Since 1985 Rudy Project have been developing their performance range of eyewear for athletes and you just have to look at the vast number of sportsmen (and women) who choose them across the disciplines to see that they must be doing something right.

As the choice of pro cycling teams Lampre, Rabobank and Kona, Rudy Project designs continually strive to be comfortable, practical, stylish and cutting-edge so that they “meet the needs of even the most demanding athletes.”

Well we’re not off to the Olympics just yet but we are pretty demanding, so we thought we’d put the 2006 Kalyos design to the test. They certainly look good but how do they measure up in the performance stakes?

We’re looking at the Kalyos with a Titanium frame and Impact-X photochromatic lenses (we’ll come on to the super scientific lens technology later). Inspired by the success of the rimless Kerosene and Rydon designs, the Kalyos are actually remarkably affordable for such a performance pair of glasses.

This design features an adjustable nose pad which claims to reduce fogging and prevent the annoyance of your eyelashes bashing on the lenses. We actually had no problems with fogging which was refreshing seeing as we were using the specs for both road and track where we were constantly stopping and starting, climbing and descending. The lashes were still a slight problem but this won’t apply to most men… unless you tend to wear mascara!

Women will benefit from taking a look at the RUDYGIRL line which features a female specific version of the Kalyos. The Kalyos Girl’s also feature the adjustable nose pads and adjustable temple tips that don‘t get caught in your hair and help keep the glasses snug perfectly.

The Kalyos will wrap snugly round the average male face and give good peripheral vision. Now for the prize feature, the lenses…
Using ImpactX NXT technology the lenses are guaranteed unbreakable for life but what is NXT?

NXT was invented in the USA in the early 1990’s when the U.S. Government contracted Simula Technologies to develop a new bullet-proof, transparent, and light-weight material capable of providing superior protection and reliability than polycarbonate. Now it is available for Rudy Project Technically Cool Eyewear: ImpactX.

We found the visual clarity to be very good and the lenses have stayed in pretty perfect condition considering the use over the past few months. We’ve worn them early in the morning and for evening training where we’d usually swap for a clear lens and we’ve still been able to see well enough. However, if you do want to swap lenses, it’s really easy to change them around with the Kalyos design.