GB Viz Vigo Sports Sunglasses Review
If you wear reading glasses and are fed up with looking down at your bike computer and seeing a blur then GB Viz has the solution, here’s a quick review of their VIGO sunglasses, made specifically for sports usage.
GB Viz Vigo Summary Review
Summary
Works surprisingly well to magnify the display of Wahoo and Garmin cycling computers if you use the same magnification level as your regular reading glasses.
Pros
- Finally! You can read that darned bike computer!
- Top-freme ventilation
- 100% UV protection
- The price is about right (see discount 😉 )
- Full, wrap-around fit
- Wide field-of-view
- Good nose bridge
Cons
- Hinge might not give longevity
- you must get an appropriation magnification level
What Are GB Viz Vigo Sports Glasses?
In techy-optical terms, these are category 3 (15% light transmission), bifocal sports sunglasses available with a dioptre of +1.0, +1.5, +2.0, +2.5 or +3.0.
At 36g they are lightweight and have a shatter-resistant polycarbonate lens that also offers 100% UV-A/UV-B Protection.
Simplistically these are a standard, medium-quality pair of sports sunglasses with two add-on lenses stuck to the inside of each larger lens. If you could buy the sticky lenses you could probably add them to your current pairs of sunglasses with one proviso. The main lenses are sufficiently large to stop the stick-on lens from spoiling your vision when you are riding and looking forwards at the road – if you did buy such a stick-on lens the chances are your other sunglasses wouldn’t be designed to accommodate that in your field of vision.
What Are They Like In Use?
What Are They Like In Use?A: Very good actually., I was very pleasantly surprised with how well they worked.
The magnification works! I really can read the small numbers on my Wahoo Bolt 2 without having to zoom in with the side button. Plus when I’m running, the maps on my Garmin Forerunner 955 have taken on a new lease of usefulness.
Peripheral vision is good. The smaller magnifying lens does not impact peripheral vision
I haven’t done the kind of riding in the kind of weather where they might steam up but the anti-fog vents look promising.
How Durable are they?
They pass ISO 179 for impact resistance, though I’m not sure that’s an especially useful test. If you drop them whilst riding at 30 mph they WON’T break but, to me, the weak point looks the be the pin-hinged bracket where the arms join the main body of the frame meaning that if you twist them or sit on them then the hinge could break.
How Important is the dioptre?
A: It’s fairly important that you get close to the right degree of magnification.
My guess is that a lower magnification will always improve readability over no magnification but a higher magnification might require you to change ride position to gain focus.
I’m probably either a +1.5 or maybe +2.0 at a push. The +1.0 model WORKS GREAT however I can’t use the +3.0 model without getting my head much close to the Garmin/Wahoo. If I was in an aero position on my TT bike, coincidentally, I would have my head in that position and they would be great! .Hmmm!
You can download and print this image on A4 to determine which dioptre you need.
In Which Sports Can They Be Used
A: Most sports I would have thought.
Running, cycling, sailing, skiing and other examples are offered by the manufacturers.
GB Viz Vigo summary Review & Opinion
I’ll probably use these from time to time as they do work well. The downsides for me are that I have a LOT of pairs of sunglasses that look super cool and that I love – do I keep wearing them, look cool and magnify the display on the Wahoo Bolt or do I get more in-ride data on display and use these glasses to magnify it? It’s a hard choice as the GB Viz Vigo does look pretty good.
The overall look and design is more than good enough for me. My only concern would be the longevity of the hinges but no more or less of a concern than any other similarly pinned hinge.
Price & Availability
Availability is Amazon.co.uk so far but there are also out-of-stock listings on Amazon sites in the EU at the time of writing (Aug 2022).
Price: GBP79.99 with 20% off here – ie £63.99
Availability: Buy direct from Amazon or GB Viz
Disclaimer: I received a free pair but no payment, links are commissioned.
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I’ve used bifocal safety glasses for years whilst riding outdoors. Around a tenner or so (at time of purchase, and now) from Amazon.
https://amzn.to/3AmSJmd
yeah, i used to use the clear De Walt safety glasses just to keep the summer flies out. https://amzn.to/3SNJNO2.
Hi, Michael from GB Viz here. Thanks for the feedback. I actually used bifocal safety glasses like these myself for some years. I also tried the stick-on bifocals on my ‘fashion’ glasses. I found neither a perfect solution. The safety glasses don’t look great and don’t offer wrap-around protection. The stick-ons have a habit of falling off when you most need them. So I decided to develop bifocal sports sunglasses that solve these problems and a few more: Vents to ensure they don’t fog up. An extra-wide field of vision and excellent protection from flying debris. 100% UV protection. The magnification is right at the bottom of the main lenses so it only engages when you dip your eyes down to read your device, otherwise you are enjoying an unobstructed long range forward view. A nose piece and arms that fit comfortably but also ensure the glasses stay snuggly in place. So I’ve tried to address the key performance issues as well as make a pair of glasses that will look good. I hope this helps.
These look very promising! Unfortunately the +2.0s are sold out on Amazon. Does the 20% discount also apply on gbviz.com?
Thanks for that. I had no idea such thing exists! I’m also +1.5/+2.0 and during biking/hiking barely I can read anything on my Garmin watch (or map) – especially with sunglasses on.