The 100% Aerocraft glasses are lightweight futuristic-looking sunnies with a lens designed for bright conditions. The lens clarity and its coverage is great but it doesn't cope well with shaded sections, and its bevelled edges can interfere with your peripheral vision.
> Buy now: 100% Aerocraft glasses for £139.99 from Tweeks Cycles
The 100% Aerocraft glasses come to you in a chunky clamshell case with slots for two spare lenses and a softbag for pocket carriage and cleaning.
Two spare nose pieces are also included, which I thought might be different sizes so you can customise the fit of the glasses, but I could neither see nor feel any discernible difference between them. Maybe it shows the faith 100% has in the longevity of its lenses that it thinks these will wear out first – or perhaps it's just handy if you tend to sweat through these things and they do that unpleasant icky sticky tacky thing.
The 100% Aerocraft comes in four other versions with colour matched lenses and frames. The Gloss Purple Chrome set looks especially Daft Punky and heatwave appropriate, while the Gloss Metallic Black model comes with a photochromic lens, which might be useful if you live in an endlessly changeable climate or ride in a heavily wooded area.
The frame is made from a high-impact-resistant and lightweight polycarbonate with flexible TR90 temple tips. As well as being grippy, aided by the contour patterned inside edge, the whole 75mm of the temple ends are flexible. I found this genuinely useful for getting a not too tight, not too loose fit, especially after experiencing other sunglasses that can create tiny pressure points.
The inside of the brow features a corrugated strip of that same tacky material – though I'm uncertain of its purpose. It feels like it might be a sweat guard but there are vertical channels in it that would allow sweat to dribble through. It does press against your forehead though and could be an aid to hold the Aerocraft glasses to your noggin. How firmly it caresses your skin will depend on your face shape and some people that tried the glasses really didn't like the feel of it against their head.
The lens features 3DPlane Molded Lens technology that has been a signature feature in the 100% range of motocross and snow goggles for a few years, and it's now crossing over into its cycling glasses.
Aerocraft says its Ultra HD lens is made from high-impact-resistant and lightweight polycarbonate, which 100% says offers unmatched optical clarity – of course it would. It's an injection-moulded 2mm impact-rated, shatter-resistant lens and comes sculpted with all sorts of angled facets and an integral nose bridge.
They're also scratch-resistant, provide 100% UV protection and have a hydrophobic and oleophobic lens treatment that repels water, dirt and oil. They're going well when it comes to scratch resistance so far, though the protruding nose is just waiting to scuff. Their hydro- and oleo-phobicness has mainly presented itself in being very easy to clean of water splashes, smudges and fingerprints.
While the lens is replaceable and changeable, and mentioned as being so in the 100% tech blurb, it does require a very committed this-is-going-to-break tug to separate the frame from the lens and an equally awkward and fiddly shove with snapping possibilities to get things back together.
Five different spare lenses are available from 100%, including a photochromic lens for £85. Other lenses cost either £47.35 or £57.01 , the latter including our test model's blue mirror lens.
That Aerocraft lens has a six-base cylindrical shield for increased peripheral view and protection, and promises 360° of visibility for unobstructed views and an optimal field of vision. While they're not the most windscreeny of glasses they do follow the current trend for larger and larger lenses and they do effectively wrap around your face to give great coverage. While there's no frame to the bottom half of the glasses the angled sides of the lens do create a visible edge that hovers annoyingly about in your peripheral vision and is effectively a thin strip of distortion.
I have a thin face and while they have a great wrap they do stick out the sides a lot, which is a common feature with my narrow slab-sided skull and the current crop of iMax glasses. There was also a considerable cheek gap despite the acreage of the lens. I could fit my fingers in the space there, meaning light could intrude around the bottom of the glasses, which wasn't ideal, and it also led to significant peripheral issues around the bottom edge of the lens.
I am alarmingly picky about fit on my glasses though, and I can tell in an instant if a set of sunnies is going to work for me. I've saved myself a fortune this way. This might not be an issue with your facial bone structure but try before you buy if you feel this would bother you.
For all its hype I'm not convinced by this HiPER lens. While it gave excellent coverage and the clarity in bright sunshine was amazing I found the Blue Mirror Lens struggled in shade when pedalling under trees. This was especially true if it was dappled as things just went dark and I couldn't discern any detail or contrast, which was a severe visual impairment that I found dangerous.
After a while I simply took to removing the Aerocrafts every time some tree cover came up, which was an arse. I thought this might be because of my tired old eyes but it's not something I've experienced with other sunglasses and a quick swap with another famous manufacturer's similarly dark glasses immediately showed they had noticeably more contrast to them and increased detailing in the shade.
The 100% HiPER Blue Mirror Lens is a Cat 3 lens with 12% light transmission that is probably the issue here and choosing another model would help if shady rides are more your thing. The Gloss Purple Chrome version has a 29% light transmission lens while the Gloss Metallic Black features a 80%-20% Gold Mirror Photochromic Lens
Value
For a little more you could get a set of road.cc recommended glasses in the (very Euro-styled) shape of the Rudy Project Tralyx. These feature a photochromic lens, though its narrow old-school lens shape might not suit your modern aesthetic.
