Road Cycling Clothing

Oakley Backhand Crystal Black Sunglasses review

From pedal to pub, the super stylish Oakley Backhand sunglasses are perfect for chic summer cycling in the city.

Oakley Backhand sunglasses, perfect all round design for on and off the bike.

Oakley are known for superb quality sunglasses in fashion forward styles, and the Oakley Backhand sunglasses don’t buck the trend. If you are looking for some stylish shades for summer, but want something practical that will see you through your sunny bike rides too, then these are for you.

Even with the extra large 70s inspired frames, these sporty chic sunglasses didn’t interfere with any helmet brims.

The Bankhand sunglasses are part of Oakley women’s active range, so they’re perfectly suited to keeping your eyes protected while in the saddle. I tried these glasses with a various helmet styles and they worked well with all of them. The large frame didn’t touch the helmet brim, the arms fitted comfortably under the straps, and the glasses felt secure while riding – though admittedly not as firmly as more sport-specific models.

There are four different frame colour options with the Backhand sunglasses, Crystal Black (photographed), Polished Black, Cherry Red, and Crystal Iris, all with various lens choices.

The tint on these lenses has a gradient, with a stronger hue towards the top, helping to cut out glare from above, a definite bonus when you’re concentrating on trails or the road ahead. However, it also means that if you’re riding on your drops, in a less upright position, you’re stuck looking through the darker section of the glasses. To combat this, Oakley offer other models with plain polarized lenses if preferred.

Large lenses mean lots of protection and a big clear field of vision.

A super stylish, versatile offering from Oakley. Sunglasses that look good off the bike and work hard in the saddle.

The optical clarity is amazing, as to be expected with Oakley, and the large lens means a nice big clear field of vision, though the frame can occasionally be seen peripherally as the style is not wraparound. The large lens size is also great for protection; these block out 100% UVA and UVB ray, so protect all around that delicate eye area, while also offering protection from kicked up grit, dust and pollen.

I was amazed at how lightweight these glasses were; I kept them on constantly over several weekends and barely noticed they were there, bar being reminded because of people complimenting them.

Verdict

I can’t stop wearing these! So light, very stylish and also totally practical. They will also look great on my summer holidays, if the sun ever decides to come out!

Pros

– Lightweight
– Large lens means unobstructed viewing and protection for the eye area
– Great on and off the bike
– 100% UVA/UVB protection
– Compatible with prescription lenses

Cons

– Expensive
– Not wraparound so some loss of peripheral vision.

Price: £110
More information: Oakley Backhand, Black crystal with Black/Grey gradient lenses
(Also available in Polished Black, Cherry Red and Crystal Iris)
UK supplier: Oakley

What Oakley says about their Backhand sunglasses

With extra large frames and glam 70s styling, Oakley Backhand is totally fashion forward. The slim ultra-feminine stem makes them incredibly lightweight, so they never slow a girl down. Flash back to cool, on or off the court, in Oakley Backhand.

With a durable, stress-resistant O-Matter frame and UV protection via Plutonite® lens material that filters out 100% of UVA/ UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm, Oakley Backhand offers the finest protection for your eyes. Unrivaled lens clarity, optical precision and impact resistance standards that meet or exceed Z80.3 ensure that your eyewear works as hard as you do. And a Three-Point Fit and Unobtainium® earpads keep your sunglasses in perfect optical alignment and comfort, no matter how long you wear them.

Choose the best polarized lenses on the planet or varied field of light transmission (top to bottom) via gradient lens shading. Oakley Backhand is also available with prescription lenses. Oakley Backhand comes with an oh-so-stylish and exclusive women’s eyewear case.

Frame:

Durability and all-day comfort of lightweight, stress-resistant O Matter™ frame material
Comfort and performance of Three-Point Fit that holds lenses in precise optical alignment
Metal icons accents
Unobtainium® earpads

Lenses:

Polarized – Minimized glare via technology that produces the best polarized lenses on the planet (optional)
Optical precision and impact resistance meet or exceed Z80.3 optical and basic impact standards
UV protection of Plutonite® lens material that filters out 100% of UVA / UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm
Varied field of light transmission (top to bottom) via optional gradient lens shading
Available with Oakley prescription lenses