Koo California polarised sunglasses

The Koo California Sunglasses are billed as fashionable 'lifestyle' sunglasses with eye-catching style, but they're top performers for all sorts of cycling too. The water and dust repellent lenses give a consistent clear view, and the frames are sturdy and secure. This polarised lens option commands a premium price though.

The Koo Californias are available in a wide variety of colours (14) and lens type (8) – there's a lot of choice. We're testing the polarised versions that cut glaring from reflective surfaces, which comes in at £179. There are cheaper versions; with a mirrored Zeiss lens these are £119.

They have Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of 17%. The lower the percentage, the darker the lens. These are best suited to sunnier days as they are quite dark – though not the darkest, which are 11% – and they give 100% UV protection too.

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The lenses also have what Zeiss calls a 'Tri-flection coating' for a consistent colour performance across the whole lens, and it works really well. They are water, dust and oil repellent too, and have an easy to clean, super smooth surface.

Designed to look cool both on and off the bike, I think these are aimed more at laid back riding, such as gravel or touring, rather than hard-core road cycling. That said, and despite their lack of a rubberised nosepiece, they don't feel loose at all, even during head-down sprints.

They weigh in at 33 grams; surprisingly light, considering how sturdy the frame feels.

The frames

The Koo Californias feel like a really quality pair of sunnies – the polycarbonate frame feels very tough, and suffered no scratches during the test period. The hinges feel strong and stiff with no floppiness, too. There's a just enough flex in the frame to place them on helmets or on the outside of your helmet straps, but I would have preferred sprung hinges for a bit more flex in the arms.

Although Koo is part of Kask, these weren't a particularly better or worse fit with my Kask helmets (Mojito, Vertigo and K-50) than any other sunglasses I own. They fitted through the vents okay for storage though.

The lenses

This lens choice has a yellow-amber tint which makes colours pop very vividly. The consistent tint across the lenses came in handy when the sun was low, when you can otherwise get a flickering effect through hedges, or when doing over-the-shoulder checks for traffic. The polarisation is also very good, reducing bright glare from metal and glass.

The contrast is excellent for spotting potholes or other hazards too, unless you're under very heavy tree cover. As I said, they are quite dark, but the vast majority of the time they are excellent.

> 31 of the best cycling sunglasses — protect your eyes from sun, crud and flying bugs

So too is the water repellency of the lenses, which is the best I've seen on any sunglasses. On some sweltering days, with sweat pouring down my forehead, the Californias just shrugged it off in a few seconds, keeping vision clear and consistent. The left-hand lens has a quirky air vent down the side, but this seems to be for aesthetics – neither lens steamed up.

The clip works just fine on your bar or stem, and gives a tight but secure fit around the sunglasses. I didn't find this feature all that useful myself, preferring to stow them in a pocket or top tube bag.

Included in the box is a semi-soft case, a generous handkerchief-sized polishing cloth and a clip for attaching them to handlebars.

The soft-cup storage bag is disappointing though, and offers the bare minimum of protection. For the money I'd like to see a full hard case – this is an expensive pair of sunglasses to damage.

Value

These are at the higher end of the price range for their spec and casual style. SunGod's Classics3 Polarised 8Kos are similarly well made with great, clear optics, for instance, and they're £69 cheaper yet include a proper storage case.

The Spektrum Blank – another multi-use design – has similarly water-repellent Zeiss lenses and is £135, though this pair has no case at all.

If you really want to save money, the Galibier Surveillance Precision Optics are only £39 for the polarised option, and scored highly. I own two pairs myself, and can vouch that they are indeed a bargain.

At the other extreme, the Roka Konas are tough and stylish with great optics and sprung arms, and will help you get rid of money much more efficiently at £205. The Koo California sunglasses aren't the most expensive, then, but they're up there.

Overall

The Koo Californias are a stylish pair of casual but bike-effective sunglasses, with clear, consistently shaded optics and very water repellent lenses that look great on and off the bike.

Technically I found these great, and I really liked the look; they have a lot of Italian flair. If Robert De Niro cycled, he'd wear these. The lack of a true hard case or sprung hinges – plus the high cost of this polarised lens option – takes the shine off a tad, though.

Verdict

Clear, tough and very water repellent, these look great on and off the bike – polarised option is expensive though