Rudy Project Skeey Sunglasses
By James Sharp

Almost all mountain bikers wear helmets and gloves. These are there to protect the head and hands, respectively. One area that is overlooked is the eyes. Eyes are about the most sensitive organs in our body, and they are placed at the perfect level to catch bugs, branches and dust. These are minor irritants most of the time. Well, unless you wear contact lenses, then even the smallest particle of dust can feel like a knife stabbing your eye! A good pair of dark or clear lens glasses can go a long way to protecting your eyesight.

The Italian company Rudy Project has been in the performance sunglass business since 1985. Since their inception they have made what would be considered high-end, expensive eyewear. Their Skeey model is reviewed here along with a few different lenses that are offered for that model. The features list is long, so let me get it out of the way; the temples are rubber coated metal, so they don't slip. The metal is flexible, this means that the earpieces can be adjusted to get an individual fit, much like prescription glasses. Also like prescription glasses, the nosepiece is adjustable. With all this adjustability there is no way these aren't going to fit your unique face. The drawback to the adjustable nosepiece is that it doesn't block air as well as if it were incorporated into the frame more. The frame is Carbonium Fibre, a type of composite plastic mixed with carbon. The frame is designed to fold at the hinges without exposing any sharp edges. The lenses are interchangeable and come in a variety of tints. The clear, yellow and blue-mirrored lenses were tested. The Skeey comes with a smoke tinted lens.

Having interchangeable lenses is wonderful. I normally use the Laser Blue (blue mirrored) lens and would put in the yellow when I was riding near dusk or dawn. The smoke lens was perfect if I wasn't going to be able to change out the lenses and the weather was bright or slightly overcast. Clear is perfect at night or in inclement weather.

The need of protection for your eyes hits home the first time a branch or stone smacks the lenses before you even knew there was a danger present. Despite having numerous branches rebound off the lenses when bushwhacking or even descending a well used trail, there is not one scratch on the lenses. Not one. I have not used another pair of high-end sunglasses that was more scratch resistant than the Rudy Project's. In fact, Rudy Project is so confident in the anti-scratch coating that they offer a Replacement Lens Guarantee (RLG). Basically, if you damage the lens, which includes scratching it from use or activity on any pair of glasses from the current model year catalog, you can have the lens replaced for a nominal processing fee.

Summary: The Skeey costs $109.99, and the extra lenses are priced as follows: Laser Blue, $44.99; Yellow, $34.99; Clear, $34.99. Is the Skeey an inexpensive piece of eyewear? No. Is your vision worth it? Only you can answer that for yourself. Rudy Project gives you technically advanced, performance-oriented sunglasses with a great warranty. They are adjustable and stay put, even when your face is covered in sweat. It doesn't hurt that they look good too!

James Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com specializing in mountain biking.

For more information, contact:
Rudy Project, North America
(888)860-7597
www.rudyprojectusa.com
info@rudyprojectusa.com