Review: Smith Pivlock V2 Sunglasses

If you're out there mashing it three or four (or ten) hours a day, you've got enough obstacles to deal with. Fighting for a clear field of vision shouldn't be one of them.

I'm tired of looking around, or under, or even through the top bar of my glasses frames while descending my favorites climbs. It's a dangerous distraction, but mostly it just takes all the speed (and fun) out of it. The Pivlock V2 is a new, rimless design from Smith which smartly solves this issue while still covering all the prerequisites typical to sport protective eyewear.

The positives are clear with this piece of eyewear. They're light, but sturdy. You get the full peripheral, without the optical distortion of lesser shades, and the option of three tints to choose from (as always from Smith). Making your lens choice in the morning is the hardest part of the equation, because snapping the pieces together is a cakewalk. A new feature for the Pivlock this year; the secure, snap-in-place nose pads have three positions to fit the unique contour of your schnoz, making them completely adaptable. It's a luxury compared to awkward, one-size-fits-all frames.

And of course, the aforementioned frameless design was the initial draw for me. I wore these daily on our group bike test, and there were no airflow issues in the face of steep descents or serious oceanside crosswinds. Structurally, the glasses stayed sturdy even after excessive lens changes thanks to the smart mechanical technology that is unique to the Pivlock interchangeable lens system.

The only drawback of a rimless frame is that there's a direct line from the sweat dripping off your forehead to the surface of the lens. If you're not wearing a sweat-absorbing cap, this will put streaks in your line of vision. I found that on hot, bright days when I was loading on the sunscreen, a lot of the white stuff got on to the lens, creating more obstruction.

WIRED Adjustable nose pads give you a great fit. Classic Smith looks. Obstruction-free views.

TIRED Even with the Hydroleophobic lens coating, I still fogged up in the fluctuating temps of Northern California. Sweaty lenses almost propose more issues than a pair of glass with a top rim.