Stories posted under Pinkbike Community blogs are not edited, vetted, or approved by the Pinkbike editorial team. These are stories from Pinkbike users.
If a blog post is offensive or violates the Terms of Services, please report the blog to Community moderators.
"The raddest and baddest!" Melon Alleycat Review
Overview: “The raddest and baddest pair of performance riding glasses on planet earth!”
Some pretty subtle marketing from Melon but can these specs hold their own with the raddest and baddest.
Melon Optics Alleycat
Price Paid: £115
I'll start by confessing that I think these glasses look top tier and being fully customisable is great at this price point! The Alleycat is packed with all the features you could want such as 100% UV protection,impact resistant and anti fog Zeiss lenses.
![Melon Optics]()
I opted for the paint splat design with red chrome lens, in addition to the selected lens is a low light lens, microfibre glasses bag and a nifty little case with moulded foam to store it all in. Not bad for 115 big ones.
![Melon Optics]()
Fit: The Alleycat is comfy fit to say the least and I am a bit picky when it comes to glasses, always finding designs with larger rim designs suits my Picaso style facial features better. In addition to the comfy fit the legs of the Alleycat have a confidence inspiring wrap around the head which gives fantastic grip and prevents those scooby doo “I dropped my glasses!” moments.
Ride: Out on the trails there are two major concerns for me when it comes to riding with eye protection; can I see enough and will they stay on my face! Sounds simple! In reality there is nothing worse than something in your peripheral vision distracting you from the trail or hitting the roughest of rock gardens while trying to tense your face to hold your bins on.
Luckily there are not many issues to report with the Alleycat, I had opted for the dark frames to reduce the chances of it catching your view but I am happy to confirm that the field of vision was extremely generous and I experienced no issues in scoping out those edge of the trail lines. The large choice of lenses should mean there is something to suit all riding conditions but for the tree covered slopes of Scotland my lens of choice was the low light option which I found to give a very pleasant natural viewer experience whilst improving the visibility in the dark dinge trees. For those who like to be prepared at all times the lens can easily be swapped trailside meaning you never need be caught with the wrong tint again!
The glasses are extremely stable and I never had any issues with them bouncing around on my nose or ears. On the very roughest of trails I did notice they could slip down my nose ever so slightly but never to the point where it was an issue or they fell off and this was only ever at full chat on very roughest tracks. It is also worth noting that if I pushed the glasses right up my nose they did come into contact with the brow of my Giro Montaro helmet this was never an issue for me out on the trail as where they natural sat on my face was always slightly below this point but still worth mentioning for some face and helmet combo it maybe more of an issue.
![Melon optics alleycat]()
Long term: I'm not one to take my glasses off on the climb and recently have been riding on some fairly humid days. Due to this did encounter some foggying on the lens on the slowest sweatiest climbs but this always cleared instantly with any kind of velocity and never posed an issue when riding but maybe an issue as lenses wear.
So far after several mucky rides and a lot of being thrown into kit bags for wild van journeys the colour scheme on the Alleycat is holding up well. I had thought my splattered design might quickly turn to plain black but this has not been the case. Infact i dont think there is a single scratch to report!
Conclusion: These have quickly become one of my must pack items of riding kit. Perfect for those who like to let the roost and muck fly on the descents but don't like the faff of goggles for everyday riding. In fact I would choose these over goggles at enduro races when wearing a half face helmet as they provide such hassle free use, perfect for sectioning to find those vital few sections on practice days. My final thought is you could enjoy the post ride sunset beer without looking like you’ve just been dragged off the squash court or about to enter into a race with someone from mad max!
Pros:
Fully customisable colour
Comfortable and large field of view
Great value
Cons:
Might not fit with every face/helmet
Can slide on the roughest of terrain
Rating: 4/5
https://melonoptics.com/
Some pretty subtle marketing from Melon but can these specs hold their own with the raddest and baddest.
Melon Optics Alleycat
Price Paid: £115
I'll start by confessing that I think these glasses look top tier and being fully customisable is great at this price point! The Alleycat is packed with all the features you could want such as 100% UV protection,impact resistant and anti fog Zeiss lenses.
Case, microfirbe cloth and second lens included
I opted for the paint splat design with red chrome lens, in addition to the selected lens is a low light lens, microfibre glasses bag and a nifty little case with moulded foam to store it all in. Not bad for 115 big ones.
Robust case does a good job of preventing damage
Fit: The Alleycat is comfy fit to say the least and I am a bit picky when it comes to glasses, always finding designs with larger rim designs suits my Picaso style facial features better. In addition to the comfy fit the legs of the Alleycat have a confidence inspiring wrap around the head which gives fantastic grip and prevents those scooby doo “I dropped my glasses!” moments.
Ride: Out on the trails there are two major concerns for me when it comes to riding with eye protection; can I see enough and will they stay on my face! Sounds simple! In reality there is nothing worse than something in your peripheral vision distracting you from the trail or hitting the roughest of rock gardens while trying to tense your face to hold your bins on.
Luckily there are not many issues to report with the Alleycat, I had opted for the dark frames to reduce the chances of it catching your view but I am happy to confirm that the field of vision was extremely generous and I experienced no issues in scoping out those edge of the trail lines. The large choice of lenses should mean there is something to suit all riding conditions but for the tree covered slopes of Scotland my lens of choice was the low light option which I found to give a very pleasant natural viewer experience whilst improving the visibility in the dark dinge trees. For those who like to be prepared at all times the lens can easily be swapped trailside meaning you never need be caught with the wrong tint again!
The glasses are extremely stable and I never had any issues with them bouncing around on my nose or ears. On the very roughest of trails I did notice they could slip down my nose ever so slightly but never to the point where it was an issue or they fell off and this was only ever at full chat on very roughest tracks. It is also worth noting that if I pushed the glasses right up my nose they did come into contact with the brow of my Giro Montaro helmet this was never an issue for me out on the trail as where they natural sat on my face was always slightly below this point but still worth mentioning for some face and helmet combo it maybe more of an issue.
Loving the paint splatter effect
Long term: I'm not one to take my glasses off on the climb and recently have been riding on some fairly humid days. Due to this did encounter some foggying on the lens on the slowest sweatiest climbs but this always cleared instantly with any kind of velocity and never posed an issue when riding but maybe an issue as lenses wear.
So far after several mucky rides and a lot of being thrown into kit bags for wild van journeys the colour scheme on the Alleycat is holding up well. I had thought my splattered design might quickly turn to plain black but this has not been the case. Infact i dont think there is a single scratch to report!
Conclusion: These have quickly become one of my must pack items of riding kit. Perfect for those who like to let the roost and muck fly on the descents but don't like the faff of goggles for everyday riding. In fact I would choose these over goggles at enduro races when wearing a half face helmet as they provide such hassle free use, perfect for sectioning to find those vital few sections on practice days. My final thought is you could enjoy the post ride sunset beer without looking like you’ve just been dragged off the squash court or about to enter into a race with someone from mad max!
Pros:
Fully customisable colour
Comfortable and large field of view
Great value
Cons:
Might not fit with every face/helmet
Can slide on the roughest of terrain
Rating: 4/5
https://melonoptics.com/
Author Info:
Member since Jan 20, 2010
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
0 Comments
Login or Sign Up