Protecting Your Eyes and Your Noggin with Rudy Project
Rudy Project specializes in making things for your head. From goggles to helmets to sunglasses, they’ve got you covered- well, the important parts at least. We’re taking a look at the the Rudy Project Arpoon Full Rim Gun Metal Frame With Polar 3FX Grey Laser Lenses, Arpoon Half Rim Gun Metal with Smoke Lenses, and the Sterling Helmet.
These sleek glasses come in packaging so robust, you could probably throw them off the side of the Grand Canyon and they wouldn’t break upon impact. They boast of being Italian handcrafted. The frames are very sleek and we were a big fan of the gun metal finish. The design was obviously well thought out — they’re comfortable and just fit well. As you can see from the images, the frames are quite similar, with only a slight different in weight.
As to the half vs full frame, it’s all about your personal style. Personally, I liked the full frame look a bit better. The polar lenses do an awesome job of dimming the light in just the right way for those long drives in the sunny weather and I far preferred them to the nonetheless stylish smoke lenses.
We found them to be incredibly sturdy. I accidentally sat on them twice, but didn’t break them. Although, perhaps you personally will want to be a little nicer to them than I was. At over $200 for the Full Rim and the same for the Half Rim, they’re not something you just want to toss around. But the included case, as mentioned, offers plenty of protection- maybe even a bit too much, as it’s a bit bulky. Also, if you’re not certain what lenses you need, they offer a great primer on the various types, each of which offers certain advantages and trade-offs. Note all styles offer every lens type, but there are usually a few options available. And we were surprised at the difference really good lenses can make- cheap sunglasses are fine, but these offer not only style, but function and durability.
The Rudy Project Sterling helmet is incredibly comfortable, perhaps one of the comfiest we have tried. Everybody’s head is different, but this helmet sat rather low on my head, which I was quite happy with. The adjustable straps allowed me to make the necessary repairs without much difficulty. It’s also very lightweight at 12 ounces as tested. With the large vents it makes for a very breezy helmet, ideal for keeping you cool while you ride. Of course, increased vents means increased surface area of your head that is exposed, so always use your best judgment for your own needs. It’s only available in two sizes, a large and a small/medium, so be sure to use their sizing guide
The helmet comes in white, red and silver and a new FLUO line with super neon colors will be out soon. This helmet runs a bit over $200 on their site, a small price to pay for lightweight safety, though a bit pricey for your everyday rider. We’ve looked at other Rudy Project gear and other bike helmets in the past, and we’re definitely keeping our eye on them for future.
