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Madison Code Breaker Glasses Three-Lens Pack review

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Liam Mercer's picture

Liam Mercer

Since beginning his mountain biking career while working as a resort photographer in Greece in 2014, Liam became a freelance contributor at off.road.cc in 2019. From there, he’s climbed the journalism job ladder from staff writer to deputy technical editor, now finding his place as technical editor.

Partial to the odd enduro race, heart rate-raising efforts on slim-tyred cross-country bikes, hell-for-leather e-MTB blasts or even casual gravel jaunts, there’s not a corner of off-road cycling where Liam fears to tread. With more than 40 bike reviews under his belt and hundreds more on MTB, e-MTB and gravel parts and accessories, Liam’s expertise continues to be cemented and respected by the industry.

Product reviews

The Madison Code Breaker Glasses Three-Lens Pack provides a sharp-looking pair of shades with decent coverage, strong performance and lenses for every occasion – at a wallet-friendly price. They’re not totally fog-free, however, and can be a little finicky to put together when you do swap them.

In the bulky hard case you get two additional lenses: an amber one for low light and a clear one for simple eye protection. There’s also a soft bag for cleaning, and a bonus lower frame with a spare nosepiece.

 

The lenses offer pretty respectable coverage with little of the frame getting in the way. The frames are comfortable too, and only get more so with the matt pink lower section fitted.

2020 Madison Code Breaker case

I found the gloss white frame a little sticky on the face, and a lot more noticeable in my view than darker frames. Because the pink lower has a matt finish and isn't as bright, it both feels softer and fades into your periphery more effectively.

As for fog, the Code Breaker isn’t perfect, but it's good for the price. While stationary with a sweat on, or grinding up a hill working hard, they cloud over, but certainly not as badly as some. And once some air finds its way underneath the fog clears quickly.

2020 Madison Code Breaker extra lower

Swapping the Code Breakers' lenses is simple thanks to its twist lock system. A swiveling lock at the center of the upper frame turns and, with the arms at 45 degree angles, the lens and lower frame falls away. Then it’s just a case of bending the lower section to unclip it from the lens.

2020 Madison Code Breaker back

It’s really easy to deal with, though there are drawbacks. Firstly the swivel scratches the lens as you turn it, even when they're completely clean, but thankfully not in places that will hinder vision. Secondly, if the lower isn't fitted just right, the arms can't travel through their full range.

For me, these are nothing but niggles you rapidly learn to deal with, and if you're not regularly swapping lenses they won't be an issue.

2020 Madison Code Breaker explode

One lens suffered a bit of a scrape where I carelessly put it on the ground only to pile stuff on top. They fared well really, only showing the smallest of scratches whereas the frame shows its damage more proudly. If you seriously wreck them, spares are both available and cheap with clear lenses at £10 and mirror lenses for £15.

2020 Madison Code Breaker front

While not without pitfalls, the Madison Code Breaker glasses outperform their asking price and match more than a few glasses with far loftier price tags. They’re comfy, give a wide range of view, and the Three Lens Pack includes everything you need. If £55 is still a bit rich, Madison offers them with just a single lens for £40.

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