Best mountain bike goggles

Which mountain bike goggles do the best job protecting your eyes from dirt, dust and more, and keep your vision clear and unfogged?

We pitted six pairs of goggles against each other in some of the toughest conditions to find out which we think are worth your time and money.

• Best mountain bike helmets
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Leatt Velocity 6.5

• £73 / $89.99

The Velocity 6.5 goggles from Leatt are comfortable and refused to fog up despite extreme conditions.

A range of well-priced lenses is available to fit these frames, and swapping from the dark tint that comes as standard is an easy process. It’s a shame these don’t come bundled with a clear lens, though.

The frames worked well across a wide range of helmets including open-face designs, such as the Troy Lee A1.

The tighter-than-average fit might not suit everyone.

• Read our full review of the Leatt Velocity 6.5 goggles

Oakley Airbrake MTB

• £163 / $180

The Airbrake MTB is a mountain bike-specific goggle from optics giant Oakley.

They’re an especially comfortable and well-ventilated design, plus we think they look great.

We loved the supplied light pink lens which enhanced contrast in low light situations and also dealt well with bright conditions – a genuine year-round solution.

We had no issues with the fit with open- and full-face helmets, and found the luxuriously soft foam was comfy even when drenched in sweat.

Unfortunately, the superbly clear, distortion-free lenses did have to be kept spotlessly clean to prevent fogging up.

You’ll also have to have very deep pockets.

• Read our full review of the Oakley Airbrake MTB goggles

Brand-X G-1 Outrigger

• £24.99

No, the price is not a misprint. Brand-X is known for making budget kit that performs well and these goggles are no exception.

The fit was fine will full-face lids but we did find their depth made them fit significantly less well with open face helmets.

We had no issues with the optics of the standard clear lens and it’s great to see a tinted, yellow and additional clear lens are sold in a pack of three for just £10.

The goggles were clear while moving but their tight fit and thick foam make them very susceptible to fogging, particularly after hard efforts.

Brand-X chose not to make tear-offs for these goggles but the supplied goggle case wiped away any moisture well and didn’t appear to scratch the lens.

If you can live with the fogging then these remain a decent pair of goggles at a great price.

• Read our full review of the Brand-X G-1 Outrigger goggles

Fox Vue

• £105 / $130

The Vue goggles from Fox have decent optics and are comfortable on the face, it’s just a shame that they don’t come packed with a clear lens.

For those usually riding in the bright or open, the standard tinted lens works well, but if you’re in shaded woodland you’ll need to stump up an additional £16 for a clear or coloured replacement.

Our tester had no issues with these when paired with a number of popular full-face helmets but did find them a tight fight when worn with open-face lids.

The frames do breathe well and are good at resisting fogging in all but the most extreme conditions. When they did mist up we were able to quickly rectify the situation with a wipe with the supplied goggle bag.

• Read our full review of the Fox Vue Psychosis goggles

Scott Fury

• £65 / $70

When it comes to its Fury goggles, Scott has put much of the styling and functionality of its more expensive model into a budget package.

These fitted well on all helmets we tried them with, including full- and open-face designs.

The optics are great with a wide field of vision and great clarity. It’s also excellent to see a clear lens included as well as the orange mirrored, blue tinted lens.

They also breathe really well and are some of the best performers when it comes to anti-fogging.

It’s a shame that Scott doesn’t bundle them with a cleaning cloth or a carry bag, particularly considering the price.

• Read our full review of the Scott Fury goggles

Also consider

These goggles didn’t score above the 4-star score threshold to be considered a best buy, but you may still want to consider them, so we’ve included them below.

Smith Squad XL MTB

• £90 / $85

These Smith goggles use open ventilation ports around the circumference of the frame. Normally these vents are covered by foam or mesh material, but the Smith’s are open.

The idea is the vents should eliminate fog by increasing air flow. The reality is they do provide fantastic ventilation, but unfortunately the vents mean that sweat, water, condensation and rain dripping from the helmet and its pads get inside the goggles.

Optically these were great and we found the two supplied lenses were useful for a range of conditions. They aren’t easy to change though, at least not compared to others on this list.

At its most extreme, drips would run down the inside of the lens, and riding had to stop in order to clean them.

They felt a little small in certain full-face helmets but did work particularly well with open-face designs.

We can’t recommend them for autumn or winter riding but on hot summer days they will perform well.

• Read our full review of the Smith Squad XL MTB goggles