Giro Havik £99.99 – £129.99

Giro made their debut as an eyewear manufacturer when riders in the 2007 Tour de France were spotted wearing some unfamiliar shades, most notably of all on the eventual winner, Alberto Contador.

It’s perhaps surprising, considering the US-based company has been designing and manufacturing helmets since 1985, that it’s not until 2008 that they’ve made the natural and seemingly obvious step into eyewear production.

But wait they did, and it was worth it. A first and somewhat casual glance reveals an almost generic sunglass design, but there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Key to the performance of the Havik’s performance is their compatibility with their range of helmets, and so the frame is shaped such that they work harmoniously (they also fit well with other brand helmets too).

The frames are made from Rilsan, a durable nylon, and feature stylish airports along the edges of the frames, supposedly for decreased aerodynamic drag, or something. A soft nose pad and temple pads increase comfort and though the arms feel a little ‘tight’ when first slipped into place, they presented no problems during testing – in fact, they rank as some of the most comfortable tested.

But while they may be comfortable and look good, it’s the lenses that they must be judged upon. Here Giro has made the wise decision to employ the long-standing expertise of Carl Zeiss, with a 7-Base Zeiss Certified True Sight polycarbonate, with four tints available. Additionally, Dura Clean, a hard coat hydrophobic coating applied to the lens, repels water and oil and lessens the chance of scratches appearing.

Lens clarity is excellent; with an excellent range of vision and little intrusion from the frame, and no discernable distortion art the edges. The coating, so far is living up to it’s claims, with no scratches despite races in really wet and gritty conditions.