Rudy Project Kelion glasses

The Rudy Project Kelion sunglasses were introduced by Team Bahrain Victorious at this year's Tour, and are now on sale to the rest of us, whether we're victorious or not. They offer a huge field of vision, an adjustable nosepiece and arms, a replaceable lens and an option for a prescription insert. I think they work really well, and look well pro.

The Kelion's frame is Rilsan, a bio-plastic based on castor oil. Rudy Project gets its castor seeds from certified farmers in Gujarat, India – the firm is keen to stress its sustainable, responsible approach.

> Buy the Kelion sunglasses from Rudy Project now for £191.99

These sunnies are available in eight frame colour / lens variations, four of which use RP Optics lenses. The other four use photochromic ImpactX lenses. We have the Olive Matte frame on test, with multilaser yellow RP Optics. If you fancy a pair with the photochromic ImpactX lenses, you're looking at £44 more (£235.99).

Rudy Project says these are aimed at the road, gravel and mountain bike riders. If, like me, you ride a bit of everything in all weathers – and not always in daylight – you might fancy a choice of lenses. Replacements are available at £77.99 for the RP Optics and £119.99 for the photochromic ones, and swapping them is easy.

Optical Insert

I've had a pair of Rudy Project Rydons for many years, and my longterm experience of the quality of both the photochromic and regular lenses has been very good indeed. I originally chose the Rydons because of the prescription insert, which clips onto the nosepiece and lets me see where the hell I'm going...

You can get an insert for the Kelion as well, though it's not the same (and not pictured below, so you'll have to imagine it). The Kelion fits model FR840000 (£59.99), which will then need glazing by an optician. If you already own some Rudy Project Spinshield Airs and use an insert, though, you're in luck; it's the same and can simply be switched over.

I like the insert system; it means you can use them on their own or, on more varied rides with stops, with contact lenses.

The lens

The wrap-around lens of the Kelion is massive and follows the contour of my face well, giving me a big, unobstructed view of what's going on around me. I've had no issues with the frame getting in the way when checking for traffic behind me.

I've been pleasantly surprised by how well the multilaser yellow lens works in different lighting conditions; they're good in everything from bright sunlight to full-on rain, even on the fast descents where it feels like angry raindrops are attacking you.

Ventilation

The lenses feature what Rudy Project calls Powerflow technology. In English, that's a hole above the nosepiece and two more on the outside bottom corners. There's not much in the way of misting up as long as there's some airflow, and if they do fog up – say on a steep climb – they demist quickly once you get a bit of speed going again.

Importantly for contact lens wearers, the vented air is kept away from going directly into your eyes.

These fitted me perfectly out of the box and just stayed put, but if necessary the arms and nose can be adjusted to suit.

I mostly wore these with a Poc Omne Lite helmet and they worked well together, both visually and functionally. The arms stow easily into the outside ventilation holes, if that's how you like to roll.

Value

I'm going to steal Stu's thoughts on value for the similarly-price Scicon Aeroscope sunglasses; £191.99 isn't that extreme.

Yes, you can get sunnies that functionally do the same thing for less; Galibier's Regale Ultra Optics at £46 and Magicshine's Windbreaker Classic Sunglasses at £39.99 being two very good examples.

But there are plenty of similar sunnies at this price or higher still, such as POC's Propel sunglasses at £230 or Oakley's Kato sunglasses at £258.

When it comes to value, sunnies are a tricky one to judge – really at this point you're buying into something beyond pure functionality; it's all about how much you like the look, how they make you feel and how important that is to you.

Overall

Functionally, these are hard to fault. They fit well and are adjustable, the optics are top quality, and the field of vision is wide. That leaves the way they look to justify the price tag. I really like them, and so for me, they do.

Verdict

Great optics, fit and field of vision – and they look great too