At A Glance
Adidas have been in the eyewear industry for some time now, their goggles adorn some of the best downhillers in the world and there were plenty of riders wearing the 3 stripes at Rampage this year. When we saw the guys at Eurobike they were very keen to show us their new hydrophobic technology, which looks very clever. The lenses of the glasses are coated with a special coating which causes water droplets to bubble and roll off the lens. Adidas call it their LST Hydrophobic lens and it comes as standard on the Tycane Pro. The glasses are also available with either a polarised lens or an active one that changes according to the light.
Buy Glasses onOn The Trail
Our demo pair were fitted with polarised lenses, which made finding a sunny wet day to test out the hydrophobic coating a little tricky! In the name of testing though we sent our editor it in the rain with the dark lenses on to see if he could make it back to the office without crashing into anything. The Tycane Pro’s are a very light set of glasses and fit the face comfortably, you can adjust the angle of the arms according to your face shape and also the style of helmet you are wearing.
The hydrophobic coating works very well, certainly far better than a standard lens. Any dirt gets washed away as the water rolls off, although thick gloopy mud does need a little help as you might expect. On a wet rainy ride they are fantastic at keeping clear and not steaming up, meaning you can concentrate on your vision rather than worrying about not being able to see.
Overall
Exceedingly light and comfortable, the hydrophobic coating is a game changer for sure; the active lens option is a must to get the most out of them!
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By Rou Chater
Rou Chater is the Publishing Editor of IMB Magazine; he’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, but his passion for bikes knows no bounds. His first mountain bike was a Trek 820, which he bought in 1990. It didn’t take him long to earn himself a trip to the hospital on it, and he’s never looked back since. These days he’s keeping it rubber side down, riding locally and overseas as much as possible.