Italian eyewear brand Rudy Project has continued its pursuit of sustainability with the release of its new Deltabeat cycling sunglasses.
The Deltabeat model builds around a frame that’s constructed from Rilsan Clear: a bio-based polyamide made from castor bean oil and developed by Arkema.
The beans are grown in the Gujarat region of India. To create the material the beans are first crushed to extract the oil before being refined in several stages to produce the bio-based raw material. The finished product is BPA-free and can boast the highest bio content in the marketplace.
Rudy Project is one of a growing number of cycling brands pledging a commitment to the use of sustainable materials and production methods. However, while the industry seeks to redress the disconnect between the obvious environmental benefits of cycling and the sometimes less-than-friendly components of manufacturing, the challenge can be in finding materials that won’t compromise performance.
In Rilsan Clear Rudy Project has a material that appears to be entirely fit for purpose. Its key properties are durability, lightness and flexibility. Whilst we've yet to try these, this certainly sounds like the ideal combination when it comes to producing sunglass frames.
This 'holy trinity' of properties is woven into the Deltabeat model to help create a pair of the best cycling sunglasses that Rudy Project says is well-suited for a range of different face shapes and sizes. To make glasses that work for the many, not the few, it uses both its head grip geometry and adjustable nose system and temple pads for increased adaptability.
(Image credit: Rudy Project)
Another notable feature of the glasses is the use of the brand’s proprietary Powerflow ventilation system. To reduce fogging it has placed vents on the frame, the temples and the lenses, which is designed to adjust the air flow to reduce thermal shock.
Regarding the Deltabeat lens Rudy Project has dubbed it ‘deep horizon’. While the name may conjure up a salty shark-infested B-movie they are in actuality a maximum coverage wraparound lens that looks like it sits, sizewise, somewhere between the larger designs we’re currently seeing from the likes of Poc and Koo and some of the more streamlined numbers that Oakley have been renowned for making over the years.
The lens also comes in a bike-specific configuration with Project Impactx 2 photochromic and RP Optics multilaser options. Handily, the Deltabeat is also prescription-ready. Like many Rudy Project’s sunglasses the Deltabeat uses its ‘easy in easy out’ optical insert technology. In short, you can swap a variety of lenses in and out to suit your riding conditions.
Rudy Project is using Rilsan Clear across other models in its sunglass range. These include the Magnus and the Overlap.
Luke Friend has worked as a writer, editor and copywriter for twenty five years. Across books, magazines and websites, he's covered a broad range of topics for a range of clients including Major League Baseball, the National Trust and the NHS. He has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth University and is a qualified bicycle mechanic. He has been a cycling enthusiast from an early age, partly due to watching the Tour de France on TV. He's a keen follower of bike racing to this day as well as a regular road and gravel rider.
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