The Ekoi Lumen Pura Vented is a highly customisable pair of glasses from the online Spanish outfit. You can choose them to complement the colour of your bike or anything else – and you can even have printing on the arms or your name engraved on the large single-piece lens. You can also choose from numerous lenses. The result is a pair of glasses that does most things well, albeit with one niggle, but at full price they are pretty expensive. Though being Ekoi, there’s a fair chance they’ll be available more cheaply.
> Buy now: Ekoi Lumen Pura Vented for £93.99 from Ekoi
For more options, check out our best cycling sunglasses buyer’s guide.
The Lumens are available with two different lens options: the Pura and the Pura Vented we tested. These get just over double the number of vent holes compared with the standard version.
This extra airflow helps to keep fogging at bay, and the vents are well positioned too, placed so they don’t direct air directly into your eyes. This makes them ideal if you struggle with hay fever or have sensitive eyes.
Ekoi offers a huge number of lens options, the nine in total taking in four standard lenses and five photochromic options. These vary in the amount of VLT – visible light transfer – that they offer. There are four categories with cat 4 being the darkest, offering just 3-8%, and 0 being clear.
The lens in our glasses covers categories 0-3, and it goes from clear with a very slight tint to darkening to around 8-18% VLT, which is the same as most sunglasses in the UK.
The transition between clear and darkness is very smooth. I was very impressed with the fact that I couldn’t tell that they were photochromic while riding in ‘normal’ conditions. When there were big contrasts between bright sun and shaded areas, I noticed a bit of a delay in the transition, but the Lumens aren’t alone in that. Even some of the best glasses I’ve worn stutter in such situations, so I’m not going to criticise them too much for that.
I wore them for gravel rides and off-road forays through wooded areas and I found the Ekois responded well to dappled sunlight too.
The lens is a frameless design, which leads me onto my only issue with them. The arms clip on to the lens, which is what makes the glasses so customisable, but a by-product of that design means that a section of the arm covers the lens slightly and I found it encroached into my field of vision – almost like wearing a pair of blinkers.
Sometimes, after around twenty minutes of riding I wouldn’t be aware of the arms, but the moment I did so again I found them difficult to ignore. It’s not as if the arms are prominent enough to block my field of view, but I found them in my direct line of sight when glancing over my shoulder.
Away from that, though, I found the Ekoi lens offered great clarity and with no frame running along the top I had a clear view when I was riding in an aero position.
The Lumens are comfortable too. You get an adjustable nose piece to dial in the fit and you can manipulate the arms to create the correct tension for a secure fit. Out of the box they were a little too loose, but with a bit of tweaking they remained secure even over rougher, off-ride routes.
Value
Price-wise, on Ekoi’s website they have an RRP of £187.98. The price seems random as it depends on the exchange rate at any given moment (they were over £200 when the review was originally written). And making comparisons harder still, is the fact that pretty much everything on Ekoi’s website is constantly on sale, so these are presently just £93.99.
At full price that puts them a little less than the Rudy Project Tralyx sunnies that Ollie rated. They also have a photochromic lens and Ollie found them extremely comfortable.
The Alba Optics Stratos Ghost VZUM AF-Lens glasses cost £174.95 and they have a light-reacting lens and a frameless design, although they do suffer from some slippage issues.
The non-photochromic Ekoi Lumens come in at £143.75, which is competitive against other ‘frameless’ glasses such as the £160 SunGod Airas.
At the 50% off price the Lumens are much more competitive, fitting issues aside.
You can still get some stunning glasses for less than that, with the Galibier GrandTour Optics priced at just £56, or £66 for the photochromic option.
Magicshine’s Rouleur Colour Photochromic glasses scored very highly too, and only cost £59.99.
Conclusion
On the plus side, the Ekoi Lumens photochromic lens offers great clarity and a quick response to changing light conditions. It was only those annoyingly visible arm sections intruding into my field of vision that slightly let down the overall experience.
Verdict
Impressive quick-reacting lens and a comfortable fit, but pretty pricey and let down in one area
> Buy now: Ekoi Lumen Pura Vented for £93.99 from Ekoi
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Ekoi Lumen Pura Vented Glasses
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?
Ekoi says: “The Ekoï LUMEN glasses redefine visual performance for cyclists. Equipped with a panoramic high-definition lens, they offer an expanded field of vision and enhanced precision to anticipate every route, whether on the road or off-road. The absence of a frame eliminates any blind spots and maximizes peripheral awareness of your surroundings.
The quick pull no-screw disassembly system, which has proven itself on the Ottimo model, allows for a quick and secure lens swap.
Each variation is compatible with 9 types of lenses, including 5 photochromic lenses that instantly adapt to changes in light conditions for optimal visual comfort.”
They are good glasses overall, with an excellent quality lens, though they’re let down by one annoying niggle.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
HIGH DEFINITION PANORAMIC LENS – Clear and detailed vision = visual comfort, Peripheral vision = precision and safety
ULTRA SIMPLE BRANCH REMOVAL – Screen change without tools with an ultra-minimized risk of breakage. Allows for a perfect cleaning of the glass.
