Shimano Meteor glasses

The Shimano Meteors are a well-made and good looking pair of sunglasses that do a good job pre- or post-ride and during low intensity riding.

• Pros: Good looking, good light protection
• Cons: No grippers on the nose or arms

The Meteors are essentially regular sunglasses with a few nods to cycling, making them a good option for relaxed rides and wearing off the bike. Their aviator style is pretty timeless, but rather than the thin wire that's become one of the main elements of traditional aviators, these use a thick and rigid Grilamid TR-90 material, which makes them more balanced and thus easier for riding.

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The lenses are polycarbonate with anti-scratch and hydrophobic treatments, so they shouldn't mark easily and don't tend to steam up too much. They also offer strong UV400 protection. The dark lens colour means these are definitely glasses suited to bright sunlight rather than lower light conditions.

They're very much designed for casual use, so unlike most cycling-specific glasses they have no gripper on the nose or arms, so these are not going to be the best for long, sweaty rides, and I found that they had a tendency to slide down my nose when I was sweaty. However, when using them off the bike or for casual cruising this isn't an issue.

The glasses feel high quality, with reassuringly stiff hinges and a screw to make adjustments to them when needed. There are also some interesting design elements such as the black frames fading to a tortoiseshell design at the lenses and a metal Shimano logo outside the hinges.

There are some subtle nods to cycling, with the vent between the two lenses allowing air to flow behind the lenses so that when there is a little fogging when you stop riding, it quickly clears once you get going again. The arms slightly curving back in behind the ears helps keep them on your head well too.

An rrp of £39.99 is about where I would expect these glasses to sit; they're well made, with some cycling-specific elements, and can be found online for around £20. Our 'cheap sunglasses' guide (see below) goes up to £40, so you can certainly buy cheaper, but if you want the look and the quality, these are well worth a look.

> Buyer's Guide: 10 of the best cheap sunglasses from £4-£40

Overall I was impressed with these glasses for casual use; they offer enough features to make them useful for riding, but still maintain the kind of looks that mean they won't look out of place in a beer garden.

Verdict

Modern take on a classic style with some subtle features for casual cycling use