Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Zero RH Olympo Triple Fit Glasses

8
£110.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Brilliant sunglasses with excellent fit and performance; slightly irritating lens brackets though
Weight: 
30g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

Zero RH+ know a thing or two about glasses thanks to having an optical range selling specs to the high street. The Olympo Triple Fit shades here use a lot of that knowledge to create a well fitting, solidly built pair of cycling sunglasses.

The Triple Fit part of the name comes from the fact that the Olympos are adjustable in three places. Firstly the nose bridge can either sit flush against the glasses or by rotating out towards you it can be positioned to give a bit more of a gap thus improving ventilation when climbing or racing. Shifting the lens away from your face also stops sweat dripping on the inside of the glasses, a big problem if you time trial for instance.

The second part is that the nose bridge is flexible enough that they adapt to the shape of your nose. The compression from it keeps the glasses well placed without restricting your breathing or leaving marks. It grips well too even when covered in sweat.

The arms offer the third bit of tweaking. By way of a small screw on each one you can adjust the length by up to 6mm. Now I've never struggled with a pair of glasses being too short or long for my head but if you have, the Olympos could be the option for you. RH+ claim that it's for stability and to be fair having the arms at full length and wrapping further around the back of my head meant the Olympo's weren't going anywhere.

The lenses are interchangeable although you don't get any spares in the box. They screw into a small bracket below the frame and are held in position by the nose bridge. This bracket spoils for me what is an exceptional pair of glasses. To get the RH+ logo embossed on it the bracket is slightly longer than it needs to be and sits just to the edge of your line of sight. Objects can be missed if you do just a quick eye movement rather than turn your head. It's not so bad that it's dangerous, just irritating.

The rest of the lens properties are very good though, very clear with no distortion from the curved shape. The red/orange colour is good for sunny days and it's not so dark that it becomes difficult to see in the shade.

Overall the Olympos are a comfortable and secure pair of shades, let down a little by those brackets. They have a very solid feel to them to with good build quality. The adjustability is more than just a gimmick though as it all makes a difference, especially that tilting nose bracket. The £110 price tag is right on the money when you compare them against others with this level of build quality and performance.

Verdict

Brilliant sunglasses which excell in fit and performance; slightly irritating lens brackets though

road.cc test report

Make and model: Zero RH Olympo Triple Fit Glasses

Size tested: Black/White

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Olympo Triple Fits are a performance pair of sunglasses designed for the racer. There is a selection of colours available and even a Contador limited edition pair.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

-Poly-carbonate lenses

-adjustable nose piece

-adjustable arm length

-rubber grip arm sections

-made in Italy

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really, really good glasses just let down by that poor bracket positioning.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The build quality and secure fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Those lens brackets.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Whatever needs testing or Genesis Flyer, fixed of course!  My best bike is: Kinesis T2 with full Centaur Red

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

Latest Comments