BBB Chester Cycling Sport Glasses

The BBB Chester Cycling Sport Glasses feature up-to-date looks and the lens offers decent clarity – but I wasn't so convinced by the frame, which encroaches on your field of vision. And I do feel that with a couple of tweaks these could have been so much better.

The sunglasses market has been dominated for quite a while by a few big brands, so it's good to see a new more modestly price offering from BBB with bang-up-to-date looks – following the modern trend for a single large-lens design.

However, when I put these on for the first time, I immediately noticed the nose bridge. Unfortunately this is attached to the frame using a small screw, which in itself is fine, but this screw was pronounced enough for me to feel it on the bridge of my nose while I was riding.

The resulting irritation where the screw rubs was disappointing and detracted quite a lot from the cycling experience when I was wearing these.

That's a bit of a shame as the large lens delivers good clarity and has a nice colour to it, which adds a bit of cheer to rides on overcast days, which is always a good thing in Britain. I didn't find myself wanting a darker lens on sunny days, and I think the darkness level of the lens is just about right for British riding conditions.

Other colour options are available too, BBB offering the Chesters in a choice of black, white, blue or yellow frames and smoke, blue, silver or green frames – a total of five models in total.

Unfortunately, though, the lens has a more premium feel than the frame.

The arms don't hug your head as snugly as I'd like. The arms' rubber temple tips grip well enough, but the shape of the arms doesn't lend itself to a good grip. This meant that every time I looked around, I was worried they were going to fall off – a la Michael Matthews whose glasses went flying before the finish line at this year's Milan-San Remo.

The glasses had a tendency to slide around my face that I found disappointing. I feel that at a very minimum, cycling glasses should stay securely in place – and these don't do that, having nearly fallen off almost every ride.

I have quite a large head, so I reckon if you have a smaller head you might struggle even more with this issue.

I would also like to have had a carry case rather than just the supplied soft case.

If you don't travel around much to ride your bike that may not be much of an issue, but it's a must-have for me personally as my glasses are always in and out of my bags.

Value

At £54.99 these aren't expensive as far as cycling glasses go, when even the cheapest Oakleys will cost you over £100.

But for not too much more than the Chesters and also with a large-lens design you've got the likes of the Panda Optics Conquer sunnies at £79, the same price they were when Lara tested them – and really liked them – three years ago.

Still closer in price are the Magicshine Windbreaker Polarised glasses that I recently tested. These have the added benefits of a polarised lens, a carry case and a design that stayed on my face well.

The Goodr Look Ma No Hands cycling-specific sunnies are just £45, though Suvi felt the extra-large-lens design is probably best suited to very sunny days.

Our best cycling sunglasses buyer's guide rounds up our top eyewear choices from around £40 to well north of £200.

Conclusion

BBB's Chesters have modern looks with a large, single-piece lens that offers good optical clarity. But I wasn't so convinced by the fit of the frame, so I'd very much recommend trying before buying if you're considering these.

Verdict

Good looks and a crisp and clear lens but I wasn't convinced by the frame or the fit of the arms