Rapha Pro Team Full Frame sunglasses review

Rapha went sunglasses mad in June, releasing a whole host of new specs for every occassion.

Leading the way on the road is the Pro Team Full Frame and the Pro Team Frameless. The full frame editions are made for "complete protection and clear vision while training and racing" and are out there to compete with the big dogs in the cycling glasses market like Oakley and 100%.

In fact the Pro Team Full Frame glasses have a lot in common in terms of their wrap-around style as Oakley's Jawbreakers, which is certainly not to their detriment. The Pro Teams have a slightly bigger lens however, which I preferred; not being quite as inescapably large as something like the Oakley Sutro, but an ideal size for full coverage with no unwanted intrusions below your eyeline.

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The lenses themselves (I was using the pink/blue lenses with 21 per cent light transmission) feature Rider Optimised Surface Enhancement lens technology. Bit of a mouthful so it's just abbreviated to ROSE, which is Rapha's equivalent of 100%'s HiPER lens or Oakley's Prizm, offering enhanced contrast between light and dark so you can see the road more clearly in those wooded areas or areas with dappled light.

I found the Pro Teams worked just as well as anything else I've used in this respect, helping to spot those pesky potholes on country lanes under dappled light. I certainly could hardly tell the difference when switching between these and Jawbreakers with the road Prizm lens.

The fit on these is good; they sit quite high in the default nose position but the nose piece is easily adjustable to find what suits you. I really like the rubbery grippers at the end of the arms and the way the arm curves back over the ear. If you struggle with keeping a secure fit on larger riding glasses then these may be worth considering as they're lightweight and have a snug fit.

The Pro Teams come with military-grade anti fogging treatment. I know, you never knew you needed it, but here it is. To be fair, this worked really well and barely fogged up even with my super-sweating levels. There's two narrow horizontal vents at the top of the lens and two much wider vertical vents at either end of the lens to help stop the fog-ups, and this is where my only gripe with these glasses comes in.

While these undoubtedly will help with the venting, it took me a while to adjust to catching the big vertical vents at the sides in my peripherals. This might be a symptom of changing glasses too often, but on bigger rides it wasn't something that weighed on my mind for long.

The Rapha Pro Team Full Frame sunglasses retail at £120 (so cheaper than the Jawbreaker) and are available in three colourways. Each pair also comes with an interchangebale clear lens for low light riding.