Oakley Jawbreaker Prizm Review

You’ll be familiar with the Jawbreakers if you watch pro cycling, with the likes of Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome being fans.

The frames are certainly not subtle and surround the lens in a kind of ski-goggle style. They look the part when you’re on the bike, but you’d be making quite a fashion statement if your wore these in street clothes. The frame colour makes quite a difference to how they look, with the half-black frame I’ve got looking a bit less extreme than the full white version for example.

The fit is good, helped by the adjustable arms, but the highlight of these glasses for me is the lens. The Oakley website makes all sorts of claims for the Prizm lens, but the best thing about it for me is the adaptability. It’s good in direct sunlight but also on overcast days. In fact, unless it’s actually nighttime I think these are good for all situations. The advantage of the big unsubtle frame is you get really good visibility, even if you’re down in the drops.

The Jawbreakers have been around for a while now, which means you can get some pretty good deals if you shop around. These used to retail at around £200, but you can find them for nearer £100 these days, which is pretty good for pro-level glasses.

Comments

Nitto S83 v Thomson Elite seatpost

If you're looking for a high quality alloy seatpost then two that stand out are the Nitto S83 and the Thomson Elite. I own both, so how do they compare? Looks The S83 is a smooth, classic looking seatpost which is similar to road seatposts of a few decades ago. The Thomson has more of an industrial look, particularly with its textured machined surface. Versions Thomson have loads of different versions available: in just about every combination of length and diameter you could want. The S83 is more limited, but if you like something a bit different you won't see so many of them out there on other bikes. Weight Thomson is a clear winner here. Depending on the exact version you get it's around 200 grams, which is pretty good for an alloy post. The Nitto is around 100 grams heavier. Saddle clamp The Thomson uses a tried and tested two bolt design which uses surprisingly small diameter bolts, but grips securely. The S83 uses large diameter bolts and is probab...

Nitto S83 Seatpost Review

So, first things first: if you judge a seatpost by maximum lightness for minimum money then you might as well stop reading now, this isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a quality seatpost and weight is a secondary issue then read on. The S83 is a beautifully crafted piece of engineering that has a quality finish. It's a nice alternative to all the black carbon out there and looks particularly good on a steel or titanium bike. Most of the ones you'll find have got a silver finish, although black ones are available, you might need to search a bit on the internet and perhaps order directly from Japan. One issue that frustrates me with some seatposts is the poor quality of the saddle clamps, which can be flexy, with poor quality easily rounded bolts, often in the name of reducing weight. No such issues with the S83, which has large, high quality bolts that grip the saddle firmly. Both of the bolts are accessed from below making adjustment straig...

Rapha Brevet Flyweight Wind Jacket Review

Rapha aren’t kidding when they call this jacket flyweight, it’s seriously light, but more importantly it packs down into its own tiny built-in pouch, so it’s easy to carry in a jersey pocket. Despite this lightness this is not a flimsy jacket, the thin fabric is surprisingly robust and the seams have stood up well to continued pulling on and off. A jacket like this could easily be annoyingly flappy, but that’s not the case here as the fit is great: close but not restrictive. The jacket is very short at the front which looks a bit strange when you stand up but works really well on the bike. The jacket is good at what it’s designed for: it will shrug off a light shower, keep you from getting cold on a long descent and will prevent you getting shivery at the coffee stop. However, it’s not a substitute for a proper rain jacket as the water will come through after a while and it’s also not that warm. I’ve always found one of the strengths of Rapha products to be their breathability...

Justcyclingstuff

Search This Blog