Bolle 6th Sense cycling sunglasses
Bolle’s 6th Sense sunglasses with their snap on aerodynamic fairings appear intended for road use, but wrap around protection paired with large lenses, substantial eye coverage and full field of vision is appealing to all cyclists. After becoming enamored with the experience of riding with goggles, I’ve been seeking out eye glasses that provide similar levels of eye protection. When I became aware of their anti-fog coating, that was the clincher — I had to try a pair and get time in with them in the dirt. (as well as with every other bike in the quiver)
Bolle 6th Sense sunglasses with Matte Black frames & NXT Blue Violet lenses. (The tint is darker than they appear in this photo)
Features
- B-Max Extra Large Field of view
- B-Thin Active Design RX
- B-Clear lenses
- Photochromic Lenses
- Interchangeable lenses
- Anti-fog treatment
- Hydrophobic / Oleophobic treatment
- Adjustable nosepiece and temples
- Listed weight: 28g
The Bolle 6th Sense glasses included a nice hardcase, bag and cleaning cloth.
Fit
Adjustable nose and temple pieces can be shaped to better fit your face and tailor the fit. I find I’m hit or miss in regards to fit when it comes to sunglasses, so the option to tailor mold the fit and customize these is great. Because the minimal heft, I haven’t had to readjust the fit or tweak the arms or nose pieces to date.
Enduro friendly.
On the trail
The 6th Sense sunglasses are super light and played well with all the helmets I tried them with. The adjustable nose and temple pieces helped dial in the fit, and they stayed put without bouncing around on rough terrain. After spending a lot of time with goggles, having full coverage field of vision is a must and the eye protection provided by the 6th Sense is substantial. Although the side fairings are removable, the lenses are so wide you don’t even see them, and they help keep dust and wind down.
Rose gun tint.
Bolle sent over two 6th Sense models in the medium-large fit: the shiny black framed with photochromic Rose Gun (a lighter tint) lenses and a darker darker Matte Black NXT Blue Violet.
‘Merica.
As a mountain biker in the pacific northwest, the photochromic lens model makes the most sense to use the most. Most of our trails lie in the woods under tree cover, and I found the lighter tinted Rose Gun photochromic lenses were my glasses of choice, saving the darker Matte Black NXT Blue Violet for road cycling and commuting application.
A look at the vents in the Bolle 6th Sense
At $199, the Bolle glasses are on the upper end of pricing; that said, optics and quality are top notch, and they dramatically out performed a similarly priced set of Oakleys I’ve had in rotation. (especially in terms of fogging) Street price is currently less, with non-photochromic models starting around $95 on Amazon.com.
Models tested: Matte Black NXT Blue Violet & Shiny Black Gray Modulator Rose Gun
Check them out on Bolle.com
