PROPEL sunglasses, POC

Words by Will Date
Images by Truman Sparks

As spring rolls into summer, longer, lighter days bring the prospect of sunnier times ahead. There are no shortage of eyewear options available if you are looking to update your kit, but Swedish-brand POC is looking to shake up the market with a new launch designed specifically to improve rider aerodynamics, as well as offering supreme vision on the road.

Propel stands out for its “aerodynamic advantage”, the manufacturer said in a press release ahead of the professional debut of the kit ahead of the Tour Down Under in January, where both EF Education First teams wore the new eyewear.

The concept is relatively simple, the frame is designed to sit closer to the rider’s face, guiding air away from a rider’s ears (reducing drag) and over the shoulders, creating a smoother flow from front to back. POC says that computational fluid dynamic testing has shown that the glasses save watts and are its most aerodynamic to date. But how does this translate for the casual rider?

This road test was rather less scientific – taking place in conditions at extreme odds with those of the Tour Down Under – the London commute on often overcast, usually blustery February and March mornings. Generously, POC slipped a cold weather snood into the parcel to compensate for the lack of Southern Hemisphere sunshine.

The frame and lens are both lightweight but not flimsy, and sit comfortably across the face without slipping. Three nosepiece sizes are provided with each pair so the rider can easily adjust the fit of the frame to suit their face shape. Teamed with a POC SPIN helmet, frame and helmet are closely aligned, though rarely come into contact when riding rougher terrain.

The wraparound lenses are stylish and offer an excellent range and clarity of vision with very little compromise in the peripheral sightlines – an important factor when riding in heavy traffic. On the rare occasion that this rider did experience sunshine during the test period, the UV 400 lenses offered adequate protection against glare, and the more commonly seen  gloomier days, they let in enough light to still offer an advantage.

What of the glasses’ aerodynamicity? Without the benefit of a wind tunnel and finely calibrated testing equipment, it is difficult to say. But, what can be said is that riding into a strong headwind, which can often feel like a struggle on London’s Victoria Embankment of a savage late winter morning, takes less of a toll on the rider’s face than it might do otherwise. Whether this has shaved minutes off the commute remains to be seen, but PROPEL certainly ticks all of the boxes you would expect from a pair of performance cycling sunglasses.