WIDE SELECTION OF PHOTOCHROMIC LENSES – 4 PH lenses (CAT 1-3) + 1 PH lens (CAT 0-3), With new mirror coating = shiny aesthetic appearance + 4 CAT 3 lenses
PROTECTION INDEX – UV 400 (100% UV protection)
FIT AND HOLD – customizable adjustable nose bridge and temples
STANDARDS – ANSI Z80.3:2018. EN ISO 12312-1:2013 (A1:2015). AS/NZS 1067.1:2016
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The lens works well in varying light conditions.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Great lens clarity.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The ends of the arms sit in your line of vision.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At full RRP they’re pricier than the opposition, especially when there are some on the market at around a third of the price. Though this is Ekoi, so that price is far from set in stone.
Did you enjoy using the product? Partly – the photochromic lens is great.
Would you consider buying the product? No
Would you recommend the product to a friend? No
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Ekoi Lumens are a decent pair of glasses when it comes to performance, especially at their reduced price, but those intruding arms let down an otherwise impressive product.
About the tester
Age: 46 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: This month’s test bike My best bike is: B’Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
18 thoughts on “Ekoi Lumen Pura Vented Glasses”
Very nice, I;m sure. But with
Very nice, I’m sure. But with >60% of the UK population apparently needing lens correction, where’s the Prescription option? How much effort can it be to provide a prescription lens holder to clip in as in my Rudy Projects? Can’t recall the last time we had a review of prescription happy cyclng glasses.
Bigfoz wrote:
So true, which seems a bit shortsighted.
Bigfoz wrote:
i bought those and there is a correction holder to clip in. I had chosen the option where the correction glasses are provided by Ekoi. The process to get the right values to the Ekoi opticians was quite easy but I also asked my local optician for my pupil distances.
but there is also the option to get a empty frame and get the glasses from your local
optican which I would prefer, retrospectively. If you like I can provide you some images.
but to be honest: last year I bought sunglasses on AliExpress with correction for less than 10 € … IMHO they come very very close to the Ekoi model
May I ask how much extra they
May I ask how much extra they charged for the corrective lenses? I wish more companies would offer that as a service, it’s a pain buying new glasses and then having to send the correction frame away again to have it glazed.
The correction frame without
The correction frame without glasses comes for 11 €, with lenses it was 68€ what I thought would be a bargain as my optican charged me 80€ per lens for my normal glasses.
Thanks for the info, that’s
Thanks for the info, that’s not a bad deal at all, although as I have a very straightforward prescription the last time I had an insert glazed (about eighteen months ago) an online company did it for me for about £23 so I might stick to that way for a bit…
Sorry for the comment spam,
Sorry for the comment spam, but it seems that I can only post one image per post …
So, here is the Ekoi with Clip-In
Ekoi
Ekoi
diagonally from the front
Ekoi:
Side view
Ekoi:
Side view
Note: I need to correct
Note: I need to correct myself. The 8 Euros was wrong, looked it up and it was 25 Euros back then … but they are quite often on sale.
Rockbros diagonally from the front:
Rockbros clip-in (no glasses
Rockbros clip-in (no glasses in clip-in)
Rockbros front
Rockbros front
Final notes:
Final notes:
The build quality of the Rockbros is on par with the Ekoi. Both are photocromatic but the Rockbros is nearly clear when in room. Or to put it on a scale: Tone (0 clear – 5 highest level)
Ekoi: 1 – 5
Rockbros: 0 – 5
The Rockbros feels a bit stiffer, but in a good way! Which is not much a surprise as it has a half frame while the Ekoi is frameless. As it has been mentioned in the article, I also observed that the arms of the Ekoi are in sight, but I would also say on longer rides this will blend in and should not be much of a problem.
I bought the Rockbros last year because I was doing my anual 200k+ ride and didn’t wanted to go again with my default corrected sun glasses … back then I used contact lenses (I wasn’t aware that they will come with a clip-in).
I’m a bit curios about myself that I tend to the Rockbros as I normally very willing to spend more for my bike stuff (e.g. I love my campa group sets, and my cafe du cyclist clothes) but the Rockbros glasses are quite good.
If I could have a wish, I would like to have Cav’s Oakley with correction 🙂
I have a pair of Rockbros
I have a pair of Rockbros photochromatic for changeable days and I agree, they are exceptional quality for the price. I feel your pain, I’m forever seeing new glasses in the professional peloton and thinking ooh, could I…then finding they don’t come with a clip in. On the plus side that’s probably saved me a fortune and helped preserve marital harmony…
I’m sure some clever person could come up with an almost universal transferable fitment to go on all classes, something spring-loaded perhaps?
Very final note: I was
Very final note: I was curious the check if the Ekoi-Clip in will fit on the Rockbros: Yes it does :p
But not vice versa, as the Ekoi is more curved
Bigfoz wrote:
i bought those and there is a correction holder to clip in. I had chosen the option where the correction glasses are provided by Ekoi. The process to get the right values to the Ekoi opticians was quite easy but I also asked my local optician for my pupil distances.
but there is also the option to get a empty frame and get the glasses from your local
optican which I would prefer, retrospectively. If you like I can provide you some images.
but to be honest: last year I bought sunglasses on AliExpress with correction for less than 10 € … IMHO they come very very close to the Ekoi model
Or decathlon sell
Or decathlon sell photocromatic for forty quid !
road.cc wrote:
Ekoi are French are they not?
https://road.cc/content/feature/inside-ekoi-309363