The Buteo is ABUS’s first attempt at the best mountain bike goggles concept and with them, the brand has aimed to provide crystal-clear vision with a focus on comfort and ventilation. While they provide some features usually found on goggles well north of their asking price, overall comfort and clearance around the nose need addressing.
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ABUS Buteo goggles - Technical details
For £55, the Buteo is built with everything you need from a decent pair of goggles and then some. They’ve been designed in conjunction with ABUS’s helmets so they’re built to be worn with the AirDrop, CliffHanger and MoDrop, although I rode them primarily with the HiDrop full-face helmet.
What’s great to see is the double-layered or double-glazed lens to fend off fog. It’s also coated with a fog-resistant coating. It’s kitted with a 40mm strap and an outrigger system, which helps the Buteo sit better within a helmet.
Boosting protection is a removable noseguard and the dual-density face foam is sorted with a fleece layer for even more comfort. Around the perimeter of the goggles, all of its vents are lined with a thin foam layer to help keep muck out.
On test, we’ve got the Buteo in its Infra Red colourway but, if you were to spend another £20, you could opt for the Polar White or Velvet Black colours, both of which introduce a tinted and mirrored lens for the extra cash.
ABUS Buteo goggles - Performance
If the fluoro pink, Infra Red colourway is your thing, the Buteo is a really great-looking goggle that gels incredibly well with the ABUS HiDrop’s white colour. For my time with these goggles, I tested them in conjunction with some other helmets and, for the most part, integration was seamless.
For this money, it’s not often we see an outrigger system and a double-paned lens and those are real positives of these goggles. The outriggers hold the strap ends outwards and almost offset the goggles into the recess of a full-face helmet. With that, the fit is great with the foam making full contact with the face.
Comfort is another subject altogether, however. That’s mostly because there’s too much foam around the nose to the point where it folds and creates a crease. Owing to this, I found myself constantly adjusting the goggle position in search of comfort. Although, that’s nothing a pair of scissors and a bit of old-school thinking wouldn’t fix. That said, on an MTB-specific goggle this should be a consideration from the outset.
In terms of positives, I’m a huge fan of the double-glazed lens. It’s clear and vision is sharp. There’s a good field of view, too. It could be wider but in the grand scheme of things, there’s nothing to really complain about there.
One thing the lens is great at is fog resistance. The double glazing does a fantastic job of keeping fog away to the point where it just does not fog. I’ve never had an issue and I’m confident I won’t as I ride with the Buteo more. The fog-resistant coating seems a little redundant but adds another layer of protection against fogging up.
Another neat feature is the removable nose guard. It adds a barrier against flung debris but I found it too tight around my nose, and I wouldn’t say that mine was especially large, although some might disagree. Thankfully it is removable with no effect on the overall performance.
Something that should be mentioned is that replacement lenses aren't yet available in the UK.
ABUS Buteo goggles - Verdict
At £55, it’s tough to grumble about the Buteo, despite its niggles. That said, there is some strong competition about.
My favourite budget goggle is POC’s Opsin. It’s £50 and offers a better field of view, better comfort and equal fog resistance thanks to its double-layer lens. That said, there's no outrigger or nose guard.
Melon’s Parker goggle is a real contender in that it costs £50 (£55 with a mirrored lens). It’s mega comfortable and provides a decent field of view but it’s customisable with your choice of patterns and colours.
Although it’s not without its niggles, the ABUS Buteo is a solid entry into the goggle market. The fog resistance is impressive and to see an outrigger system at this price is a real surprise. However, refining the foam around the nose would vastly improve this budget-friendly goggle.