• Fox Condition eyewear
• £69-119.99
• www.foxeurope.com

Fox has been offering a range of eyewear for a few years now, having teamed up with Oakley to get the product off the ground. The Condition specs are new for 2009 and that Oakley alliance shows in the lightweight O-Matter frame and Plutonite lenses.

Fox isn’t pitching its glasses at the performance market particularly, but inevitably people are going to ride in them. One Oakley material notable for its absence is the grippy Unobtanium that the O brand uses for nosepieces and earstems, so the Condition’s shape is all that’s holding it in place. Generally it does a good job, although if it’s fast and bumpy enough you may experience some drift.

Other than that, it’s all good. There’s plenty of coverage with (at least on the editorial mug) few gaps at the edges and a sizable field of view. The test pair came with glare-reducing polarised lenses with a bronze tint delivering 15% visible light transmission. Combined with the translucent Rootbeer frames, this is the most expensive Condition – solid frame colours and grey lenses (there are a few darkness options) are considerably cheaper.

Also working in the Condition’s favour is robust construction. The arms fold out with a pleasing over-centre action, and we managed to pop them back together after a (scientifically-controlled, honest) glasses-on-top-of-helmet, low branch incident that we initially thought may have done for them.

Positives: Understated looks, light, sturdy

Negatives: Some frame/lens options are pricey, not particularly designed for riding

Verdict

While designed with hanging out more in mind than riding, the Condition shades work pretty well on the bike – they’re light and offer plenty of coverage, although not totally secure if the going gets bouncy. And the rest of the time, they subtly indicate bikeyness without the ubiquity of Oakley. We like.

Ratings

Performance: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 4/5