BBB Valor Flux glasses

The BBB Valor Flux glasses are the latest addition to the Dutch brand’s extensive accessory line, and they promise a top-level performance and innovative design. And these really do feel like high-quality glasses in use, but the arms lack adjustability, and as I have a big head, I found them too tight to wear for long, so they’re not a pair that I could buy.

For other options, check out our best cycling sunglasses buyer’s guide.

BBB is best known for producing a wide range of high-quality parts and accessories, typically at very good prices. Its latest Valor Flux sunglasses can be seen across Europe, as it’s used by riders in the Continental-level BEAT cycling team.

The Valor Flux glasses come in a solid hard case with a soft bag included, as well as a clear lens that you can easily swap by snapping the lens out of the frame.

The frame is constructed from a sustainable bio-based material, and the lens is category 3, which equates to 8-18% VLT (Visible Light Transmission). I tested the black frame with the red lens, but there’s also a model with a white frame, and you can choose from blue, green and purple lenses. The clear lens is category 0 (80-100% VLT) for duller days when you still want eye protection.

These cost £109.99, which is far from cheap of course, but they look and feel like very high quality sunnies. The frame is solid, with no play or movement in the arms, and the quality of the Flux lens is excellent.

BBB says the lens ‘offers world class contrast, clarity, color enhancement and long time wearing comfort’. In addition to that, an ‘anti-fog coating on the inside of the lens keeps your lens clear in all circumstances and [an] oleophobic coating on the outside repels water and mud’.

And in use, that lens really did live up to the billing. I had no issues with fogging, and I found the lens was very easy to wipe clean, with no residue or scratching left behind. The red lens worked very well in bright conditions, and I live in an area with a lot of quiet country lanes that have bright, exposed patches of dappled light and tree cover. Throw in potholes and loose gravel and being able to pick out minor nuances in the road surface ahead is essential, and I found the lens spot on.

I’d say these are quite similar to something like an Oakley Sutro Lite with a half-frame design and a quite angular lens. That works well for me, and I felt like the lens offered plenty of coverage. Fogging never proved an issue, the lens’s anti-fog treatment being aided by two small ventilation slits at the top of the lens.

The frame feels very solid. The arms snap into their open position and there’s a rubber coating on the inside at the tips to improve grip. They proved secure when I stowed them in my helmet, and they didn’t budge or rattle loose. But as good as the frame and lens were, there was one factor that stopped me enjoying the Valor Flux sunnies as much as I could have.

The arms are quite drastically curved to ensure they stay on your head, and you really have to bend them open to put them on. Unfortunately, for me, this meant they pinched in quite firmly just behind my ears. After only a few minutes, this would become quite uncomfortable, and I’d find myself stowing the glasses in my helmet to offer my head some relief.

I’ll caveat this by saying I do have quite a big head, though my helmet size is still only a medium. My go-to glasses are Oakley Sutros, which have much straighter arms, and I have no issues with pinching or soreness when using them. This was a shame, as I’d been impressed with the BBB’s overall quality. This meant I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t find myself enthusiastically reaching for them to test when going out to ride.

Value

I do think BBB’s Valor Flux sunnies score very well for value. The £109.99 RRP for a premium-feeling pair of sunnies with a lens to rival the best, a hard case and a spare clear lens is a very appealing proposition.

Oakleys don’t usually come with spare lenses, and the Sphaera, Sutro Lite and Encoder cost nearly double what you’ll pay for the Valors.

These are more expensive than the BBB Chester glasses we’ve tested, but Josh actually had the opposite issue with fit. The Chesters also don’t include a hard case or a spare lens, and they don’t have the higher quality FLUX lens the Valors use.

If you’re on a tighter budget and are looking for quality sunnies with a large lens, Magicshine’s Windbreaker glasses proved popular with our tester.

Conclusion

Very good quality sunnies with a solid construction quality and a lens that offers excellent clarity, but if like me you have a bit of a moon head, they might not work. However, if you can try before you buy and they work for your head, I think you’ll be very happy with the offering from BBB.

Verdict

High-quality lens, a well-built frame and great value – but let down for me by a slightly too tight fit

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