The Galibier Liberté Optics enhance the brand’s reputation for making good cycling kit at great prices. There’s much to admire here: light weight, good shape, great fit, not the size of a Scammell windscreen. They’re also available with three lens options – including one photochromic – and each for less than the cost of spare lenses from some other brands.
Galibier has five types of glasses in its range. The Liberté are billed as airflow designed performance cycling glasses and their fit would back this up. They come to you in a hardshell case, with a softbag for more pocketable storage, and a wipe cloth.
Their minimalist design, frame-free lens and spindly arms ensure that the Galibier Libertés are a lightweight set of shades and at 26g you really don’t know you’ve got them on.
Construction
The frameless lens curves well around and sits close to the face, leaving next to no cheek gap. The lenses have a Visgard® premium plus anti-fog coating and there are three small holes in the top corners of the lens to create airflow. This means that despite their snug fit, they have been very good at not fogging up. Standing at the top of a hill on a cold ride, chatting with others, did see them mist up like an Allegro on a winter’s morning, and it took time to defog once moving again, but that’s it. It’s not been an issue riding around in all conditions.
The wrap-around design of the glasses combined with the frameless lens means there’s absolutely no peripheral vision disruption, and this just adds to the ‘forget you’ve got them on’ quality.
The Galibier lenses are crafted from an ultra-fine polycarbonate promising optical clarity and the two plasma options guarantee 100% protection against harmful UV rays. They’re also anti-reflective, scratch resistant, and anti-glare. It’s the Crystal Black frame with Teal Plasma lens pictured here, which are great for big sun days. However, it’s the Matt Black Frame with Photochromic lens I’ve been using most, because winter.
Photochromic performance
The photochromic lenses are pretty outstanding for he price, and great for riding on days of changing conditions, weaving in and out the trees and if your rides creep in and out of darkness. Whatever other glasses I’m wearing, I usually end up stowing them in my helmet at some point during the ride because they’re the wrong shade for the conditions, but the Galibier Liberté glasses with photochromic lenses stayed on all ride every ride.
Galibier doesn’t give any shade change stats for the photochromic lens, but they’re not the fastest reacting. In entirely unscientific testing of taking them from the dark cavern of their case into bright sunshine, they took about 45 seconds to slide from clear to full grey. Bringing them back into the shed to simulate tree cover, it took them double the time to slip back into a clearer lens. This is not the swiftest change in tints, but I never found it a problem on the bike. They could settle on being a little dark at dusk before finally diffusing to clear, but that could just be my tired old eyes. Pleasingly, they were lighter at the top under the shade of a helmet and a peaked cap, so you get a gradated lens.
The only issue I had with the lens is that there was no protective outer coating, so they seemed to hold on to puddle water marks and splashed-up mud a lot more keenly than my other glasses, and they were correspondingly reluctant to clean.
The TR90 frame (that’s just a high-performance, lightweight, and flexible thermoplastic polymer which is used in loads of glasses frames) is bolted directly onto the lens so lens swaps aren’t possible, but at this price you can afford a brand new set of sunnies to suit the conditions. It’s a thin and flexy frame so it conforms easily to your face and springs happily into helmet vents.
The back half of the arms have a Thermogrip rubber on them and the same material is used for the nosepiece. It’s a material that’s designed to get grippier when moisture increases and it’s been tenacious at keeping the Liberté Optics in place. The light weight of the glasses helps here too and there hasn’t been any rattle or slippage, even over bumpy terrain.
Value
The closest competition to the Galibier gigs would be the catchily named Van Rysel Cycling NXT Photochromic Sunglasses RoadR 900 Perf at £79.99. They’re bigger overall and have a full frame which may or may not suit your face. They received a road.cc recommends sticker – Dave liked them for his all day and into the night riding.
The Magicshine Rouleur Colour Photochromic Sunglasses (£59.99) are another bargain set of photochromic lens cycling glasses, and again they got a road.cc recommends award for their high spec for very little money. The light changing lens also comes with 100% UV400 protection; a REVO coating that supposedly restores true colours, amplifies contrast and delivers visual clarity; and a rear OAR coating that supposedly provides optimal anti-glare. There’s even a hydrophobic coating to help rain roll off.
