off-road.cc

Merida’s RACE sunglasses are the epitome of ‘bang for your buck’. At first glance, they’re pretty basic and feel a little cheap, but use them and they’re really comfortable, give more than enough coverage and cope with fog exceptionally well.

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In the pack you get a stitched case, a microfiber bag, and the glasses themselves. There are no extra lenses for varying conditions, but that’s to be expected for the price.

The RACE glasses are a semi-framed design with an adjustable nosepiece. A neat trick is that the arms are adjustable too – great if you have a bigger head.

The nosepiece has a slither of bendy metal hidden within the moulded rubber so it’s really easy to adjust. Just give them a quick squeeze and push the glasses and the nosepiece moulds to the shape of your nose nicely.

There’s plenty of coverage from that sizeable lens. If I were being picky I'd say it could extend a little further at the bottom, but when you’re in the saddle your natural head position compensates for it.

The most impressive feature is how well these glasses deal with fog. Even on the sweatiest and slowest of climbs, all but a smidge at the top stays totally clear. Even when stood still there I never had an issue, something that can often trouble much pricier specs.

Unfortunately, they’re not the most durable of sunglasses due to their cheaper build. I’ve picked up a couple of very minor scratches without even realising, but the overall construction feels up to providing good, long service.

It’s hard to knock the Merida RACE sunglasses. For the money, they perform brilliantly thanks to excellent coverage and fog-resistance, but if you like a clear lens for winter you'll need an alternative – these are tinted, smoked or nothing.

• www.merida-bikes.com

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