Adidas Sport SP0088 Photochromic Sunglasses Review

Adidas Sport Eyewear offers a variety of sports eyewear made for everything from cycling to running. We’ve tested a few pair over the years and the new Adidas Sport PRFM SP0088 Sunglasses have a ton to offer on paper, but how have they fared after a winter of testing while hiking, trail running and cycling.

Adidas Sport PRFM Shield SP0088 Features:

• Adjustable nose pads
• Anti-fog ventiation system
• Rubber temple tips
• Full-rim shield with spherical lenses (base 6 curve)
• Clip-in is available for optical option
• Weight: 23 grams (actual)
• MSRP: $163.60

Photochromic and big… lenses that is

Heading into winter months, it’s always nice to have a pair of photochromic sunglasses. Heck, it’s awesome having photochromic lenses anytime! The foundation of the Adidas Sport SP0088 sunglasses is that huge, mirrored lens. As with other brand-name sunglasses, these are made by an Italian eyewear conglomerate — Marcolin Group. They also make several other brands — including Adidas. Italian eyewear manufacturers basically run the bulk of the sunglasses market, so you’re in good hands here.

The biggest challenge with these sunglasses is going to be finding a pair, but with discounts galore, it could be worth your while. For starters the Adidas SP0088 is a large pair of sunglasses with huge coverage. I’m typically not a fan of framed sunglasses because the lower frame impedes vision on the bike and on the trails. But, with such a large lens, that’s not a problem at all. Full peripheral views are unimpeded and the optical clarity is definitely better than I anticipated.

With those large lenses, I’ve had the photochromic versions, which have been clutch for morning trail running and cycling. Either on the road or on the trail, I could always count on just the right light transmission  to be able to pinpoint road or trail anomalies. Entering tunnels, the lenses lighten up as fast as other photochromic lenses and the flash lenses look great under all conditions. Under full sunlight, they won’t be the most protective, but I rarely ride in the middle of the day. I also do like the looks of having a subtle flash of color on the lenses and these do a great job of having lens tint without it hindering early morning visibility. The lenses clean up well and have stayed scratch-free — mostly due to the full-rim frames.

There’s no avoiding the fact that these require a large noggin for a proper fit. I have a normal-shaped, 56cm circumference noggin. I also shave my head, so there isn’t any hair to add tension and they are fairly loose-fitting. It doesn’t help that the ribbed rubber temple tips are stiff and hard instead of being soft and grippy. The good about the straight temple tips is they sit comfortably without any pressure points. They are a bit long, so I did have trouble with the Kask Elemento’s retention system, but they worked just fine with both the Trek Velocis MIPS and Cannondale Dynam MIPS helmets.

For the most part, the Adidas SP0088 sunglasses stayed put, but the lack of temple grip did cause some slippage on rough roads. The adjustable nose bridge is mediocre for my nose. It does the job, but again, the rubber is simply too hard to really provide excellent anti-slip. If you have a wide nose, you’ll likely feel your nose touching the inside of the frames as well.

For trail running, they stayed put reasonably well because of the added tension of a running hat or a beanie to keep the temples in place. I did notice some fogging when stopped on cold mornings. It wasn’t terrible, but these don’t have best-in-class anti-fog.

Buy Now: Adidas Amazon or Mr Sunglass

Wide fit… not really snug