Oakley Front Line MX goggles review

Oakley’s Front Line MX goggles are packed full of features to justify their £106 asking price.

Clamping into place using a full-frame circumference recess, dubbed Ridgelock Technology, the injection-moulded Plutonite impact-resistant lens has Oakley’s F3 anti-fog coating, and is claimed to be ‘optically correct’.

The frame is bonded to fleece-backed three-layer foam designed to wick away sweat, while small frame cutaways at the temples mean prescription glasses can be worn under them.

The adjustable 50mm-wide strap has three beads of silicone gripper and attaches using removable outriggers, permitting strap swaps.

They’re roll-off ready and tear-off tabs are already fitted.

A removable nose guard is included, along with seven tear-offs, and a microfibre bag and lens wipe. Replacement, clear lenses cost £32.

Weighing 184g, the Front Line MX goggles are relatively bulky compared to the competition.

Oakley Front Line MX performance

Thanks to the over-frame design of the lens, removal is straightforward by simply pulling the top and bottom portions of the frame away from each other.

Installation is a little trickier; the lens’ full-circumference lip needs to be slotted into the goggles’ frame, requiring plenty of lens-smudging manipulation.

That wouldn’t matter if the lens was easy to clean, but it proved tricky to remove all the reflection-creating smudges even when using the supplied bag.

Once clean, however, the optics are impeccable.

Regardless of the light conditions – whether that’s harsh sunlight or dark woods – vision is supremely clear and sharp, reducing the likelihood of eye strain.

There’s a slight blue tint, but this didn’t affect performance in low-light conditions.

Coupled with a vast field of vision – the frame doesn’t encroach into the peripheries – the Front Line MXs are among the best mountain bike goggles on the market.

The trade-off, however, is their fairly large size. In smaller MTB helmets, such as MET’s Parachute MCR, some adjustment is required to get them sitting correctly.

Larger lids, such as Bell’s Full-9, are less problematic, and the Front Line goggles worked well with open-face helmets such as Troy Lee Designs' A1 and A2.

Once sat in place, they’re impressively comfortable. The voluptuous foam is soft and squishy, and the strap doesn’t need to be cranked right up so they stay in place over particularly rough terrain.

The nose portion pinched a little. Further contouring of the foam might help improve things here.

Their fog resistance is great. Even in extreme conditions, such as highly humid, cold days mixed with a sweaty, hot rider, they avoid misting up entirely.

When stationary for long durations, mist forms on the edges of the lens, but this clears quickly once you’re moving.

Like other goggles, water vapour droplets condense on the lens, distorting vision. A cursory wipe with the bag gets rid of them, however.

Oakley Front Line MX bottom line

Although frame size could be problematic for some, thanks to impressive anti-fog performance, comfortable, luxurious-feeling foam and great optics, the Front Line MX goggles are true front-runners.

Their initial purchase cost and the price of replacement lenses is limiting, but their performance helps to justify it.