The Rapha Reiss glasses are similarly priced and again have a more traditional Oakley M-Frame-look to them, though the lens does have a chunky lip around the sides. Easily swappable spare lenses are also available.
If you want the full modern 'Grandma's Conservatory' look with a coloured mirror lens then the similarity priced Ekoi Ottimo Glasses are the ones for you. Ed really liked them, only finding the frame entering his peripheral vision and getting them to fit into his helmet to be issues.
And it would be remiss of me to talk about expensive cycling glasses without mentioning Oakley. Stu reviewed its Sutro Lite Sweep and are in a similar pricing bracket to the 100% sunnies. They were great for fit and optical clarity, with their 20% light transition lenses good for medium cloudy days to bright sunshine.
For a fraction of the price you could have the Magicshine Rouleur Colour photochromic sunglasses, which may not look that cool, but their photochromic lens deals with dull days and shady sections.
For further options check out our best cycling sunglasses buyer's guide that covers eyewear from just £20 to £200.
Conclusion
Ultimately the 100% Aerocraft sunglasses just weren't for me – their fit led to a large gap at the bottom of the lens and peripheral issues to the sides and more crucially I found this particular lens far too dark for the riding around my area which has frequent shadowy wooded areas. Your face and foliage frequency mileage may vary though. For the money they're a disappointment especially when you consider that other brands are offering photochromic lenses at this price and cheaper, while the photochromic version of these comes in at a shade over £200.
> Buy now: 100% Aerocraft glasses for £139.99 from Tweeks Cycles
Verdict
A funky-looking set of glasses with a sculpted angled lens – though the shape and dark tint might not suit all
Make and model: 100% Aerocraft glasses
Size tested: One, Matte White / HiPER Blue Mirror Lens
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?
Meet Aerocraft, where form meets function in Sport Performance eyewear innovation. At the core of Aerocraft's distinctive appearance lies our revolutionary 3DPlane Molded Lens technology, a signature feature integrated into our MX and Snow goggles since 2019. This innovative technology not only offers a striking aesthetic; it redefines the standards of optical clarity.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Light Transmission: 12% Lens Filter: Cat 3 Lens Type: HiPER
Designed in California
Ultra HD lenses manufactured from high-impact resistant and lightweight polycarbonate
Category defining ULTRA HD lens provides unmatched optical clarity
Injection-molded 2mm impact-rated, shatter-resistant lens 6-base cylindrical shield lens for increased peripheral view and protection
360° visibility for unobstructed views and optimal field of vision
Interchangeable scratch resistant lenses provide 100% UV protection (UV400)
Hydrophobic and Oleophobic lens treatment repels water, dirt and oil
Adjustable temple tips for the perfect fit
Durable, flexible and lightweight TR90 frame
Ultra-grip rubber nose and temple tips provide a secure fit no matter how much you sweat
Also available with contrast-defining HiPER lens and photochromic lens
Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
The frame is light yet feels well made although they can creak after time.
Rate the product for performance:
5/10
While they're laden with technical buzzwords I found that they're too dark for riding through trees and the lens shape might not suit your face.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
The scratch-resistant lens with hydrophobic and oleophobic properties should mean they hang around your face a while, while the availability of extra nose pieces extend their longevity.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
7/10
Lightweight and with adjustable temples made them pleasant to wear, though that brow strip could annoy some people.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
At that price I'd have really liked a spare set of lenses or some photo sensitivity.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
As a set of modern cycling glasses they tick all the boxes in size and looks but that lens was far too dark for my kind of riding. Check they fit your face for any peripheral vision issues.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Light weight, comfort.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
No spare lens included, poor shade detail and contrast and the edge of the frame interfered with peripheral vision.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
For a little bit more money you could get a set of road.cc recommended glasses in the (very Euro styled) shape of the Rudy Project Tralyx that feature a photochromic lens.
The Rapha Reiss glasses are similarly priced and again have a more traditional look although the lens does have a chunky lip to it around the sides.
If you wanted the full modern 'Grandma's Conservatory' look with a coloured mirror lens then the similarity priced Ekoi Ottimo Glasses are the ones for you. Ed really liked them, only finding the frame entering his peripheral vision and getting them to fit into his helmet to be issues.
It would be remiss to talk about expensive cycling glasses without mentioning Oakley. Its Sutro Lite Sweep were great for fit and optical clarity, with the 20% light transition lenses good for medium cloudy days to bright sunshine.
And for a fraction of the price you could have the Magicshine Rouleur Colour Photochromic Sunglasses, which don't look very cool, but do have a photochromic lens to deal with dull days and shady sections.
Did you enjoy using the product? Ummmm, no
Would you consider buying the product? No
Would you recommend the product to a friend? I'd let them borrow them for a bit and see if the features that bothered me irked them too
Use this box to explain your overall score
For such a spendy set of glasses these fell short for me – notably the lens shape on my face and peripheral vision issues. And I also found the HiPER Blue Mirror Lens too dark for me to be useful, though other lens options are available.
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
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