SunGod Forty2s

The Forty2s are a pair of sunglasses that SunGod says are designed primarily for runners, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be cycling friendly, and the brand says they’ll be good for hiking, golf, watersports and skiing too. Their narrow frame and small lens flies in the face of the fashion for cycling shades that look like a barn conversion window, so if you’re not a fan of that double-glazed style or have a smaller or thinner face that widescreen glasses look comical on, then these could be a viable and more aesthetically pleasing option.

The SunGod Forty2s come in a variety of frame and lens colour combinations, and there’s a build your own option too if none of the stock options matches your helmet/glove/sock combo.

It’s the off-the-shelf Matte White frame with Iris HV Blue photochromic lens here. The glasses come to you with a microfibre pouch for storage and cleaning and it’s made from recycled water bottles, which is nice. You don’t get a hard case, but one’s available to buy as an extra. Also in the box are three sizes of nose piece. I found I had to slot in the deepest one to hold the glasses away from my face, but then I do have quite the conk and a sharp pronounced bridge.

The frames are made from SunGod’s Infinite material which is made of 100% recycled plastic and the arms are connected to the bridge with Pop-Lock Screwless snap hinges, engineered, it says here, for exceptional durability and a secure fit. While there haven’t been issues with either of those, they do creak in folding and unfolding, which may or may not be an annoyance to you.

The Forty2s are a noticeably narrow pair of glasses – something remarked upon by everyone who gave them a try – although SunGod suggests they’re designed for a medium head size, and either male or female skulls. Measured internally, the width across the hinges is 130mm, and between the tips of the arms it’s a mere 80mm. They’re so slim that they’ll sit inside an Oakley Radar EV frame, if you need a reference.

Initially, the tips of the arms made their presence felt but they relaxed their grip to become unnoticeable over a few rides. Even with my slab-sided face, which the narrowness of the Forty2s glasses suited, they did sit close to my face. This meant they could fog up in certain conditions when stationary, but they cleared quickly once I’d got a breeze flowing through them once again – the vents in the top corners of the lens doing their job.

The 8KO Iris HV Blue lens is one of two photochromic lens options available for the Forty2s and spare lenses are available if you fancied a change. The lens is made from 2mm nylon which is precision engineered and claimed to deliver up to 70 per cent more clarity and unmatched shatterproof protection.

The SunGod lens guide suggests this 100 per cent UV protection lens is best for dull days. It’s listed with top marks for rainy, cloudy and overcast conditions, performing less well under broken cloud skies and slipping to a mere 5/10 for performance in full sunshine. True to its word, the Iris HV Blue lens is excellent in dull light conditions. The yellow tint to it noticeably pops contrast and ramps up the vibrancy, especially on greens, so if your riding is in the trees – be that on or off road – you’ll really appreciate the clarity that this lens gives. The tint of the lens really cheers up a grey day too, which also helps.

While the lens is photochromic, it doesn’t fade to clear. Its low light default is a yellow lens, which might be a compromise if your rides venture into the night and you prefer a full clear lens. Like all good photochromic lenses, it was impossible to tell that it was working from the inside and only taking them off and seeing it from the outside could you tell when it had transformed to its darkest shade.

The lens can however struggle riding into a low sun hiding behind hazy cloud, where it seems to be confused by the bright dot of sun in a greyer sky and decides to opt for going dark – but that is a very specific weather condition. It also feels a little overwhelmed dealing with big blue sky sunshine, but it is operating well beyond its design remit there, and it doesn’t mean they’re painful to wear as the iridium lens reflects a lot of glare.

The lens is a pleasingly shallow 50mm deep if you have a petite face and thanks to the frame free bottom half and curved design wrapping around the cheek, there were no issues with the glasses interfering with peripheral vision.

The combination of tightly turned-in arms with textured internal TPU pads, moisture gripping nose piece pads and a light weight ensures that the Forty2s stay put once on, even over rough ground if you’re gravelleering or clattering through potholes. SunGod calls this its bounce-free fit and it works. The light weight of the glasses also means that they’re not prone to bumping about on your face.

Value

While the Forty2s glasses aren’t top tier specs you don’t have to spend this much to get some photochromic lenses in front of your eyeballs. At £59, the Galibier Liberté Optics glasses are a fraction of the price and yet have a photochromic lens option that fades to clear which you might feel extends their riding capabilities. They’re also lighter than these SunGods and the minimal frame-free design means they don’t look too big on your face.

The 100% Slendale SL shades are another set of glasses that suit a smaller face or those who just don’t like a widescreen lens. At £80.99, they’re not much more than half the price of the FORTY2s. You don’t get a light sensitive lens, but a pinky-purply one that still works well in a wide range of conditions.

For some extra cash, you can be the owner of some Koo Nebula glasses and their road.cc Recommends badge. Low weight and with an obstruction free frameless design, they come with a Zeiss toric photochromic lens with a Visible Light Transmission ranging widely from 14 per cent at the darkest end to 73 per cent at the lightest. Jack found them hard to fault; comfortable, secure and stylish – although he would have liked a hard case at their £200 price.

If you’re in the particular market for a set of shades for a smaller face then the Oakley Resistor (Youth Fit) might also be worth a gander at £97. They look similar to the SunGod Forty2s and are available in a variety of colour combos with a custom option and the usual Oakley O Matter frame, Prizm lens and Unobtanium nose and earsocks.

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Conclusion

I struggle with the size and look of many modern iMax glasses, so I really liked the Forty2s. Your aesthetic sympathies, face shape or desire to ape your favourite pro will more likely decide whether you’ll warm to them or not.

That aside, the Iris 8KO lens is excellent on grey days and in low light situations and its photochromic capabilities ensures it’s usable for brighter conditions which makes the glasses usable across many weather conditions and seasons without you having to constantly swap lenses. The small frame and lens might not be to everyone’s taste or face shape though.