Julbo Fury Eyewear

My riding eyewear has evolved over the past 30 years. It started with clear safety glasses, then onto a variety of riding glasses (mostly from Ryders and Smith) to wearing my low prescription distance glasses. The Julbo Furys have become my new go-to eyewear on the bike.

Five Features I Want in Riding Optics

1. Fit - lightweight with no binding at temple and nose and they fit under any of my open face helmets - check
2. No fog - check
3. High quality photochromic coating that lasts and changes from dark to clear quickly as I enter the forest from the brighter light - check
4. Good scratch resistance - check
5. Under $50 - no check but you get what you pay for

Fit

These are so light (38g claimed) that I barely notice them and they fit perfectly under my Smith and Leatt lids. The rubbery elastomer grip insert on the nose bridge keeps the glasses in place while I bounce down the mountain even when my sweaty face sweats. In addition to the bridge grip each arm has more of the soft elastomer material on the arm’s temple/above ear areas that helps with gripping the arms above the ears without sticking to hair.

Venting/Anti-fog

The Fury lenses come with an anti-fog coating and an external oil-repellent coating which Julbo claims prevents marking and helps with water runoff (it does these things thus far). The external coating is supposed to make cleaning easier however, I found that it causes the cleaning cloth to stick to the lens as I rub it; not a big deal, just slightly inconvenient.

The vent openings on the sides and tops of the lenses provide the best air circulation I have experienced with riding glasses. The openings are large enough to prevent fog but not enough to cause air to tear up my eyes. I'm not crying...

Castor Beans to Eyewear

The rims and arms are made from a bio-based material termed Rilsan. The polyamide 11 is derived from the Castor plant’s bean oil. Julbo claims Rilsan gives the glasses their light weight, flexibility and durable features, all while using sustainable materials from sustainably farmed feedstock.

Reactiv photochromic lens

Julbo claims their Reactiv (their term for photochromic) lenses are cat. 1 to 3 with a visible light transmission rate ranging from 17% - 75%. Like most photochromic lenses, they get darker or lighter to match changing light conditions and therefore adapt to any time of the day and to the terrain. The good news is that they change quickly when moving in and out of bright light. I do not like photochromics that stay dark for the first minute or so when coming out of the bright into the darker forest…especially when the trails get gnarly. Another beef I have with photochromics is the coating worsens over time. So far, after about 30 rides, the coating on my testers has stayed the same.

Sizing

Fury glasses only come in the one large size. Large glasses are usually a bit big for my mug but Julbo's Furys fit me perfectly. The lens is considered panoramic which helps my watery eyes, with greater surface area for wind cover as well as protection from eye intrusions and shading in brighter conditions.

Lens Height 15 mm

Nose Length 53 mm

Lens Length 131 mm

Temple Length 115 mm

Conclusion…so far so good

I have enjoyed the Julbo Furys over the past 30 or so rides in all the conditions I usually ride in. Their light weight, excellent anti-fog feature, non-slip frames and high quality Reslin photochromic capabilities have all contributed to the Furys being the best pair of biking glasses I have ever used.

The Fury, like many Julbo models, comes with a large variety of lens and frame colours. Replacement lenses are 60 CAD (they seem to be sold out in the U.S. store). In addition the lenses come off and snap on very easily.

Regular price is 180 CAD from Julbo.ca or 140 USD from Julbo.us