BBB Avenger Sunglasses

BBB's Avenger sunglasses are a great package that show you don't need to be spending into the hundreds for a quality pair of cycling glasses. With excellent coverage, a range of lenses and impressive weight there is very little to dislike.

• Pros: Unrestricted vision, plenty of coverage, great value
• Cons: Lenses aren't the easiest to change and they'll be covered in fingerprints

The Avenger's use a large single-piece wraparound lens which really keeps the wind and grit out of your eyes as you ride along, even at high speed. As a hayfever sufferer this is a big bonus for me as I didn't get any eye irritation at all from pollen being carried in the air when I was wearing the BBBs.

> Find your nearest dealer here

To stop fogging there is a slot between the lens and the frame above each eye, and they do a pretty good job as I only had them fog up once going from the heat into a long, cool tunnel and then back out again. The lens soon cleared though.

In the pack are two other lenses alongside the smoke one you can see fitted in the pictures, a yellow option and a clear. Each is made from polycarbonate and offer 100% UV protection.

Swapping them isn't as easy as some, but you do soon develop the knack of popping them off the tab at the centre of the frame before easing the side tabs out of the arms. Refitting is the reverse.

> Buyer's Guide: 23 of the best cycling sunglasses

It's not possible to do it without covering the lens in fingerprints, though, and the same when you have to swap over the nosepiece. If you are changing them mid-ride then don't forget the included soft bag for cleaning.

That nosepiece is adjustable to dial in your fit by stretching the two arms or compressing them together. I found it plenty comfortable against the skin and no slipping when things were a bit sweaty.

The frame is made from a grade of Grilamid, a polyamide that offers plenty of flex should you drop them or sit on them. Durability should be pretty good too. 

Thickness of the frame has been kept to a minimum, which makes for a great field of vision with nothing in your line of sight when you check over your shoulder for traffic. Clarity from the lens is good, if not the sharpest, and you don't get any distortion from the curved surface.

Put all this together and you feel as though you aren't wearing a pair of glasses at all, especially when you take into account the 30g weight. That's the same as the £195 Smith Attack glasses recently tested.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best cheap cycling sunglasses

Value-wise, things are pretty good with the Avengers costing £49.95. They seem to stand up well against the likes of Tifosi's Davos Race Neon glasses priced at £64.99 and have a better fit (for me) and less restricted view than the Lazer Argon ARR glasses which are £30 more.

Overall, the Avengers are very good. Okay, they don't quite have the crisp clarity of some of the more expensive shades out there from the likes of Oakley et al, but when you take into account the price they are difficult to knock.

Verdict

Well-priced specs for year-round use offering a great fit and performance