Oakley EVZero Path Prizm Road sunglasses review
Oakley’s lightest performance sunglasses offer a frameless design and red mirrored lenses that look perfect for sunny summer rides
The Oakley EVZero Path sunglasses look cool with their mirrored red lenses, are very lightweight and are effective in high light conditions. But I’d prefer a bit more peripheral coverage and a photochromatic lens to deal with summer light and shade better.
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Very light frameless design
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Quality optics
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Swappable nosepads
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Not photochromatic
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Some misting at low speeds
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Less peripheral coverage than some alternatives
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Expensive
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The Oakley EVZero Path design is frameless and super-light at only 21 grams. The lines around the edge of the Oakley EVZero Path lenses are etched in and cosmetic rather than being structural. I usually prefer a frameless or half frame design for cycling, as it ensures extra peripheral vision and should result in good airflow to prevent misting.
This is the case with the Oakley EVZero Path glasses, although I did find I could get steamed up on hot, slow climbs and when stopped. The lenses clear quickly once you start riding faster, though. Likewise, peripheral coverage was adequate, although not quite as good as on some other sunglasses I’ve tested.
But the definition provided by Oakley’s Prizm lens is first rate. Oakley says that it transmits 20 per cent of incident light and there’s good definition and eye protection in bright sunlight. Oakley claims 100 per cent protection from UV and from shorter-wavelength blue light too.
>>> Danger of counterfeit Oakley sunglasses laid bare
When going onto more shady roads and trails it’s harder to spot obstacles, though. For a price comparable to the Oakley EVZero Path glasses, some brands offer a more versatile photochromatic lens option.
Being so light, the Oakley EVZero Path sunnies are comfortable. They have wide, flat earpieces and a swappable nosepad that support the glasses well, with no tendency to slip around, even when you sweat. And I like the look of the red mirrored lens coating.
>>> Best cycling glasses for 2017
So the Oakley EVZero Path Prizm Road sunglasses are a good companion for bright conditions on your summer rides. But you can’t get away from the fact that you’re paying a premium for the big O on the side of the frame.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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