Rudy Project Tralyx + White Gloss - ImpactX Photochromic 2 Laser Purple

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?

Rudy Project says: "Tralyx + 'is the revamp of the design which disrupted the sport eyewear industry for its unparalleled lightness and ventilation. Born to elevate comfort and performance to a whole new level, Tralyx+ is loaded with a deeper and wider wraparound lens while the new temple tips are fully adjustable to further customize comfort fit and to improve stability."

With their ever so slightly old school styling, high-tech photochromic lens, and basically infinite adjustability, these are a really versatile pair of shades that offer really high performance.

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

The Tralyx + has two standout technical features. Firstly, the photochromic lens – tested here in the Laser Purple colour, but also available in red, brown, and black tints – goes from nearly completely clear to a really dark tint pretty quickly.

Secondly, the Tralyx+ has flexible temple tips that offer basically infinite adjustability to ensure a secure and comfortable fit. The soft, mouldable, rubberised material used on the arms is also used on the nose-piece – so with a little fiddling you can really customise the fit of these glasses to suit your face without having to faff around with interchangeable arms of differing lengths or different width nose-pieces.

The frames are solid, with a nice amount of flex in them so it never feels like they're going to snap when stretching them into helmet vents. The lens is really high quality, and the adjustable arms and nose-piece are really well-made features.

The lens never fogged up, even when climbing in the heat at slow speeds. When I did need to stow the glasses in helmet vents – something I do quite often – they felt really secure slotted into the vents of my S-Works Prevail 3 or Evade 3.

The photochromic lens adjusted to suit the light conditions really quickly, and I never found myself having to squint or take the glasses off to maintain clear vision – something I've had to do in the past with other light-adjusting lenses.

The rubberised arms and nose piece feel very high quality, but I'd be curious to see how long they maintained their mould-ability before they started to fatigue beyond the point of use. The lenses didn't show up any massive scuffs or scratches after a few weeks of regular use.

The glasses are provided in a really solid hard case, which is a nice feature that will certainly prolong the life of the glasses and keep them safe when not in use.

Quoted at 31g, the glasses came out exactly that on the road.cc Scales of Truth, and on my kitchen scales at 32g (I have quite cheap kitchen scales!). This is the same weight as the Sutro or Jawbreakers from Oakley, the 100% Speedcraft, the Smith Wildcat, and many other top-end cycling sunglasses. To be honest, once they were on my face I barely noticed them, which is praise enough for any sunglasses.

A very comfortably pair of sunglasses. The adjustability is fantastic, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who couldn't mould these glasses to suit their face.

My only criticism would be the actual size of the lens. It's a little old school in that it's, relatively speaking, quite small. I definitely felt like if I glanced down I could see the bottom of the lens, whereas with something like Oakley Sutros or Poc Devours your entire field of vision feels more shielded. Whether or not there's any tangible difference in performance from this is subjective, but it was certainly jarring coming from more modern lenses to these, as they felt noticeably smaller. This is personal preference, and Rudy Project actually also offers a 'slim' version of the Tralyx+ with a shorter lens.

With an RRP of £189.99, these are top-end sunglasses. However, compared with photochromic options from other brands (for example, Oakley's Jawbreakers at £240), the Tralyx + aren't bad value.

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

Overall I've been really impressed with these glasses. The photochromic lens is great, they're very well ventilated, and the arms and nose-piece are exceptionally comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I really liked the adjustable arms. No pinching behind the ears, no feeling like the glasses were going to slide off my face, no worries about stowing the glasses in my helmet vents.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I wasn't overly keen on the slightly more old school aesthetics of the glasses, but this is personal preference.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Rudy Projects have quite a premium price, but when you compare them with other high-end sunnies with a photochromic lens, they're not bad value for money.

Koo's recently tested Alibi glasses will run you £200, although 100%'s Hypercrafts come in a touch cheaper at £150.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Excellent sunglasses with some fantastic technical features. Exceedingly comfortable and very versatile thanks to the high-performing photochromic lens. The aesthetics weren't quite for me, but this is subjective and, if you like the style of the Tralyx+, you'll love these glasses.