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PRODUCT:
A variety of sunglasses and goggles from the
Biker Chix collection
REVIEWER:
Petra Lattmann, VTwin Mama REVIEW
CONCLUSION: My thought is that you should haul out your current sunglasses, whether they are a perfect fit or not, and really look at the frame size/style and compare that to my review notes to discover what will work better or if there is a similar shape with more bling that captures your fancy! REVIEW
SPECIFICS: So I had a lot of fun riding down the road, alternating between 11 pairs of sunglasses and goggles sent to me by Pacific Coast Sunglasses (PCS), looking for what really works for me and understanding why! First, let's get a peek at what PCS says about their Biker Chix collection: "These great looking, great fitting, wraparound styles are designed specifically to fit smaller faces. Care was taken to design them so they do not hit your eyelashes, while still keeping out the wind! All styles feature impact resistant lenses and meet ANSI Z80.3 general-purpose UV requirements." That's a UV 400 protection standard. What's so important about that? Well, the clue is that the invisible part of light, ultraviolet, is made up of UVA, UVB and UVC rays. Sunglasses that only protect from UVB and UVC are not blocking the most damaging UVA rays ... and with the UV 400 standard, you are protected and bringing down your risk factor quite a bit. Fair enough. Sun UVA is blocked, I do like the looks, my full eyelashes did not hit the lenses, and testing was done on a sunny day and I was pleased with all the glare reduction. Fit though, is more fickle, so let's work through the various styles and discuss points of interest. Chix Darling - Brown Gradient Lens
I started with these sunglasses because they match my Classy Rider jacket, which I wear in that season transition time on each end of summer. I love the leaf etching at the sides and the faux diamond bling stones. The fit though is tight on my face and I see that I will feel pressure on a much longer ride. As important, this lens style is straighter across the bottom and on me does not extend down to my check bones, thus allowing air to swirl around my eyes when I'm over 40mph. I did love the brown lens ... different than a more standard smoke/black lens that I normally wear, and yet I felt very comfortable ... my ability to see my surroundings was very natural. This pair is going to work on a more petite face with high cheek bones. Chix Passion - Brown Gradient Lens
Slightly darker frame color than the first pair, but with a nice top to bottom fade. My initial style impression was ... too much bling along the front considering how much is on the side ... but when I look at the self-portrait picture I took in my helmet, I thought ... hmmm ... that's a fun sparkle look that reduces helmet drab! I'm really starting to enjoy the brown lens and the fit feels perfect as this deeper frame hits my cheek bones ... until I started cruising at about 60mph. Although not a pronounced airflow on my eyeballs, there is just enough coming in to distract me. I couldn't put my finger on why until I found the perfect pair (coming up!) and now can see that the angle from the nose bridge is sloping away from my nose and that's where the air is entering. With my face shield down I'm in heaven. Nomad - Yellow/Black and the Nomad - Smoke/Black
The day started heating up and off came the jacket so I could enjoy my Smiley Bones baby thermal long sleeve shirt ... perfect for when it's still a bit cool running down the road but you're really in the mood to shrug off the jacket. I thought to myself ... self, it's time to see how some of the goggle styles work! So here we have two identical frames from the Value Line Goggles collection ... not specific to women, but everything I would expect. Flexi center nose bridge piece, vents at the side and an adjustable, comfortable back strap. You might know how much fun I have matching to my bike Bumblebee's color scheme and the yellow lens version didn't disappoint. However, I guess I'm not the biggest fan of my environment's colors being distorted. Since I didn't want to come across as a naysayer, I did a bit of research and found that different color lenses do different things, but never does a lens color indicate it's actual UV protection level. How interesting. In reading through this linked article I now see why gray/smoke is the norm, I have a new found love of brown, and why yellow/amber is not my preference. Learning is always such a good thing! I did not, however, get the full road grit blocking level I was expecting. Again, like the first pair of sunglasses I tried out, the frame isn't as deep to my cheek bones and I had a small amount of air creep from the lower side of my nose despite the full foam liner all the way around, even when cinching down the band. And then I'll repeat that a more petite face than mine shouldn't have any concerns! Why did I include the back view ... because some riders are sensitive to helmet hair smush ... and goggle band smush has to be accounted for. I'll simply add that these goggles float, so if you ever get caught in a situation where this will be a benefit, then there it is! Chix
Goggle Silver Mirror/Black Frame
Getting back to the Biker Chix offerings, I immediately went to try the more full "ski" style goggle. Yummy, yummy, yummy. Absolute full protection, great fit, and I see now that that is because the bottom curve starts sloping under my eye much further down at my cheek bones. The rub of course is that with a lined inner frame, even with venting, it gets hot. But one can say that about any lined goggle ... just beware that you might want an anti-fog lens product to rub in. The lens shade affect was just right but I'm not a outer mirror lens look person ... there is no doubt that I'll be ordering the clear lens version for any riding I need after dusk. At night, when it's cooler and I need an absolute no fuss solution so I can concentrate on the higher hazard riding level, this is totally a great choice no matter what helmet I'm wearing!
I just love the added gold tone vertical band at the side along with the bling stones and thought, this is going to be my absolute favorite. But like the Chix Passion, the lens frame slopes from the nose bridge in such a way that I get some air flow ... so it's close to perfect but for me, not quite there yet. Contest
Winner Input:
Chix Starlight - Grey Fade Lens
But despair not readers, for I have found the absolute most perfect pair of riding sunglasses for me! Just enough bling on the side and a straighter drop down of the lens frame along the nose line. Not a drop of air even when I purposefully waited for a pickup truck and then a semi to come down the road so I could follow for the full road grit test at 65mph ... ! ! ! ! In fact they are soooo perfect for me that I really wanted to stop testing more sunglasses and go enjoy a really nice long ride! Apparently I should also have considered bringing along a hair brush! Chix Hollywood - Silver Mirror/Clear Frame
If you're really tired having color rule your eyewear life, then here's a pair that's a clear frame! But the mirrored lenses add that mystery to the deal (hee hee, I can see myself taking the picture!). These are real deep bend wrap around and felt a bit stiff putting on, but the protection was there and I think my face is a bit too wide for ultimate comfort. Petite faces who want real simplicity are going to love this one! Chix Heavenly - Smoke Lens and Chix Heavenly - Clear Lens
I feel like my review is running out of steam and by the look on my face, maybe I'm a bit dazed! Love the look of this style but too small for my face. I love that there is a clear lens choice that is more price conscious than the ones I bought at H-D.
I think for all around regular/plain/simple look, this was my favorite. As one can imagine, not enough coverage on my broad face so stuff came up from the cheek bone area, but I love 'em any way! And we're done! Now don't despair if there was a color you were hoping for ... this is only a sampling of what PCS offers ... how about blue, copper, chrome, champagne, tortoise, flames and more?! That's right, plenty more choices to look at and the prices are great! Have a great time shopping and I hope that you've gathered some information clues about why the perfect eyewear matters and how that is achieved! THE
CONTEST ... WIN A PAIR OF PACIFIC COAST SUNGLASSES OR GOGGLES! WINNERS ANNOUNCED! Dear Readers, The actual odometer reading on my bike Bumblebee at the conclusion of the Pacific Coast Sunglasses test and review was 20,677. The winners of the 10 pairs of sunglasses and goggles are: 1st prize: Liz (20678, +1) I will be contacting the winners one at a time, in the order of their winning entry, to select from the available prizes! – Mama
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