Smith Reverb sunglasses review
Smith's lightest pair of performance cycling glasses come with two ChromaPop lenses
The Smith Reverb with its ChromaPop lens checks a lot of boxes when it comes to performance eyewear for cycling. Making a decision on which sunnies to rock comes down to your esthetic preference, how they fit on your face, the lenses and optics. The Reverb features an interchangeable lens system, a lightweight frame, a quality adjustable nose piece and quality lenses that provide good eye coverage in bright conditions.
The ChromaPop lens stands out on these minimalist pair of shades. The lens cuts bright light while not dulling the colours of the world. The lens has a modern red mirror finish and an edgy shape that keeps the eyes well covered. The Contrast Rose lens which comes with every pair of Smith Reverb were great to have for low light or rainy day riding. Smith also offers Photochromic, clear and other lens colours to choose from for the Reverb.
The frame held the lens in a good position on my face providing full coverage from the sun while not sitting so close to my brow. The adjustable nose pads which have two positions allowed me to make sure they were well fitted to my face. The nose pad and temple grippers didn’t attract dust or dirt and kept the sunglasses in place on all my rides.
The frame arms on the Reverb have enough curvature that they don’t interfere with helmet straps. The redesigned PivLock make it easy to swap out lenses. A simple twist loosens the mechanism and the arm easily pop out. It didn’t take to many tries until swapping out lenses took no thought. A pinch of the nose piece allows it to be moved over to the rose lens. While I could swap out the arms without getting my fingerprints on the lens, the nose piece was a little tricker to get out.
The minimal design on the Reverb makes them Smith’s lightest cycling glasses yet at only 27 g claimed weight. Their light weight is especially appreciated as it doesn’t compromise lens interchangeability. It also means they sit comfortably on the face. Good glasses are ones you don’t need to fuss over or think about.
The Smith Reverb retail for $200.
