Sagan’s 100% Speedcraft sunglasses

Of course Peter Sagan couldn’t go on wearing the same sunglasses as everyone else. Cycling’s flashiest man switched over to a pair of 100% Speedcraft shades for 2017. The look is futuristic, unconventional. So, we had to get our hands on a pair to test. If you want to turn heads, 100% has standout fit and optics to match.

With long temples, the Speedcraft applies comfortable, even pressure to your head. Combined with a soft, grippy rubber nose bridge, these shades stay put better than most. They passed our look-down-to-buckle-shoes test with flying colors. Also, 100% includes a second nose bridge if you need a tighter fit.

The temples, while they are comfortable, might interfere with some helmets’ retention systems. It’s best to try before you buy, but they worked fine with our Specialized Prevail II.

Large lenses are one of the Speedcraft’s most noticeable traits. The Hiper Red Multilayer Mirror lens on our test shades kept our contact lenses from drying out. However, the small vents at the base of the lens pulled their weight, usually keeping the sunglasses from fogging up.

If your face needs less lens coverage, the Speedcraft SL has a more compact shape.

Those shiny Dalloz lenses have excellent optical clarity as well. While they don’t do much to enhance the color spectrum, like Oakley’s Prizm or Smith’s Chromapop, this lens tint was perfect for bright, sunny days on the road. The Hiper Red lens is perhaps too dark for mountain biking or cloudy days, but fortunately, a clear lens is also included. The Smoke lens tint could also be a good option for less-sunny locales.

Unfortunately, swapping lenses is one of the Speedcraft’s blindspots. You have to pop off the nose-piece frame and then remove the lens from the upper frame. It requires a bit of care to position the lens’s tabs just so to replace it in the top piece. This didn’t keep us from swapping lenses. We got better as we practiced. But given how simple it is to replace lenses on other brands of sunglasses, it seems like 100% should devise a better system.

Apart from the finicky lens swapping, we really liked Sagan’s shades. That said, if you prefer a more conventional look, the Speedcraft might not suit your personality.