“Disclaimer: I received a pair of Rydon Carbonium sunglasses by Rudy Project to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

When I get ready to go out for a run, I make sure l have all of my essentials: visor, sunblock, Garmin fénix 5s, phone and sunglasses. Since I live in one of the sunniest states in America (hello, Phoenix), sunglasses are key. For the most part, I’m down with wearing the cheapest $5 pairs I could get my hands on at Walmart. Most of those sunglasses break after a few wears, bounce while running and break after a few wears. I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to test out some new-to-me sunglasses by Rudy Project. Honestly, I probably would have passed up a pair of Rudy’s in the past. At first glance, they appear to be masculine, too techie for me and I tend to purchase the cheapest sunglasses, even though I know cheap = poor quality. Thank goodness I opted in to test the Rydon’s because they are by far one of the best sunglasses I have ever worn while running.

Who is Rudy?

Rudy Project was founded in 1985 in Treviso, Italy (North of Venice) by Rudy Barbazza. They pride themselves on research for innovative materials, attention to detail and passion for sports to produce some of the most technologically advanced sunglasses, helmets and goggles. They make products for many athletes from runners to skiers to cyclists and rowers and many more. According to their website, Rudy Project uses athlete feedback to produce unique products with the latest technology and design.

Helpful Technology

I love all things techie. You can’t get me to take off my GPS even after I run. But techie looking sunglasses, I just wasn’t sure. Thankfully I let my guard down. The Rydon’s are by far some of the coolest yet helpful sunglasses I ever wore while running. Here are the ways the tech helped me while on the run and racing:

• Ultralight: The Rydon’s didn’t let me down or slow me down. The lightness of them felt good, I don’t notice them during my Steps for Vets 5k race because they are so lightweight, they didn’t bounce on my face while I ran. The frames are made from Grilamid® and Kynetium which help them to be shock-resistant and super lightweight.
• Adjustable: To add to helping the frames stay on my face, the temples are fully adjustable. It was easy for me to apply gentle pressure to bend the terminals in a bit. The nose piece is also adjustable in height and distance. The setting they were at out of the box fit my face just fine. This helped me feel confident that my sunglasses were not going to fall off if I needed to bend my down for any reason.
• Photochromic ImpactX 2 Lenses: This is my favorite helpful feature! It’s annoying to me to take sunglasses on and off while walking from indoors to outdoors. When I’m ready to run, I just want to get out the door and go. The photochromic lens transition from laser red to clear dependent on the brightness of your surroundings. I love how I put them on inside and they are clear. Then once I’m outside, they quickly activate to laser red to protect my eyes against UV rays and from those dreaded 11’s. Those are the lines you get in between your eyes if you squint too much and no way am I getting this soon in life! The laser red color are designed for action optical performance (aka running fast or racing) and stimulating color contrast. 
• Storage: I’m hard on my things. Rudy makes it easy to keep your Rydon’s ready for your next race by including a sturdy case and cleaning cloth with their sunglasses. The hard case even includes pouches for extra lenses to swap out for different conditions.

Aesthetic Technology

The technology behind the sunglasses are pretty cool but the glasses simply look cool. Here are closeup shots of my favorite pretty details:

Thumbs up for Rydon

If you are looking for sunglasses that not only look technically cool but are technically cool then Rydon’s are for you. Rudy Projects is offering a 30% discount with code GODSPEED entered at checkout. 

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For other BibRave Pro reviews of the Rydon:
Linsey Amy Barb Jenn Michael Brad