Victory Chimp A.P.E Optics Vega Evo sunglasses

The big win with the Victory Chimp A.P.E Optics glasses is undeniably the price. At £39.00, they’re an incredibly budget-friendly option that doesn’t skimp on style. They come with interchangeable mirror, polarised and clear lenses, a prescription insert and hard case – what’s not to like? Well, although they most definitely score on looks and lens options, and the coverage is decent, I found them slightly overshadowed by other budget-friendly glasses in terms of fit and performance.

Victory Chimp A.P.E Optics Vega Evo sunglasses – Technical details

The A.P.E Optics Vega Evo glasses are designed at the Victory Chimp H.Q in Northern Ireland but manufactured in Asia to keep the price down, something the brand has managed to absolutely nail. The price still flummoxes me, as for your £39 you get the standard lens pack which includes interchangeable clear, gold mirror and polarised lenses with a prescription insert, soft pouch, lens cloth and good quality hard case. You can upgrade this package to include a photochromic lens for an additional £18, and there are tons of lens options to build on to cover all conditions and looks for £9 a piece. Bananas!

The lenses are constructed from lightweight, high-impact-resistant polycarbonate and have a scratch-resistant and hydrophobic coating finished with a nice little laser-etched logo above the nose bridge. The mirror lens provides a VLT (Visible Light Transmission) of 16%, and the polarised lenses a VLT of 11%, so both should be spot on for bright sunny conditions.
The frame is made of TR90, a lightweight nylon-based thermoplastic known for its flexibility and durability, which is a good thing as the Vega Evos do feel pretty flimsy.

Mine weighed in at 34g, light, but not as light as others I’ve tested in both budget and higher price categories. They’re a full-frame design, with large cutaways at the top and bottom of the frame’s front edge, which creates an interesting aesthetic when worn with the mirror lens and is designed to quickly and easily swap lenses. We’ll see… slip in the clear or polarised lenses, and they look like a regular full-frame model.

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At their widest point, I measured 160mm across the frame and 60mm in height, providing a large field of vision. They are a wrap-around design like most out there, but I do like the thin-frame design and the arms, which taper in, ending with flexible rubber inserts to help grip the head. It’s always good to have an adjustable nose piece, especially to tailor the fit for my wonky nose; and one is featured here.

Finally, there is a massive choice of frame colours. I think I counted 11, so enough out there if you like it all matchy-matchy!

Victory Chimp A.P.E Optics Vega Evo sunglasses – Performance

First of all, they passed – with flying colours – my ‘helmet compatibility test’, a good thing, as I test a lot of helmets and regularly swap between many, including gravel and MTB.
The Vega Evos do feel pretty flimsy. The thin frame does twist and bend easily, something that induced high levels of the dreaded LCA (Lens Changing Anxiety), but I needn’t have worried as it’s a super quick and easy process.

Overall, they are a little loose-fitting compared to a lot of my other glasses. The arms are a tad long for me, and tickled the cradle on some helmet models, but I always managed to achieve a good fit, and when sweaty they stayed firmly in place. On my face, they sit just off of my brow and provided tons of airflow around my cheekbones, so fogging hasn’t been a problem.

The clear lens had been the default lens of choice riding mountain bikes up until the last few weeks – when the sun has truly done its thing. It’s shrugged off rain and spray and remained in great condition so far. I’m going to admit that I don’t like the mirror lens; it has a cold green tint to it that isn’t very pleasant, and it seems to flatten everything out, making depth perception tricky out on the trails. It does do a decent job of handling bright open conditions in full sunlight, though, cutting down glare. Dappled light and light tree cover are no problem, but deep in the woods, it’s too much for this lens, and I found myself either having to swap lenses or remove the glasses.

I found myself favouring the Polarised lens for bright conditions as it washes everything in a warm tone and cuts down glare from leaves etc. It can handle transitioning in and out of the woods; dappled light is fine, and full tree cover is just about OK in bright conditions. If you like to look at your phone or bike computer a lot, the polarised coating causes havoc with screen visibility, but I’ve loved this lens when munching out miles on my gravel bike on long open trails, as well as MTB antics.

Victory Chimp A.P.E Optics Vega Evo sunglasses -Verdict

I love a bargain, and testing decent budget kit can be a real eye-opener. There are some really good budget-friendly options out there, but none can compete with the Victory Chimp’s on price; they may well be beaten on fit and performance though.

The Van Rysel Cycling NXT Photochromic Sunglasses RoadR 900 Perf cost £89.99, and whilst that may not shout budget, they are some of my favourites. Killer looks, massive coverage and weighing in at only 22g, they come with a photochromic lens that’s cracking for all year-round riding. You don’t get the hard case or lens selection, and they are short on frame colour options, but they are all about performance, which is excellent for the asking price.

Madison also makes some quality budget-focused kit, none more so than the Crypto Air 3 lens pack glasses. At £60, they represent great value, look great in their half-frame guise, but lost out on top marks for the tricky lens swapping and a slippery nosepiece.

Although the Victory Chimp A.P.E. Optics Vega Evo Sunglasses aren’t perfect, they are bloody impressive when you factor in the cost. They look great, will definitely suit bigger head shapes than mine, as they are a roomy fit, and the included lenses are decent too. Serious riders may find the lens performance a little lacking, but with a large variety of extra lenses available that won’t break the bank, you could tailor yourself an excellent set of glasses.