The Koo Supernova sunglasses are good looking and function well as cycling specific eyewear. They are incredibly light with a wide field of vision, but lack the customisability of many rivals – and they’re relatively expensive, too.
Koo is the eyewear brand of well-known helmet makers Kask, so it’s no surprise to find these are light and, thanks to the rimless lens, give you a great view of the road ahead.
I tested the white frames with a Red Mirror Zeiss lens. This is my favoured combo for sunglasses (they match nicely with a white helmet), but Supernovas available in six colour schemes, with various lens options to match the anticipated light level for your riding.
The Red Mirror lens here has a ‘VLT’ (Variable Light Transmission) rating of 23% and works well in medium to bright sunlight – in truth, they’re most appropriate for summer cycling. For winter riding, I would probably select a lens which allows more light through, especially in ‘flat’ light.
Clarity is good, if not as good as the Oakley Prizm Road lens, for instance – that has a similar red tint and offers better colour definition (the tinted Prizm lens showed up recently in the Oakley Sutro Lites).
I never had the Supernovas fog up at all when climbing, even though the relatively large lens blocks a bit of airflow at the forehead. For my preferences, they were fine.
I found the Koo Supernovas comfortable. The lens is pretty flexible so adapts well to different face shapes and sizes, and the rubber nose-piece creates a good separation from your face. However, when paired with my Medium Specialized Prevail helmet, the arms would slightly clash with the retention system.
This certainly shouldn’t happen with a Kask helmet, though unfortunately I don’t have one to try so I can’t comment.
Otherwise, at only 22g these things are barely noticeable once on. Personally though, I think I’d take a few extra grams in exchange for a little more customisation – removable parts, basically.
> 31 of the best cycling sunglasses – protect your eyes from sun, crud and flying bugs
The fixed lens here means the entire pair of sunglasses would need replacing if you scratched them badly, and of course you can’t swap to different tints – you need a whole extra pair. Some glasses also let you change the length of the arms, which can be particularly useful when pairing with different helmets.
Value
At £169.00, these come in towards the top of the market, and comparable frameless glasses are available for less. The SunGod Arias ZF are £130 and got 8/10, for instance, while the Oakley Sutro Lites are currently £149.
Overall
The Koo Supernovas are clearly a good pair of cycling sunglasses, combining an unobstructed view of the road with a super lightweight design. For me though, a few more customisation options and a lower price tag would make them more compelling against such strong competition.
Verdict
Good looking, effective and extremely light, but they lack customisation – and the price is high
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Koo Supernova sunglasses
Size tested: One
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?
Koo says these “…are a high performance, frameless sunglasses for cycling and other activities where lightweight, perfect fit and panoramic visability are musts.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ultra-lightweight at only 21 grams
Frameless single lens
Nylon toric lens by Zeiss
Shatter-proof, anti-reflective and 100% UV Protection
High temple flexibility and breaking resistance
Superior field of vision
Interchangeable nose pad
Uniform Multilayer Mirror coating
Hydrophobic technology anti drop
Asian nose bridge included in the packaging
The lenses are good, but you can get better.
No ability to replace lenses if they become scratched, although I’ve not observed any marks on the lens since I began testing.
22g is exceptionally light – as light as any comparable product I could find.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The frameless design allows a wide field of vision, and the lenses I used filtered sunlight effectively whilst giving a good contrast.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
I liked the white frame/red lens look. I also liked how flexible and light they feel to wear.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
I found the arms a little too long, with no option to change or shorten them. The price is very high, too.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
At £169.00, these come in towards the top of the market, and comparable frameless glasses are available for less. The SunGod Arias ZF are £130 and got 8/10, for instance, while the Oakley Sutro Lites are now £149 and scored seven.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? No
Would you recommend the product to a friend? No
Use this box to explain your overall score
These offer a clear, unobstructed view of the road and resist fogging despite the fairly large coverage. They’re also as light as just about anything. However the fixed lenses, unadjustable arms and good-but-not-sensational optics hold them back, especially when the price is higher than some very strong competition.
About the tester
Age: 31 Height: 182cm Weight: 69kg
I usually ride: S-Works Tarmac My best bike is:
I’ve been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo cross, club rides, Gravel on a CX bike
6 thoughts on “Koo Supernova sunglasses”
What is its about no-name
What is its about no-name/niche sunglasses brands that nobody has ever heard of charging silly amounts for money for a bit of optical grade plastic?
With this stuff I always get the feeling I am being rooked to pay for some sponsored rider to get them for free.
You beat me to that. The way
You beat me to that. The way I figure it is that you can always dump unwanted Oakleys on eBay….but to be fair there are some Koo glasses on eBay too.
But Koo seem to be owned by the same company that owns KASK – they’re Italian and make ski-gear too, concentrating on a collaboration with Zeiss lenses…which in fairness are not cheap.
My collection of sunglasses
My collection of sunglasses are sourced from ALDI and I wonder whether about the benefits of paying 10 times + for glasses.
I’m not averse to paying for quality kit but with my habit of sitting on or losing glasses I regard them as cheap consumables. I’d be interested in being persuaded otherwise.
My Oakleys were run over by a
My Oakleys were run over by a London bus and were fine…. though I concede that I might have been lucky to get away with a grit scaped lens. I still have them. Lens too.
Sheesh – sunnies are the last
Sheesh – sunnies are the last thing I’d be worried about – how was your head?!
Nice one. Thankfully still
Nice one. Thankfully still on my shoulders complete with eyes staring in disbelief as the bus driver seemed to swerve to run them over!
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