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Bollé Chronoshield – Field Test

This winter has been unusually overcast, which has allowed our snow-pack to linger longer than usual. Lingering snow means day after day of riding under flat gray light in sometimes rutted snow conditions. I’ve been struggling to find the right lens tint that would allow in a generous proportion of mother natures rather stingy allotment of celestial illumination and maybe…provide some sort of contrast. The folks at Bollé sent us a set of their new throwback Chronoshield eyewear with Phantom Brown Red Lenses. Bollé’s Phantom photochromic lenses provide 100% UV protection and crisp optical clarity in a wide variety of light conditions for better trail vision.

The Chronoshield is a pair of ride glasses with the surface area of a goggle. I asked mi amigos at our last shop ride what they thought of them and Byron said that they looked like a good balanced hybrid between sunglasses and ski goggles. The thing about goggles (for me) is that they eventually fog. Even sunglasses with vents fog up on me if my nose and mouth are covered with a buff. This set of glasses has four long slits cut into the lenses that vent better than anything else that’s come through the test kitchen. It’s nice to be able to cover 90% of your skin and still be able to see.

The Phantom photochromatic lenses have been outstanding from overcast to bluebird sunny days. Under flat light conditions, the lenses allow me to see the trail surface detail that was missing with the lenses that I’d been using.

The Chronoshield Phantom Brown Red lens goes from letting in 35% light in low light conditions to 15% in bright light. The lenses are coated with Bollé’s P80+ Anti-fog treatment. Unlike other anti-fog coatings, the P80+ anti-fog coating incorporates permanent resistance to not only fogging but also scratches and chemicals. The treatment is applied to the lens, not sprayed or dipped so it retains its properties even after repeated washing and years of use.

The frames incorporate an adjustable nose piece. The nose piece has a hinged connection to the frame. This allows the nose piece to adjust to the bridge of the nose. The bows can be shaped from straight to any custom curve that you like for a custom fit. That makes them play well with a variety of helmets, ear muffs, and antennae arrays. The Chronoshield also comes with a brow pad that snaps onto the back of the frame to stop sweat from running into your eyes. (not really an issue at eight degrees).

I’ve been looking for the lens that would provide more trail surface detail under flat light conditions and the Chronoshield delivered. We’re in the middle of a pretty awesome cold snap and that means that the more of your face that you can cover the faster that you can go. In temperatures in the single digits, I start to think that I need to wear ski goggles. That usually leads to them fogging up somewhere out on the ride. The Chronoshield has similar face coverage as ski goggles, but they’ve been much more manageable when it comes to fogging. If I keep moving, I can cruise along with my nose and mouth covered and the lenses stay fog-free. The four large vent slits along with the factory fog-proofing seem to be working really well for me. The MSRP for the glasses/goggles as tested is $240 USD.

The Bollé Chronosheild earns 4.5 out of 5 Danger Gnomes

For more information visit – https://www.bolle.com/us/sunglasses/sport/bike-sunglasses/chronoshield-29463.html

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2 Responses to Bollé Chronoshield – Field Test

  1. Tim H February 10, 2021 at 10:13 am #

    Great review, appreciate it. Quick question, what’s the lid your wearing?

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