The first thing you notice about these new Zegho glasses from Assos is their shape and size. The lens is 6cm deep, offering huge coverage, and the curvature is also the most extreme we’ve seen, arcing back over 5cm. They may look like Bono’s glasses, but get past that because these are brilliant.
We’ve never ridden in glasses that do a better job of shielding your eyes from the wind, and that includes Oakley’s M-Frame and Radar. The Zeiss lens is treated with a water-repellent coating that not only works against rain hitting the front but also prevents fogging on the inside. With so much curvature, the absolute lack of any distortion or glare surprised us; it’s the most impressive feature.
At 27.5g they’re lighter than a packet of crisps – you don’t notice you’re wearing them. The flexible arms grip remarkably well for such lightweight glasses and can be shaped to suit your head, and the rubberised grippers hold well (Oakley’s grippers have the edge when you perspire, but the difference is minimal).
Assos don’t offer a polarised or photochromic lens, reasoning that a polarised lens kills reflective surfaces, making it difficult to judge how wet a road is; we’ve had mixed results with Polaroid lenses so can see their point. Zeiss don’t believe that photochromic lenses can react fast enough for road riding. We’ve tested some great photochromics but we like the Zeghos’ simplicity.
They feature a graduated Tunnel Vision lens, which ranges from dark at the top to almost clear at the bottom (the whole lens still offers 100 percent protection from UV A and B rays). As you ride into a darker area, simply tilt your head back and look through the distortion-free bottom half. The Zeghos come with a leather hard case, cleaning cloth and clip-in head strap, and are also available with a dark lens (Noire, £319.99) or low-light lens (Amplify, £299.99).
This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.
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