When one of the most iconically-stylish cycling apparel purveyors announced its entry into the sunglass market Optician was naturally curious to see what the British cycling brand, Rapha, would put forward for its tilt at the sunglass market.
Off the bike the Italian made pieces are indeed stylish, light and elegant. There are three models in a single size constructed of metal cored, Mazzucchelli acetate in black, tortoiseshell and grey, featuring Carl Zeiss lenses in grey, brown and pink. The look is very Italian, chic yet smart without being ostentatious while the frame is comfortable and the lenses visually excellent.
On the bike the geometry of Rapha’s sunglasses do indeed allow it to perform. The tint is suitable for a bright winter day while the airflow around the frame copes silently with cold morning air. The frame hugs the head, keeping out the sun. While on test the lenses didn’t fog up and the eyes remained protected from the cold wind. The frame is designed to fit easily under a cycling helmet while the weight of the frame and rubber grip temples keep it securely in place.
Unusually for a non-optician product, much is made by Rapha of the Carl Zeiss lenses used. The lenses are equipped back and front with oleophobic and hydrophobic coatings and an anti-reflective coating on the back surface is added to reduce reflections further. The lenses are polarised and in the colour-way on test supplied with a category 3 tint.
Rapha’s website informs buyers that the frame is suitable for glazing and suggests they visit an optician and use Carl Zeiss lenses to maintain performance. The website also offers a charming back story surrounding the materials used and the firms involved. It looks at cycling icons of the past, such as Fausto Coppi, and visits to Mazzucchelli and Carl Zeiss factories, which nestle in the shadow of the Dolomites.
Any practice with a swanky bike shop close by would do well to go along and introduce themselves.