Rudy Project Kelion sunglasses review

The Rudy Project Kelion is the eyewear of choice for Team Bahrain Victorious, worn by the likes of Mikel Landa and Jack Haig.

It has a full-featured, full-frame design and – as you might expect for a pro-worn item – weighs just 29.1g.

While expensive, the Kelion is an excellent example of a performance pair of cycling sunglasses.

Rudy Project Kelion specs and details

The Rudy Project Kelion has an oversized one-piece curved lens that’s 60mm at its deepest.

The brand claims the curve on the rear of the lens closely mimics the base curve of your eye, keeping the lens free of distortion even at the edges.

The angular, semi-translucent frame (in ‘Crystal Ash’ colourway on my test pair) is of very high quality, with hinged arms and a clever lens-release system.

On the inside of the hinge is a small round button, sprung-tensioned with a micro-sized Torx bolt.

You push this button, pull gently downwards on the frame around the bottom of the lens and it pops out. Refitting a lens is equally easy.

The Kelion is available in eight configurations, four with mirrored lenses by RP Optics and four with IMPACTX photochromic lenses. These have a high UV400 rating.

Although the Kelion is sold with a single lens, you can buy a second one for low-light or winter use.

The frames are made from a new material called Rilsan Clear, a bio-plastic material derived from 45 per cent castor oil, grown by certified farmers in Gujarat, India. This is claimed to be more environmentally friendly than using traditional oil-based plastics.

The arms are capped with soft rubber-coated tips that are slender and designed to shape around your head providing minimal intrusion with helmets and straps.

The frame’s brow piece has 16 slots at the bridge, plus subtle vent cut-outs at the bridge and in the bottom corners designed to aid airflow and prevent the interior of the lens from fogging.

An adjustable wire-cored nosepiece helps to customise the fit on your nose, and the Kelion is compatible with Rudy Project’s own prescription insert.

The package includes a high-quality cleaning bag and a hard case – not something many premium-priced rivals offer.

Rudy Project Kelion performance

My test pair’s ‘Multilaser Green’ lens is designed to reduce glare and refracted light (from headlights and shiny surfaces), while enhancing the contrast.

On the bike, I found the lens ideal for both bright sunny days and gravel riding in woodland, where some darker lenses can muddy the low contrast of foliage and ground textures.

Should you want to buy another lens, the swappng system is very secure and doesn’t cause damage.

The Kelion lens kept everything sharp and in high contrast.

The plentiful frame vents worked for me in keeping the lens mist-free and clear even when working hard.

The fit is excellent too – the tension in the frames gripped my head tenaciously and the adjustable nosepiece meant I could get a fit that proved secure enough for even the roughest gravel rides at speed.

The 29.1g weight is surprisingly light for sunglasses with such a large lens and full frames.

Rudy Project Kelion bottom line

In all, the Rudy Project Kelion is one of the finest-quality pairs of cycling sunglasses you’ll find. The design is well thought-out, comfortable and secure to wear, with very good optics.

However, the emphasis here is on the high price, and for so much money you could rightly expect to have more than one lens supplied.