Salice 006 sunglasses

Some day soon (maybe even today) you're going to ask yourself 'What is that large yellow thing in the sky all of a sudden?' These smart looking 006 glasses from Salice - in a slightly Euro-style, well they are Italian - are for when that happens. Salice are a company that specialises in eyewear and helmets. They've been around since 1919 so have plenty of expeience in this field, and are situated on the shores of Lake Como... which is nice for them.

The 006 (not the snappiest product name ever) was developed with input from Alessandro Petacchi. They use a frame made from Grilamid - a type of nylon - that is light and said to be shock absorbent, with a half-frame design and wraparound shape. That shape is not breaking any new ground but they look good and fit the head well.

Fit is good, with a decent range of flex in the arms for them to sit softly, but firmly, against the temples. The nosepiece is incorporated into the frame with a soft rubbery one-piece nose bit moulded to the frame. Unlike, Oakley say, who offer replaceable and different sized nose bits. They felt a bit wide across the nose at first, but any worries proved unfounded after the first ride. They're very comfortable and stay planted on your face - well, they do on mine. Even when the sweat is pouring, they don't budge.

The lens is wide and deep, giving good protection from flying stones and other airborne debris. The clarity through the lens is excellent, clear and free of distortion at the edges. You can choose from a wide range of lens tints. The Italian themed glasses tested here come with a UV400 lens, rated to protect against 100% of UVA, B and C rays. It's a good choice for a British summer, they cope well with bright sunny days and are light enough to deal with cloudier weather.

A mirror coating gives them a smart appearance and reduces glare when you're riding in bright light. A nice added feature is the hydro repellency finish applied to the lens. Not only does it ensure rain water slides off them, it also keeps the level of accumulated fingerprints and dirt to a minimum.

They come supplied in a hard case containing a spare set of clear lenses, ideal for evening training, chain gangs and crit races. Or just riding home from the office. You also get a cleaning cloth for, well, cleaning them.

Changing lenses is fairly straightforward, but not the easiest. First you push the nose piece back and release the lens, and it pops out. Pushing them back in place is the reverse, and does require a firm hand. And you'll be needing to clean the lenses afterwards as you need to clasp the lens to get them in and out.

There's a lot of choice when it comes to choosing eyewear, and a few brands tend to dominate. The latest glasses I reviewed were the BBB Select Team glasses, which just happen to cost about the same money. The Salice 006 offer a wider and deeper lens for better coverage, but they both offer very similar levels of comfort. And both are available in a raft of different colours. Both also go to show you don't have to spend four times as much to get top quality optics.

Verdict

Smart, stylish shades that offer good optics at a good price in a wide choice of frame colours