If you wanted a standard lens and have a little bit more money to spend then the Panda Optics S25-1 (£78) might be your thing. With a mirrored lens, they look more cyclingy, although they’re pitched as being all-round sports wear rather than bike specific. Matt liked the lens for varied conditions and riding in and out of tree cover, although it did scratch easily, and he found the adjustable nose grip awkward.
Conclusion
Because of the generally seasonal light changes from bright winter sunshine leaving the house to incoming storm grey on the way home, and darkness coming in quicker than expected, I’ve been riding in the Galibier Liberté Optics with the photochromic lens every ride and I really haven’t missed my favourite big name glasses that cost four times as much. Which probably says a lot.
The Liberté glasses are light, the frameless lens wraps perfectly around the face and they’re not the size of a Grand Designs front window, all of which adds to their pleasing double whammy of providing a don’t-know-they’re-there ride feel without making a big hole in your wallet.
Verdict
Bargainous lightweight, don’t-know-they’re-there specs – especially if you go for the photochromic ones
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Galibier Liberté Optics
Size tested: One Size
Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Galibier says its Liberté Optics are, “the perfect blend of technology and innovation. An airflow designed performance cycling glasses with Category 3 protection and clear vision across a spectrum of lighting conditions. Impact-resistant and tested for durability they’re suitable for all helmet types
“The Liberté optics lens design was created to enhance positive, controlled airflow between the face and the inside of the lens, reducing moisture build up. Ideal glasses if you sweat a lot. Coupled with an Antifog coating, the lens remains clear even when the trails and roads are demanding 100% effort. The legs and nose piece are lightweight, with a flexible frame made of industry leading TR90. Stability is ensured by the use of Thermogrip® rubber on both the temple rubbers and the nose pad which grip more when moisture increases. The sun is tamed with the most advanced photochromic shield lens on the market and our high contrast plasma lens helps identify hazards and adapt to changes in terrain and light conditions.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Optical Clarity: Crafted from ultra-fine polycarbonate, the lens provides a vast field of vision, setting a benchmark for frameless sunglasses.
UV Protection: Every Plasma lens guarantees 100% protection against harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Anti-Fog System: Visgard® premium plus Anti-fogging Controlled airflow ventilation system to prevent fogging up.
HEV Light Management: Plasma lenses block harmful rays that can cause age-related macular degeneration, especially between 280-400 nm.
Ergonomic Design: Secure and comfortable fit.
Clarity: Contrast-enhancing lens technology helps identify hazards and adapt to changes in terrain and light conditions
Light weight: Frameless design achieves minimal weight and ‘barely there feel.
Weight: 26g
A bit creaky but fine for the money.
For the money they’re pretty amazing. I mostly wore the photochromic lenses and found them usefully good.
Been used and abused and even with the frameless lens are showing little sign of dings, scratches or wear.
Don’t know they’re there light.
Light and with Thermogrip rubber on arms and nose piece makes them unobtrusively comfortable.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The Galibier Liberté Optics are unobtrusively light, have an impressive field of vision, don’t fog up and fit snugly onto a face. Unless you absolutely need a set of dark sunglasses, the photochromic version is the one to get.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Price, light weight, fit, photochromic lens.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Lens liked to hold onto water splashes and dirt.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The closest competition to the Galibier gigs would be the catchily named Van Rysel Cycling NXT Photochromic Sunglasses RoadR 900 Perf at £79.99.
The Magicshine Rouleur Colour Photochromic Sunglasses are £59.99 and the Panda Optics S25-1 are £78.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
Affordable lightweight glasses with a trio of lens options – although the photochromic ones are the ones to go for if you’re not blessed with 24/7 sunshine.
About the tester
Age: 50 Height: 180cm Weight: 73kg
I usually ride: It varies as to the season. My best bike is: The one I’m on at the time
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Fun
1 thought on “Galibier Liberté Optics – on a par with big name glasses that cost four times as much”
Have these with a red lens
Have these with a red lens and love them. Super light and don’t mist as I sweat alot!