Gear review - Endura Guppy

So I've just lashed up a review on my new glasses for something else, and while I have tons and tons to talk about regarding the impending race season UNFORTUNATELY I can't actually publicise anything to do with it just yet! SO, here's a gear review just in time for race-panic-buying-season, if you're looking for a reasonably priced set of racing shades look no further - these are available just about everywhere;

he Endura Guppy with interchangeable anti-fog lens sunglasses sit around the middle price point in their range of cycling glasses at the moment. They're a solid set of shades which come with everything you'd expect for that price.

At first glance they look like they could hold their own in a straight up competition with the big boys like Oakley or Rudy Project. With a chunky racing style split lens, rubberised ear socks and nose bridge. They come in three standard colours, black, white or green with black accents which are the pair I have here. The green is a nice touch as it's one of those colours that seems popular yet quite hard to get hold of in accessories.

Glasses work great but don't stop you from getting dropped..

The glasses come in a nicely finished hard case, with a clip for attaching to your kit bag. Upon opening the case there are foam inserts which house the spare lenses, as you'd expect there's a set of clear, anti-glare orange and sunny black lenses provided – which clip in and out of the frames easily. The glasses are in a soft drawstring microfibre bag and fit into a hollow in the foam. At this point I found the foam to be a little cheaply done, and had to touch the spare lenses a bit more than I'd like to get them to sit in their slots nicely.

The glasses themselves are lightweight and for less than £45 the design is impressive. At close inspection you can begin to see the differences between this price point and the top end glasses on the market. While they look good, the lenses certainly don't differ from any other low-mid range lens I've used. The plastic frames feel a little cheap but the build of the glasses themselves feels robust, so I'd imagine these will probably last a fair while providing they're looked after.

The fit on these glasses might possibly be one for an acquired taste. I'm a fan of chunky glasses but the oversized lenses on these makes the rims fit around it in a style slightly akin to Elton John, with an interesting raised, curved brow on them. As a girl I found them a little wide and thus a little loose, they're only provided in one size and you cannot get an Asian or female specific fit. The vented rubber nose bridge has been implemented in good nature, but could probably do with being adjustable. I found the glasses were a bit temperamental about sitting on my bridge, meaning I spent a lot of time moving them up and down my nose to get the seating right. Saying that, it's great to see a mid-range set of glasses including a rubber bridge as plastic can often irritate.

They look good with a helmet on and if you suffer from “mushroom head” these are a great compensator because of their chunky profile, because of this they are right at home paired with a TT helmet. Due to the slightly garish over-sizing it does mean that they don't steam up, also reducing the need to pop them into your helmet vents – which unfortunately is not the most efficient of tasks with these (paired with my BBB Falcon). The lenses provided are hydrophobic and do their job superbly in wet, winter conditions.

Verdict

These are a comfortable and stylish pair of glasses and top contenders for the under £50 market. You'd be hard pressed to find a set of shades as good as these on this kind of budget. While there are a couple of details which Endura could do with revising, if you're on a budget and want the best bang for your buck these are a great shout. If you don't want to fork out £100+ for Oakleys or Rudys these should be your first port of call. If you aren't into the half rims, they also do the Mullet, which are full framed with a similar design and colour scheme. These are at home in races as much as they are on casual days out.