Ryder’s Stryder PolarPhoto
During the heat of the cycling season sunglasses become almost disposable, mainly because they are stuffed in a tiny carry on bag for road trips, bashing into pedals, helmets, shoes and mini-tools. Very few pairs survive longer than a month or two and none have lasted as long as the Ryders Strider PolarPhoto. These glasses are, in a word, indestructible.
We won’t say the styling is cutting edge, they are a take on the typical half frame, interchangeable lens cycling glasses almost every manufacturer makes, but they are a very good example of it. At 25grams they are on the light side of the spectrum and the adjustable hydrophilic nosepiece and hydrophilic earpieces do a great job of keeping the glasses comfortably in place, even on cobblestones, yet not so snug they fog up or cause headaches.
The lenses are top notch, both polarized and photochromic, providing just about everything you need out of a neutrally tinted lens with clarity that is equal to the high end of the market. They use shatterproof polycarbonate material, and while we have not shattered them, we haven’t seen them withstand Oakley’s projectile test either. They protect from 100% of UVA, UVB and UVC light. According to Ryders they even protect from 4% of small shark bites. Yes, the company has a real sense of humor.
Where the glasses take a very large step beyond the competition is durability. The lenses themselves are among the most resistant to scratches we have ever used and the frames – those are beyond belief. Stomp on ‘em, compress ‘em like a pancake, twist ‘em like a pretzel and they spring back to their original shape. Ryders claims this is due to the Grilamide TR90 plastic they use, but they aren’t the only manufacturers using it, the stuff is very popular. Perhaps they have a proprietary mix, or just use it better, but they are amazing. A huge assist here goes to the hinges, they use metal hardware of a very high quality and they have kept the hinge tolerances exact. With the June launch season coming up and the Tour in July, we will continue trying to destroy these glasses, but as they still have that ‘out-of-the-box’ fresh look despite months of abuse we imagine they will fare just fine.
Ryders Striders are available in multiple colors with multiple lens options. The Strider PolarPhoto we tested cost $130. For more information and to check out their entire line of glasses head to ryderseyewear.com.
Bicycle Blue Book is the web’s only accurate valuation tool and the web’s most trusted used bicycles for sale marketplace. Posted from pelotonmagazine.com with permission.
