Pinkbike was invited to Apt in Southern France to see the new Evil Eye Pro from Adidas - the replacement for the popular Evil Eye Half-Rim glasses, which features full frames and curved, close-fitting oversize lenses intended to emulate the protection and field of vision that goggles provide. The Evil Eye Pro also incorporates a number of useful performance features, like a sweat catching bar, interchangeable lenses, and a hydrophobic lens coating that instantly sheds water. Adidas have been involved in the mountain bike scene, producing eyewear for the more extreme end of the market since 2000. They also sponsor and co-develop European bike parks, jump lines and dirt parks and they also introduced the first official 'Northshore' style trail in Europe.
Adidas makes the Evil Eye Evo Pro in two frame sizes. Adidas Evil Eye Evo Pro• Intended use: Enduro/Trail riding
• Four-position nose bridge
• Polycarbonate lenses
• Quick-change lens system
• Adjustable arms
• Removable sweat bar
• "Climacool" ventilation system
• Sizes: Small and large
• Five frame colors
• Hydrophobic lens coating
• MSRP: €169/$210
• Contact:
Adidas Construction and FeaturesDesigned and manufactured in Linz, Austria, Adidas' Evil Eye Evo sport-glass range will land February 2015, and they are packed with tech. Reportedly, it took two years to develop from the first sketch on the drawing board to the finished article. The main feature is the massive frames which houses their "10 Base" poly carbonate lenses. In layman's terms, this means they are really big and that the lens has a huge curve designed to provide a wide, non-distorted field of vision. Adidas say this is the largest wraparound, full-rim glass on the market and I'd be hard pressed to argue.
The sweat-stop band above the Evil Eye Evo Pro frame is removable, and the ear pieces are angular-adjustable so users can match the curvature of the lenses to their facial profiles.
The 'Climacool' ventilation system, works with the curvature of the lens, to create a vacuum effect which draws cool air in from below and expels warm moist air out of the top. The fit can be adjusted to suit, choices of small and large frames, with the four-position nose bridge and the "Tri Fit" adjustable arms. The nose bridge helps to grip the profile of your snout, and will raise or lower the Evo, and the Tri Fit arms ratchet up or down to change the angle of the glasses against your face. Hydrophobic lenses repel water, dust and dirt and the "Light Stabilizing Technology" lenses will be sold in multiple colors, so everybody can match their kits or styles. The quick change lens system locks in to place when the arms are opened, so there is no chance of losing a lenses. There are two models: the Evo and the Evo Pro, which have 10 or 12 different lens tints accordingly, and while only one shade of lens supplied, additional lenses can be purchased, costing between €40-€60 ($50-$75). Optical inserts and full prescription lenses are available.
Addias athlete Steffi Marth models the new Evil Eye Evo Pro to demonstrate what "full wrap-around eyewear actually means.
Adidas athletes Rene Wildehaber, Pierre Edouard Ferry, Justin Leov and Steffi Marth were on hand to guide us on the trails and answer our questions about the Evil Eye Evo Pro. I got a few words from Steffi mid ride:
"With the old model, the Half Rim, there was nothing really to complain about, it was a really good product and I rode with it for a long time now, and there were no issues. Actually when I had this on for the first time this year, the prototype version, I was like, woah, that's really big! And the first time I put them on, I was thinking wow, you do notice how big they are, as they were laying on my cheeks. Now, riding with it the last two days, I am not noticing that I still have them on. I like the Hydrophobic lenses. Today, some water sprayed on to the lenses, then it was gone!"
Riding with glasses that fit so close to the face and have such a wide field of view did not convince us to abandon goggles, but we will probably wear the Evil Eye Evos for riding everything but DH.
Pinkbike’s Take | The Evil Eye Evo Pro is huge, which is a very good thing. After adjusting the fit to suit me, keeping the frames high enough to not impair my vision when locked in to my 100-yard stare down the trail, the field of view was impressive - without doubt, the closest you will find to a goggle. Personally, the fit was close to my face in all directions, due to the massive lens curve, which should keep out all unwanted bugs and dirt. The lenses are simple to swap, and the sweat band did its job. One downside was that they did steam up quickly when I came to a halt on the cold day in Provence, but the Evo lenses did clear almost instantly when I started moving again, presumably, as the Climacool vacuum kicked in. A quick spray of a good goggle anti-fog would fix that. I'm still a goggle man at heart, and can't see myself using these for any racing application, but from now on, they will be with me for all my trail rides. - Paul Aston |
MORE to the point, Adidas invited and payed for journalists/press to go to French Alps for some sunglasses?! They sure got money to burn!!!
These: www.pinkbike.com/photo/11669450
Not as cool, obviously, but they do the trick. I'd rather spend the remaining $190 on actually biking. But that's just me!
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Never found the rest of the rider though, poor guy, must have been night riding and got eaten by a Grue.
Will be buying myself some new sets soon; they're 1-2 bucks each online in all sorts of tints! Even found some with soft-touch, rubberized sides!
www.pinkbike.com/photo/11671828
But now that I think about it, why not ride in jeans? F*ck the fashion show. It's about how you ride, not how you dress.
So I can assume that UV protection is not needed...
I'll leave it up to my visor to catch the other 1% : P
ryderseyewear.com/node/7392
www.pinkbike.com/photo/11669447
i use this when i ride enduro. best goggles ever had
They would need to be a clear(er) lens to work however.
don't wanna ask, but why those need bad word in the name, like sinister word will make them sell more,
don't wanna even start with, how many things you will need to ride,less is more !!!!!
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