Designed to blend the stability of goggles with the weight and breathability of glasses, Fox’s Purevue goggles have been one of the biggest surprises of 2024. They’re a little kooky in appearance, but there’s real sense behind the madness as they do their job commendably, packing all of the benefits that goggles provide but with none of the downsides. Overall comfort could use some improvement and stuff can find its way behind the lens but Fox is really onto something with these goggles.
Fox Purevue goggles - Technical details
The Fox Purevue goggles break the mould because they’re designed specifically for use with open-face helmets. The brand says they’re the most breathable goggles around, so they can be worn at all times, up and downhill.
They look and feel like normal goggles but they’re best described as pared down. Airflow is the name of the game and, as such, the foam doesn’t line the whole perimeter of the frame, only found at the top with two extra pads at either cheek. Even then, the pads hold the lens away from the face, leaving a good gap between the foam and the lens. Everywhere else is left open to promote all of the airflow.
However, the Purevue uses a nosepiece which sets it apart from the regular goggles. It works a little differently from nose pieces found on riding glasses, instead employing a plastic spacer to bring it closer, or further away from the nose. In the box is a selection of two spacers of two different thicknesses.
Other than that, it’s all the usual goggle affair with a wide, silicone-lined strap.
Included in the sturdy fabric-lined and zipped case are two injected polycarbonate lenses. One’s mirrored with a light tint, and the other is clear. Although Fox’s website doesn’t state that these lenses benefit from anti-fog, anti-scratch or any other coatings, having asked our contact at the brand, it’s confirmed that the Purevue lenses benefit from all of the coatings found on its range of goggles. So there’s an anti-fog treatment as well as dirt and water-repellant coatings. However, a third lens benefits from Fox’s Vivid technology.
This lens claims to boost clarity by blocking out certain types of light that create flat conditions. In turn, it allows contrasty sections of the light spectrum. It also gets 53% VLT to help it work best in lower light conditions. This lens can be picked up for an extra £28 or bought as part of the Purevue goggle package for an extra tenner and replaces the tinted lens.
As for the weight, the goggles come in at 105g. Against glasses, of course, that is quite a bit of extra weight but that is to be expected.
Fox Purevue goggles - Performance
As someone who always rides in glasses Fox’s step to straddle the line between riding specs and goggles has piqued my interest, especially as they’ve been designed to work with open-face helmets. During my test, I ran the goggles with Fox’s Speedframe Pro helmet as well as Trek’s Blaze and Rally, and the Troy Lee Designs A3, amongst others. I’ve even worn them with the Fox Proframe RS full-face helmet. Although I’ve been told that the Purevue has been designed especially with the Speedframe in mind, the goggles meshed very well with all of the helmets I’ve worn them with. That’s throughout the summer and during some pretty horrendous downpours.
Fox has hit the nail on the head. The Purevue goggles are lighter and refined in a package that ditches the bulk of regular goggles and makes for a generally more pleasant eyewear experience for trail and enduro riding.
At first, they required a bit of adjustment to work with my chosen helmet and face shape. Out of the box, the strap was quite long, and without any compression of the foam pads, the nose piece didn’t come in contact with my nose, and a lot of the frame was visible. Tightening the strap sorted this out right away.
When adjusted properly, the result is very impressive. They don't interfere with vision or sit idly in the periphery of vision. However, despite being easy to ignore, the small Fox logo at the top of the lens, between the eyes is constantly in view.
Each lens is good and provides excellent optical quality. The tinted lens is especially sharp, and the mirrored finish confidently reduces haze or flare. It’s tinted just enough for comfort, too, so it can still be worn through bright wooded areas. That is where the Vivid lens steps in though as it boosts contrast while making greens pop and browns more saturated. This provides much better colour separation between the trail and everything around it.
Swapping lenses is easy. Like most other goggles, it’s a case of pulling away the frame and the lens pops out. When putting a new lens in, it clicks into place and it can be done in just a few seconds.
These googles possess a good level of airflow. Even through very humid days and during heavy downpours I’ve yet to experience any fog. Only when sat still with moisture evaporating from my jacket has the lens misted just a little but with a bit of forward momentum, it clears almost immediately. And this is why the Purevue can be worn all day. Ventilation is seriously impressive and I’ve found removing the goggle, and putting it back in place an unnecessary faff simply because there’s little reason to take it off.
Then the goggles trump regular glasses in terms of stability. Because there’s a strap keeping them in place, they don’t move around as you ride, and they’re pretty much faff free. Unless I’ve wanted to take them off for a climb, I’ve never had to readjust them. The field of view is much greater than most glasses too with hardly any of the nosepiece and frame breaking into vision.
The downsides are incredibly few. The looks of the goggles aren’t for everyone and I must admit, I’ve experienced my share of weird looks while wearing them, but I’m sure it’s like the early-days pairing of goggles and open-face helmets. Goggles like the Purevue will likely become the norm.
A more considerable downside is that despite the lenses coming with resistant coatings, they can be difficult to clean as they hang onto oils from fingers and other dirt. For the best clean, I’ve found that a quick blast under the tap with a bit of dish soap does a great job quickly. Then, because there’s a completely unobstructed gap between the lens and the frame, I’ve had a bug, dirt, and rain find their way under the lens. Granted, this has happened three times during my summer-long test period so in the grand scheme of things, I’m not fussed.
Fox Purvue goggles - Verdict
While the Purvue goggles are designed especially for open-face helmets, they’re not the first to prioritise breathability. Leatt’s Velocity 4.0 X-Flow goggles came before and they use a similar build that utilises less foam to boost airflow. The strap is also made using a mesh material to aid the cause. This goggle is built with outriggers and Leatt’s RideViz lens but the real benefit is that they’re cheaper at £83. They don’t get that open-face-specific design, but they’ll likely work well.
If we look at regular glasses, the Melon Optics Alleycat is a top performer that blends great airflow, lighter weight, and excellent lenses. Of course, you don’t get the stability of a goggle, but comfort is a little better. It’s a compromise, as always.
The Fox Purevue is a goggle for those who want goggles for trail riding but with none of the downsides. That’s achieved through second-to-none breathability. Throw excellent optical quality into the mix and it’s a superb package that competes with similarly priced eyewear.