Julbo Rush glasses: Tested
No matter what type of cyclist you are – roadie, gravel hound, commuter or mountain biker – you’ll need a decent set of glasses. Eyewear on a bike must do multiple duties, ranging from protecting your eyes from a range of obstructions (think: branches, kamikaze insects) and the glare of the sun through to maintaining clarity of vision (i.e. not fogging up when things get hot and sweaty). Julbo, the iconic outdoor eyewear brand, has come up with a potential answer to that multitasking question in the form of its Rush sunglasses, and we’ve spent the past few months on the trails to see if these do, indeed, provide the answer.
Design
The Julbo Rush glasses we have on test weigh in at a tiny 38g, and feature Julbo’s photochromic REACTIV High Contrast lens, with inbuilt anti-fog coating. A photochromic lens changes when exposed to different lighting conditions. Whether clear, bright and sunny, overcast and dark, and regardless of temperature, the lens constantly adapts to provide optimum (read: clear) vision for the wearer. The Julbo Rush tested uses a lens with Reactiv Performance of 0-3 for optimum performance in the widest range of visible light, from bright to dark (there’s also a Reactiv Performance 1-3 lens available, which features a narrower visible light range).
Pleasingly, the lens is wide and tall, ensuring plenty of cover for your eyes. The Rush frame has a 3D Nose Fit, comprising adjustable nose-pads to get that ideal fit (great for, ahem, those of us who have a bent/broken schnoz), while the Flex3 Temple provides more fine-tuning of the fit (the glasses are compatible with all helmet types), while the Grip Tech Temples help keep the glasses firmly secured to your noggin. There’s plenty of ventilation around the frame, too.
In the field
The Julbo Rush glasses have seen plenty of use since landing at Aus Geo ADVENTURE HQ, with this tester using them for close to 12 months now. In that time, the Rush glasses have been comfortable to wear and close to faultless, meeting all the promises made by Julbo regarding comfort and light/vision performance, and pretty much eliminating fogging of the lens.
The anti-fog performance has been close to the highlight for this reviewer; after more than a decade of riding with another brand’s cycling glasses, and having to put up with fogging quite often, using the Rush in the field – even in the depths of what has been a very humid summer – has been a game changer. The glasses have been fog-free in pretty much all situations bar one mid-ride stop on a steamy summer’s day, when they did fog up slightly, but that was easily rectified by moving them off my nose a fraction while I was stationary. Once moving, it was clear vision straight away.
A week of testing was spent down at Gravity Eden MTB Park over Christmas, and this trail network’s mix of open and heavily forested (read shady/dark) trails was the perfect test for how quickly the REACTIV High Contrast lens, er, reacted to the changes in light. The lens did so, very quickly, and to the point where, compared to in the past where I’d be second-guessing the sudden dark trail ahead after being in full sun, I could just charge on, with the glasses changing to suit the conditions quickly. Since that testing block, the Julbo Rush has been used for another nine months, riding in conditions ranging from belting hot and humid, to wet, damp and miserable, and the glasses have provided a clear view of any and all trails. Very impressive.
The final word on the Julbo Rush
The Julbo Rush glasses have, to date, backed up the claims of the brand in terms of overall performance; the fast reaction to changing light conditions that keeps your vision clear, impressive anti-fog performance, and overall comfort when worn, have been standouts. Pricing-wise, the Julbo Rush glasses are competitive in the photochromic sports eyewear market, and when you add in that nice wide lens, adjustability, and tough build quality, they offer very good value for money.
In short, the Julbo Rush glasses are worth a look (excuse the pun) if you’re searching for a new set of sunnies for your two-wheeled (or any other) adventures. It’s going to be hard to give them back…
RRP: $369.95
See Mont Adventure Equipment for more info.
