Coast Optics Nita XL Photochromatic

The Coast Optics Nita XL glasses offer tonnes of coverage, excellent comfort and appreciable fog resistance in an environmentally-friendly package. These are without a doubt some of the best riding shades currently on the market, especially at this price.

Coast Optics Nita XL – Technical details

Brainchild of a pair of Brits based in Whistler, Coast Optics has come as a result of the duo’s experience working with eyewear from loads of brands in a shop. During that time, a few things were noticed: lens changes were a real pain, and sustainability is somewhat overlooked in the eyewear space.

The Nita XL uses a castor oil-based TR90 plastic that contains 50% bio-based content. This material has been chosen for its durability, flexibility, and low weight, and its production method makes for a smaller carbon footprint. Better still is that the brand encourages its customers to return used glasses to be recycled into fresh ones.

Although Coast is all about sustainability, the brand is transparent about its choice to use less environmentally-friendly polycarbonate lenses – it’s because of safety. When protecting my eyes, I can forgive a bit of an environmental impact when the tech isn’t quite there yet.

In its XL form, the Nita is built for riders with larger heads or those who want as much coverage as they can achieve. As such, the lens is 70mm high, and the frame is 140mm wide.

The lens is built to be easy to change and provides 100% UV protection. There’s an ‘ultra-grip’ rubber nosepiece and an ‘optimised’ arm length for compatibility with a range of helmets.

The Nita XL is available in black or the driftwood colour tested, and with a choice of five lenses. With a clear lens it’ll set you back £79.99; with a tinted lens as well as a clear it’s £109.99; and with a photochromatic lens it’s £129.99.

Compatible RX inserts are available, as well as Glacier Side Shields, if you prefer life on snow.

Coast Optics Nita XL – Performance

Ever since seeing Yoann Barelli repping Coast’s eyewear, I’ve been pretty excited to see the brand land on UK shores. It’s taken a good while, to be fair.

I somewhat naively chose the Nita XL because I’m always looking for all of the coverage. Although the fit is pretty darn good and comfortable, on my 3/4-coverage Troy Lee Designs Stage Stunt helmet the glasses can knock on the brow of the lid. However, with all of the other helmets I tested, including Fox’s Speedframe Pro, Lazer’s Coyote KinetiCore and the convertible ABUS Targon MIPS, they ran seamlessly under the radar, like all good shades should.

In hindsight, as someone who wears medium helmets, I may have been a bit optimistic choosing the XL version, but when paired with the right helmet, performance is just fine.

The Nita XL provides masses of coverage. Admittedly, if I really try, I can see the sides of the frame when wearing them, but under normal riding scenarios and general looking about, there’s really not much of the frame getting in the way. The lens stretches close to the cheek, too, so all of the field of vision is pretty well covered.

As mentioned before, comfort is top-notch. The glasses are light enough to not really be noticed when worn, and the nosepiece rubber does an excellent job, even when super sweaty.

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I’m a fan of the pink lens, as it helps boost the contrast between trail and trailside foliage. I enjoyed both the pink and photochromatic lenses, but had a bit of an issue with the latter – the first test lens was rather hazy.

Having spoken to Coast, it turns out that it tested the waters on a small run of more environmentally friendly anti-fog coatings, and they didn’t work out. I was one of the unlucky few to receive one of these lenses. It was rapidly replaced under warranty, and the quality of the replacement is up there with the very best. This only affected photochromatic options, and as it’s no longer available it’s unlikely you’ll receive a similar lens.

The photochromatic lens shifts between 83% and 15% VLT (Visible Light Transmission), which is a very useable range, and it does so promptly enough.

The glasses fend off fog decently, too. During super slow, sweaty and breezeless climbs, a smidgeon of moisture has crept behind the lens but with a touch more speed and airflow, I’ve not found fogging anything to worry about.

Swapping the lenses is delightfully simple; just pull the upper and lower of the frame, and the lens pops out. It’s just as easy to slip a fresh one in. There’s no crazy wrestling to shove the lens into weird nooks; it’s just an impressively straightforward process.

Coast Optics Nita XL – Verdict

At £129.99, the price is also impressive. The Leatt RideViz Pro Photochromic shades, for instance, are £154, and while those are some of my favourite shades I can honestly say that choosing the Nita XLs instead brings little in the way of downsides. Non-photochromatic versions of the RideViz Pro cost £129-£139, for comparison.

There are of course more affordable options around, such as Madison’s Crypto Glasses at £79.99 with a photochromatic lens. While similar in construction and coverage, they lack the environmentally conscious qualities of the Nita XL. Non-photochromatic versions are £39.99, though I wasn’t a fan of the tinted lens on the regular Crypto.

The Nita XL glasses are excellent. Thanks to their wide coverage, crystal-clear lenses, excellent comfort and good fog resistance, they’re amongst the best in their class. Throw in those eco-credentials and consider that price, and they’re a hit.