Ryders antiFOG Eyewear Tested (Updated)

Update

In hindsight, when I wrote this review I under-emphasized the key benefit of the Ryders antiFOG clear lenses. The lenses are optically correct and fog resistant to the point that I am happy wearing them everywhere and in almost all conditions. I’ve always felt that eye protection is a great idea for cycling – these glasses go a long way in letting me practice what I preach.

Why the update?

Night riding in hard packed snow I had a small uncontrolled dismount when I lost traction climbing a short steep switchback corner. Ever the optimist, I was still looking up the trail with my light nicely illuminating my preferred line even as I pitched into the welcoming darkness.

If you have never given yourself a holly-bush-facial-scrub in the dark it is next level exfoliating. And as I wrestled my way free from an intense make-out session with everybody’s favourite Christmas bush all I could think of was how happy I was to have some eye protection in the dark.

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Ryders antiFOG Eyewear

I’ve tried a huge variety of glasses with clear lenses, which is my preference for the average North Shore day. Cheap safety glass are cheap but the optics suck. Often even the most expensive glasses steam up as soon as I start getting my sweat on. Enter the Crankum antiFOG with a clear lens option.

antiFOG Lenses in Principle

Ryders’ tells us their antiFOG lenses are optically correct, impact-resistant, scratch resistant, and that they provide 100% UV protection. All features that I’d expect from Ryders’ premium level glasses. Where they differ is the addition of a hydrophilic backing layer and a hydrophobic coating on the front.

Unlike spray-on products, the hydrophilic layer on the back of the Ryders’ lenses is intended to prevent fogging without ever requiring a reapplication. By dispersing water vapour across the entire surface layer fog is prevented from forming.

The hydrophobic coating on the front is intended to prevent water pooling on the lens front and distorting visibility. Until Ryders’ comes up with some miniature windshield wipers or nano-second-fast eyelids for their glasses this is as good as it gets in terms of shedding water.

antiFOG Lenses in Practice

Ryders’ antiFOG lenses are impressive in use. Even at max heart rate, standing on the pedals in too hard a gear slogging up a steep singletrack climb at a snail’s pace on a warm and wet evening the glasses stayed fog free.

That’s not to say that they never fogged up. Standing around bull sh*ting in the rain turns everything into a steamy mess so it’s definitely best practice to remove them before discussing beer preferences. I never needed to wipe them down for moisture though and they clear up right away when I start moving.

In light rain or clear weather on wet trails, the hydrophobic face of the lenses is noticeable. Water beads nicely and travels quickly off the lenses to maintain good visibility. This is plainly aided by the minimalist frame of the glasses.

Once the weather transitions from tempered to torrential the glasses do get overwhelmed. That’s not a specific criticism. In this regard Ryders’ glasses are as good as anything I’ve tried.

Lens Durability

I treated the Ryders antiFOG glasses like I found them. When they became too mud coated on any given ride I simply dropped them into my pack until I could clean them at home. I took a couple of good diggers where the Crankums hit the dirt and they came away virtually unscathed.

The lenses are scratched; not beyond usable but they are notably worn. If I cared for them the way I look after my ten-year-old photochromic glasses they’d be much less worse for wear. The point being, I’m very satisfied with the lens durability given what I’ve put them through.

Crankum Niggle

It may be the size and shape of my snout or part of a design optimized to prevent fogging. In either event, I have one niggle with the Crankum glasses. Riding in very mucky conditions I find that mud passes up in between the glasses and my face. It coats the insides of the lenses and renders the glasses unusable. This is a rare occurrence but it has happened to me on multiple occasions.  This is not a problem I’ve really had with other glasses – including a few pairs of Ryders glasses I’ve owned.

For maximum air flow the Crankum is a great choice. For winter riding I’d be tempted to go with one of their full frame models such as the Face or Carlita on the presumption that there would be less bypass of debris. Yes, I could also wear goggles with my half-shell on the worst days.

With Eyes Open

Since I started testing the Ryders antiFOG glasses I’ve experienced a notable reduction in picking crap out of my eyes. I’m happy to wear them all the time because they really do not fog up while riding. The Crankum frames themselves are very comfortable and semi-customizable to my unique facial features. I have spent a lot more than their $100 (CAD) price tag on notably inferior eyewear.

In addition to my preferred clear lenses, Ryders offers their antiFOG system in a huge range of options including photochromic. They also offer eleven different styles in multiple colours.

For more on the Crankum click here. Ryders offers their anti-fog lenses in ten other styles which you can check here.

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Pick lines on the trail not crap out of your eyes.