First look: New Shimano S-Phyre SL and Pulsar sunglasses

On Thursday, Shimano launched three new pairs of sunglasses—Shimano S-Phyre SL, Shimano Equinox and Shimano Pulsar—for 2025. I got my hands on two of them. I’ll run down the range before diving into my thoughts about the new specs.

Shimano S-Phyre SL

The S-Phyre moniker within Shimano’s glasses and shoe lineups means the top of the line. SL, in the case of the new S-Phyre glasses, is for “super light.” The company says they weigh in at 23.7 g. The glasses forgo a frame with the temples secured directly to the large, single-piece lens. At the top of the lens is a small slit for ventilation. Shimano’s vision technology is Ridescape, which comes in three versions, each optimized for a specific riding environment. My sample S-Phyre’s have a road-tuned (RD) lens designed to boost contrast on asphalt. Other models of S-Phyre SL sport the gravel (GR) and trail (OR) iterations of Ridescape. All are made with a polymer partially derived from castor oil, lessening the environmental footprint of the glasses. The S-Phyre glasses don’t come with multiple lenses because you can’t swap them out. ($200)

Shimano Equinox

Next in the lineup are the Shimano Equinox. They feature a half frame and are 2.2 g heavier than the S-Phyre. Like the top-end sunnies, the Equinox have bio-based lenses in all three Ridescape formulations, but also ship with clear lenses. If you want a photochromic grey, it’s available for the Equinox. The second-tier glasses have a novel cutout in each of the temples that Shimano says allows the specs to integrate well with a wide range of helmets. ($175, $200 for photochromic)

Shimano Pulsar

The final member of the new team of glasses is the Shimano Pulsar, sporting a full frame with a detachable lower section, so you can run a half-frame look. Since these glasses are made for rough routes and off-road, they only come with gravel- or trail-oriented Ridescape bio-based lenses. There is a photochromic grey option, too. The Pulsar weigh about 29.8 g. ($140, $165 for photochromic)

First impressions of the Shimano S-Phyre SL and Pulsar sunglasses

The Shimano S-Phyre SL remind me a lot of my soon-to-be-nine-years-old Oakley EVZero glasses. Both pairs are within 10ths of gram of one another and provide generous coverage with their large lenses. The S-Phyre sit more securely on my face, which jives with Shimano’s statement that the glasses are “optimized for riders with smaller faces or those seeking a sleeker fit.” They do, however, extend noticeably above my eyes. The S-Phyre work with my Ekoi Stradale helmet, but just.

When I swap between the S-Phyre SL and the Pulsar sunglasses, I can barely feel the roughly 5-g weight difference. Also, while I do prefer the frameless S-Phyre, I find the size of the Pulsar’s lens makes its own frame quite unobtrusive. The Pulsar butt up too much against my Ekoi helmet, but seem to play well with my Smith Network.

With these two pairs of glasses on hand, it seems I’m set once the road and trails are open for the season.