Strengths: When the riders do go off,they do go big on the usual american/canadian terrain we all lust after. Points of note are the ease of the riders to throw their Demo9's(50lb weight) and alike into super flat tabletops,Romainck(sp?) going BIG,and the trials guy riding a chain fence!!(this actually saved his bit as the rest is the same as every other trials section on an mtb dvd).
Weaknesses: The arty stuff which i'm just not interested in.Yes i want great backdrops with lovely autmun colours showing through on the 16mm film,BUT as a backdrop to action not as the only thing happening on the screen. Seeing a rider pedal off slowly is something my wife is very good at!! Plus some of the 'clever' camera angles,mainly when filming the northshore,doesn't help show how big/small the stuff is their riding. I think most of it is big,but you can't tell from a shot from 60 ft up a tree on a zip line. Also not enough crashes which they put into the special features even though there's only about 6 of them!!
(Oh and the shocking sight of a pink bighit complete with pink forks.)
Overall: Right i would say definately watch this video,but don't buy it! It hasn't enough actually riding content for my liking.Especially when you consider the riders they put together for this.(At least the sponsorship is fairly unobtrusive.)
Instead it is heavily padded with arty pap. I want substance for £19.99 and 1 hour long.
Strengths: First duties for these glasses was a xc race,which turned out to test all the clamied features.From the start line the usual dash for the first corner saw me take a barage of crud from the 10 riders infront.One bit of gravel bounced of the lens with a loud crack,and despite my fears the lenses were unscratched.No mud found its way any where near my eyes.Not suprising though as they fit right up against my face from temple to cheek bone,they are a real good fit.Despite this very close fit ,which feels natural and i was going to say comfy but its better than that as i didn't notice i was wearing them at all,i had absolutely no fog issues at all.Even when going very slowly up the climb.(even when i was walking!).This mtb specific lense, which reacts to light and darkens in bright conditions,starts at a very low tint.Spesh say i enhances the light in low light conditons.I have to agree.On a course which was 99% in woods on a gloom day,everything was very clear in terms of contrast and clarity,even at the edges of the lenses.Despite saying the fit is cycle specific i have been wearing these apres bike,and found them as good as any other shade and not to freaky a look. They are light,lighter than my racing jackets,but i can't see thats a feature to be honest.
Weaknesses: Wife said the look was a bit Ali G!! Even after adjusting its self i don't think it would be ideal for bright conditions,(so i still have a use my racing jackets ;¬))Tried them in the car against a low and bright winter sun and i still had to hide behind the sun visior. Could be a strength for some,but i would have liked them to be less subtle with the Specialized branding.Its only on the arms in small letters.
Overall: Strong and scratch resistant. Great fit that doesn't fog up. Lenses clarity is spot on with good low light visibilty and it will adapt to all but the brightest conditions. I also feel the price is fair for all these features.If Oakley had got their hands on this new bullet proof(aparantly its the same stuff they make apache windscreens out of) light reacting lenses you can be assured you'd be paying twice the price.
