Hot on the heels of my pieces on sunglasses and the review of the BZ PHO model here is another piece on cycling eyewear from Rouleur.
Tag: oakley
Sunglasses remain my thing !
I first wrote a piece in 2020 on this website about how many pairs of cycling sunglasses I had bought in the 21st century to date.
Since then its been 5 pairs out and 4 pairs in the collection, with my Oakley obsession coming back to the fore.
| Model | Bought | Sold |
| Oakley Radarlock | 2022 (Gifted) | |
| 100% Speedcoupe (Maroon) | 2021 £20 (Ebay) | 2022 Ebay |
| Oakley M2 Prizm | 2020 £56 (Oakley sale) | |
| Oakley Sutro | 2021 (Gifted) | |
| Bloc Titan (4 lens system) | 2020 (£45 using 20% code) | 2021 Facebay |
| Bolle Vortex white | 2019 (£10 Ebay) | 2021 Facebay |
| Bolle Vortex Red | 2019 (£10 Ebay | 2021 Facebay |
| Galibier Surveillance (Tortoiseshell) | 2019 (£35 full price) | 2022 Ebay |
| 100% Speedcoupe (White) | 2019 (£40 using 60% off) | 2019 Facebay |
| Oakley Jawbreaker | 2017 (£100 deal Wiggle) | |
| Oakley Radarlock XL | 2015 (£45 Ebay) | 2019 Facebay |
| Nike Roadmachine | 2016 (£30) | 2018 Facebay |
| Oakley Fastjacket L | 2015 (£35 Ebay) | 2019 Facebay |
| BBB Select | 2014 (£35 Wiggle) | 2017 Ebay |
| BBB Adapt | 2014 (£45 from Bristows Cycles) | 2017 Ebay |
| Oakley Jawbone | 2010 (free after Oakley website error) | 2012 Facebay |
| Oakley Radar | 2008 (£120 Wiggle) | 2012 Facebay |
| Tifosi Q3 | 2004 (provided for product review) | 2008 Ebay |
Its been some journey with a large number of brands and models (some twice!) playing the part of making me look more pro! (or as pro as I can look!).
when you think I have had 4 bikes that I have raced on in this same time period there is clearly something going on here. A psychologist might say I am hiding some inner guilt behind my eyes.
I reviewed the Galibier model on the site and was loathed to sell them to be honest. I just felt that as time went on they were less and less comfortable for riding in and were a bit of a luxury for off the bike wear.
I hope their new owner loves them as much as I did at the start and is getting lots of use out of them.
The Bolle pair of pairs was reviewed here. The brand remains dear to my heart but again it was a case of too many pairs and that they were better being sold so they get used. The buyer had two Sons riding a bit event so they were perfect for them and I was happy to sell.
8 of the pairs I have bought have been Oakley. Even though I still hear people saying that they aren’t as good as they were, the M2’s as the only new pair purchased have made a real impression.
It’s quite a list but in my defence a lot of them have been bought on a promotion or second hand… so I feel little guilt !
Enjoy this update and you never know, a new pair to review might soon be incoming.
To be continued…
Oakley launch new Encoder frames
Launched without the usual blaze of publicity and razmatazz that you would expect from Oakley these beauts landed in online stores a couple of weeks ago without too much press.
The ever reliable Oakley Forum has run a review which you can read here.
The likely retail price is going to be high on these as there is no ability to lens swap meaning there is no after sales market for upgrades and spares.
The lack of a frame is boosted in stability and strength by a strip of aluminium across the top. Cyclingtips got a pair to review and give good detail on that here.
I have to say that compared to the Kato frames we saw briefly on the face of Sam Bennett and Chris Froome in the autumn of 2020, these look much better and less of a leap from traditional to modern.
As you will all know from the sunglasses history post from this time last year, I’d had a clear out of Oakley products.
That list is now horribly in need of an update with some Sutros and M2’s now having arrived at my house!
It will be interesting to see if this frames is the long term successor to the Radar and Radar EV and my eyes will be peeled to GCN+ to see if I can see them on any pro faces sooner rather than later.
Lance battles for relevance
urgh.
I thought Oprah was the end of this sorry tale, but it seems Lance Armstrong, fresh from the success and positive reviews of his Wedu podcast is back in the forefront of the cycling media.
To be honest I think a lot of people who would class themselves as “into” cycling are probably so far over the American and his negative impact on the sport that we will be able to take or leave the ESPN documentary.
The fact this is the second programme to offer the truth with no holes barred makes me sceptical for a start.
But he has apologised to Stephanie McIlwain of Oakley and Fillipo Simeoni who he hounded out of the sport along with his primary targets Christophe Bassons and Betsy Andreu.
For me this is too little too late. I still remember the tweet with all the yellow jersey’s on the wall post being found guilty of doping. There are ways to make amends to the people he hurt directly. A TV show which propels him back into the limelight isn’t one of them.
Does my sunglasses history show I have a problem?
| Model | Year bought | Year Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Bloc Titan (Orange, 4 lens system) | 2020 (£45 using -20% voucher) | |
| Bolle Vortex (white, purple all conditions lens) | 2019 (£10 Ebay find) 2nd hand | |
| Bolle Vortex (red with gold mirrored lens) | 2019 (£10 Ebay find) 2nd Hand | |
| Galibier Surveillance Optics (Tortoise shell with gold lenses) | 2019 (£35 full price !!) | |
| 100% Speedcoupe (White with black mirrored lens and additional low light and purple mirrored) | 2019 (£40 60% off deal on Wiggle | 2019 – They didn’t quite fit as I wanted. |
| Oakley Jawbreaker | 2017 Wiggle (£100 on deal) | |
| Oakley Radarlock XL | 2015 (£45 Ebay) 2nd Hand | 2019 as retro to a collector |
| Nike Roadmachine | 2016 (£30 online) | 2018 sold |
| Oakley Fast Jacket X | 2015 (£35 Ebay) 2nd Hand | 2019 as retro to a collector |
| BBB Select | 2014 (£35 online) | 2017 sold |
| BBB Adapt | 2014 (£45 from Bristows cycles | 2017 sold |
| Oakley Jawbone | 2010 (free after Oakley website glitch) | 2012 sold to pay for new helmet after accident |
| Oakley Radar | 2008 (£120) | 2012 sold to pay for new helmet after accident. |
| Tifosi Q3 | 2004 product for review | not sure! |
So there it is…
Since the turn of the century I have had more pairs of sunglasses for cycling than I have had bikes.
I suppose we all have our weaknesses.
My obsession started as I started watching the sport in the late 1980’s. I saved hard with paper round money for a pair of the original Bolle micro edge. Maybe its part of a mid-life crisis that I am returning to that brand after all this time!
My first Oakley’s came in 1994 with some M-frames that I used up until I had my bad back injury in 1999.
When I started riding seriously again in 2004 I seemed to start regularly collecting glasses whilst trading them online so I could keep my wardrobe looking fresh!
I will try and hide this post from my wife…
Don’t tell her please.
A forgotten poor relation to the Oakley family.
But for me… the fast jacket XL does the job more than nicely.
Fendrien 