I am a sunglasses freak, an addict, some would consider it a problem. I don’t. It’s my favorite accessory. I’m not into jewelry, watches, “mandals,” or high fashion. I just learned what couture means. I don’t like to be without at least a couple choices for shades. And I’m picky, very picky. Some shades look good but fall off your face while playing hopscotch, others grip your face with a ferocity that would satisfy Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Some look good, but fog up while you’re riding, or give you a headache after a half an hour. Finding one pair of shades that satisfy all the necessary criteria is a personal grail quest–some of us will never find them, even though we know they’re out there.

Yesterday I rode a rough thirty miles wearing the Julbo brand “Dirt” sunglasses, built specifically for mountain biking. The product label boasts mountain bike specific qualities such as “helmet friendly,” and “shock absorbent temples and nose pads.” My quest for the perfect pair of shades still continues, but I feel like I’ve taken one step closer. Let’s talk about what I didn’t like first, it’ll be quick, I liked a lot more than I didn’t: They’re white, which is an easy enough problem to solve, I’ll just order a dark-framed pair; huge white shades are for Paris Hilton and butterfaces. Okay, that’s about it on the negative side, let’s talk about what I liked, broken down into my four criteria to consider when buying shades:

Fit:

When you put on a pair of sunglasses, you shouldn’t know you’re wearing them other than your brain registering that you’re seeing in a different color. No pinching, no uncomfortable rubbing, no ugly red indentions on your nose when you take them off, no headache after a couple hours. For performance shades, here’s the kicker: if you forget you’re wearing them, the fit is good. They also have to stay on while doing whatever it is you do, without having to use one of those horrendously fratty head-straps. The Dirt from Julbo would hang on to an epileptic in an earthquake. One criterion down.

Anti-Fog:

Being able to see is paramount for adventure sports. A lot of optics companies claim their lenses are anti-fog, and I’ve tried most of them. I’ve found less than half actually deliver. I live in the sweltering humidity of Georgia, the perfect testing ground for lenses that claim to be “fogless.” I am a sweaty, dirty, fog-inducing individual. After thirty miles on a humid day in May, I could still see while wearing the Julbos, an unusual experience for me. I didn’t even get any stripes of sweat dripping down the lenses. I don’t understand optics technology very well, I just know that they work or don’t. We all have our personal taste for lenses: Polarized, rose-colored, amber, photochromatic, etc., but the most important aspect is whether you can still see after ripping down a trail or climbing up a rock face. Two criteria down.

Look:

Sunglasses are for protecting your eyes from the sun, right? Well, I guess so, but I will NOT look like a total tool to protect my eyes from harmful UV rays. I’d rather just close them. So my shades gots to look good. This is more difficult than it sounds, and I sympathize with the companies that attempt to make eyewear that functions in both the fashion and performance arenas. Sometimes making something perform well negates the ability to make it look good. But Julbo did it. My wife complimented them the second she saw them, and it’s rare that she wontonly strokes my ego. Julbo’s headquarters are in France, I think that has something to do with their ability to make their shades look good while functioning at the same time. Three criteria down, almost there!!!

Price:

These beauties aren’t cheap ($120-$160), but you get what you pay for. I generally don’t like to break three figures on shades, no matter how great they are I’ll eventually lose or break them. But in this case I feel the price is justified, I can think of other sunglasses companies that charge a lot more for a product inferior to this one. I would rather pay $100 for a piece of gold than pay $50 for a piece of crap. Sometimes, it’s just worth it. I can’t get excited about the price, but I’m willing to pay for this level of craftsmanship.

According to their website, the Julbo brand has been around for more than a century, but they’re considered an “emerging” brand in the performance optics market. I look forward to enjoying and testing more of their product if they’re all as good as their Dirt model of performance eyewear.

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