First Impressions

Ryders Eyewear is one of a number of growing Vancouver-based outdoor gear companies springing up in that marvelous Canadian city. Guys like Arc’teryx, Brodie, Rocky Mountain, Sombrio Cartel, Sugoi and many others call Vancouver and its suburbs home. Their products, by and large, deliver outstanding quality and bang for Canadian and US buck. Don’t interpret that as cheap by the way. Several of these Canadian brands clearly occupy a more premium stature. So where do the Ryders stack up? We received a couple of samples recently and gave the Ryders Thorn a shot on our rides and runs. Here’s what we found.

Features

The Ryders Thorn comes on bold in a white and metallic orange color scheme. It’s definitely oversized with a temple-to-temple measurement of 127 millimeters and a lens height of 46 millimeters. Put them on and those lenses definitely cover your entire field of view. We found the frame to be larger than we like (we’re more mediums than larges around GearGuide HQ). And likewise, the styling was a little over the top. The white and orange combo definitely stands out a little too much for our taste. But, of course, that’s all subjective.

The tint on our sample was a photochromatic yellow and it’s designed for very low to bright light. The company claims the lens provides 100% UV protection and blocks 100% of UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light. We found the lenses delivered good optical quality with just slight distortion in the lower outer edges of the lens. Nothing too serious.

Specs
Materials: Polycarbonate lens, TR90 thermoplastic frames
Weight: 1 oz

One of Ryders’ claims to fame is their anti-fog treatment. It’s permanent and washable, according to the company. We gave it a test on some early morning runs and the lens performed well during the run. Post-run cool downs were another story. Once we stopped running – and the airflow around the lens ceased – the lens completely fogged. We tried another pair of glasses alongside the Ryders and they performed exactly the same.

Fit

As mentioned above, we found the Ryders Thorns just too big for our medium-sized noggins. These are definitely designed for those that need larger shades. Despite our objection to the sizing, we found the glasses to be quite comfortable and they easily stayed in place during our runs and rides.

Final Verdict

Big and comfortable, the Ryders Thorns will definitely cover your full field of view. A tiny bit of distortion in the lower outer edges of the lens mars the performance. It’s not a deal breaker but we found it noticeable. The proprietary antifog helps but doesn’t cure the issue. We’ve seen the Ryders Thorn on Amazon for $75 or less (for the non-photochromatic version). They definitely won’t break the bank at those prices. And if you like the big biker style, these might be just what you’re looking for.