A entrance view of the Smith Motive sun shades. All photographs: iRunFar/Alli Hartz
Over a six-week interval from Might to July, I spent greater than 80 hours carrying the Smith Motive ($175 to 185) sun shades whereas working, biking, mountain climbing, and ski touring. Residing in Bend, Oregon, means spending lots of time in vibrant daylight, particularly throughout summer season months when the area hardly ever sees precipitation. Late spring and early summer season on this high-elevation desert atmosphere are additionally characterised by good situations for each out of doors exercise. The grime is cheesy, the rivers are frothing, the snow is in a gentle corn cycle, and the rock has good friction! And because it’s Bend, the beer is flowing, too. In brief, it’s the perfect time of yr for placing athletic sun shades to the check.
I examined the Smith Motive throughout quite a lot of actions and situations, together with a late spring snowstorm on Mount Hood and the primary main warmth wave of the yr in Bend. I skied, rode gravel, rock climbed, and ran — and sure, even sat outdoors at a neighborhood brewery — in these shades. The Smith Motive sun shades have an precise weight of 29 grams, embrace two interchangeable lenses, and include a material pouch and a tough case for storing.
Learn on to see how they carried out, and try our information to the greatest sun shades for working to see how the Smith Motive compares to different iRunFar favorites.
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Smith Motive Body and Match
The Smith Motive sun shades are designed with a medium match, which means they match a variety of average-sized faces, however they’ll seemingly be too massive for small faces and too small for giant faces. My face and head are someplace within the center, so these frames match me rather well. The nostril pads line up precisely with the bridge of my nostril, although not like some sun shades, these don’t include interchangeable items for various nostril shapes. That will help you decide whether or not these sunnies will suit your face, Smith’s web site shows the Motive’s full sizing particulars and dimensions.
A aspect view of the Smith Motive sun shades.
The lens has a slight wraparound design that gives protection above and to both aspect of my eyes, which I appreciated throughout spring ski excursions once I was within the alpine and getting mirrored daylight from each angle. The Motive has a contemporary, barely outsized, and speedy-looking half-frame model, which appears to be the development proper now. However, what obtained me reaching for the Motive repeatedly was how they carry out.
For one, these frames sit away from my face, which permits airflow and prevents fogging. I can consider one or two events the place the lenses obtained a little bit of condensation or sweat on them, however they by no means fogged up and my view by no means turned obscured. This was big for me — even my earlier favourite sun shades would sometimes fog throughout velocity exercises.
Subsequent, because of a barely grippy materials alongside the nostril and temples, the Motive does a very good job staying put, even throughout bumpy hill exercises. Considered one of my favourite working exercises entails downhill-into-uphill intervals, and whereas the Motive bounced barely as I pounded down the steep path, it by no means slid down my nostril or shifted out of place. I additionally seen that these sun shades by no means prompted discomfort behind my ears or led to complications after many hours of use. Lastly, these glasses really feel snug when paired with a biking, snowboarding, or climbing helmet.
Smith Motive Lens
The Chromapop lens is a standout characteristic of the Smith Motive, and the first motive for its excessive price ticket. Nevertheless, I’ve by no means skilled some other glasses with the high-definition lens readability of Chromapop. Once I look by means of these lenses, I can see sharper element than with my very own eyes.
The Smith Motive sun shades and case.
This lens readability is because of the Chromapop expertise, which filters shade wavelength crossovers. Whereas the pure eye has issue separating blue, crimson, and inexperienced wavelengths the place they cross over, Smith’s Chromapop lens creates sharper distinction with out altering the pure colours of your environment. The result’s that I can see unimaginable element with none distortions, together with shade. I can really feel my eyes loosen up once I look by means of these lenses.
The Smith Motive has a couple of totally different Chromapop lens choices with seen mild transmission starting from 10 to fifteen%, which implies that all of the lenses are designed for medium-bright to sunny days. Since I knew I’d use these for snowboarding in addition to working, I opted for a polarized, darkish impartial grey lens with 10% seen mild transmission, which reduces solar glare (off snow and water) and is well-suited to vibrant, sunny days. This lens carried out effectively in alpine environments on clear days, even on snow (although glacier glasses are a better option on very vibrant days), throughout noon runs in Bend, and on a 48-mile shadeless gravel experience in Japanese Oregon.
Testing the Smith Motive sun shades whereas biking.
I used to be additionally impressed with how effectively the lens carried out in shaded, forested environments. This lens isn’t too darkish underneath the forest cover. Actually, the one state of affairs I even seen the lens was whereas transferring quick by means of dappled mild — for instance, on my mountain bike or snowboarding by means of timber. When transferring shortly out and in of solar and shade, my eyes had bother adapting to the altering mild. That stated, the one sun shades I’ve identified to carry out effectively in the sort of mild are ones with clear lenses or maybe photochromic lenses, although even these have a slight delay.
On this word, the Smith Motive comes with a set of clear lenses, and altering the lenses out is fast and very simple to do. I’ve been primarily utilizing the Chromapop lens, although I’m sure I’ll use the clear ones extra continuously on overcast days throughout fall and winter, particularly for mountain biking and ski-mountaineering racing.
Smith Motive Total Impressions
After greater than 80 hours on my bike and skis, and in my trainers, I proceed reaching for the Smith Motive. I liked the sharp readability of the darkish impartial grey Chromapop lens as quickly as I slid it over my eyes. Moreover, although I attempt to watch out with my sun shades, I inevitably drop them or haven’t any alternative however to stuff them in my working hydration vest or within the high of my climbing pack. Regardless of my lapses in care, these lenses have resisted scratches and smudges.
The creator testing the Smith Motive sun shades on a run with a four-legged buddy.
Fancy lenses are solely nice in the event that they don’t fog up and if the frames are snug for a lot of hours at a time. The Smith Motive checks each containers. They really feel practically weightless and supremely snug on my average-sized face, and so they’ve by no means squeezed my nostril or the bony space behind my ears, nor slid or bounced throughout sweaty hill exercises. Though the Smith Motive comes with a hefty price ticket, in case you’re seeking to spend money on some high quality frames and top-end lenses, these sun shades are price your consideration.
Store the Smith Motive Sun shades
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