Ryders Eyewear Fray and Defcon Sunglasses Review
Sunglasses are one of those items that is almost a necessity for anyone that spends time outdoors. When Ryders Eyewear asked me to review their sunglasses, I jumped at the chance. Why? The picture of their corporate offices looks like a bad-ass place to run. 
http://www.ryderseyewear.com/shortcut/corporate-info/page.ashx
In the past, I used to buy all my sunglasses at gas stations. They would fall apart after a few months or the fit would be atrocious. A few years ago, I broke down and bought a $120 pair of Oakleys. They were pretty good; I still have them. The style is a bit outdated, so I was looking for an upgrade anyway.
I tested the Defcons with photochromatic brown lenses, Shelly tested the Frays with smoke lenses. Both of us agreed the fit was excellent. The quality is top-notch. When compared to my Oakleys, these actually feel like a higher quality product. I DO feel a bit foolish spending so much for the Oakleys, but live and learn.
Casual wear
For casual wear, they work great. The fit keeps them on your face, and the lenses brighten and sharpen everything. I’ve used them throughout the winter. They do a great job of cutting the glare from snow.
Active wear
I occasionally like to wear sunglasses when running. It’s important to have the sunglasses stay on your face. Of course, good form should eliminate most bounciness, so I had to do about a mile of heel striking to fully test the capabilities. The glasses stayed on my face even though my form was nothing short of horrible.
As another test, I tried sticking my head out the window of the car (don’t do this at home, kids.) Much to my surprise, the glasses stayed on my face AND blocked a good deal of the wind.
These sunglasses sold me on the Ryders brand. I think we found the sunglasses we’ll be taking on our RV trip.
Ryders can be purchased from Amazon using the widget below, using their dealer locator here, or these other online retailers.
4 Comments
David Sutherland
March 14, 2011The location of their headquarters is pretty cool. North Vancouver hosted the freestyle skiing at the last Olympics, and is home to the “Knee Knacker” trail race, which is pretty hard core. If you can point your RV that direction this summer, I’d highly recommend it.
Kate (KittyK)
March 14, 2011You could come and cheer jeremy (Lat) on..:) He got in on the lottery
Kate (KittyK)
March 13, 2011I love Ryders glasses, (although I am a little biased as Ryders is a local firm for me)
I have a small sized face and have trouble finding glasses that fit me (I sometimes have to go to a childs size), but I have found Ryders glasses that fit. I also like the ones with the interchangeable lenses which can be used in different lighting.
Also, Vancouver is a great place for picking up cheap Ryders glasses… The last two pairs I brought form my local bike store for $20 a pair. Something to consider if you ever decide to come up this way on your “North American” tour
Mike M.
March 13, 2011I recently picked up a pair of Ryders Hex Polarized and Photocromatic sunglasses from Amazon.com and I love them. Not seeing a dramatic photocromatic affect but I know they are working most of the time. Pretty cool brand!