Scott’s oversized Pro Shield glasses literally made a big impact by bridging the gap between goggle style protection and sunglass weight and convenience. The Sport Shields delivers similar performance in a ‘frameless’ format but the price is still very high when compared to the other best mountain bike sunglasses.
Design and performance
While there are three different mirror style lens tints ($89.99/£81.99), we tested the clear lens version (£72.99) over winter. We were expecting the oversized coverage to come in handy when rain and freezing winds were hammering into our face but there were more gaps in protection than we expected. That’s because even with the adjustable nose ‘wishbone’ splayed apart as much as possible they still sit relatively high. That puts a fair amount of lens and the top line frame well above the eyebrow line which is great if you’re looking up from a low tuck on a road bike. It leaves finger depth gaps all around the lower and outer edges though and a big gap between specs and snout too. That meant we regularly suffered from more icy draughts and wheel spray than we expected.
On the plus side, that does provide plenty of steam-reducing ventilation so we had no issues with fogging up even on slow slog climbs. The optical clarity is very good too, with no obvious distortion right across the sweep. We’ve only picked up one relatively minor scratch after several months of testing. They pop apart so you can replace/swap lenses too, although Scott only lists separate lenses for the Shield glasses which are a different frame shape.
Considering the price we were surprised that there’s no soft grip rubber (like the Pro Shield) or bendable shaping of the arms, just a lightly sprung fixed hook design. Given the variety of different head/ear shapes and proportions that will work with varying effectiveness on different heads. In my case, the hooks only engaged behind my ears when the glasses were right at the end of my nose like a comedy librarian so I’d definitely suggest trying before buying and going for the ‘Compact’ version if you’ve got a small head.
The frame shape syncs particularly well with Scott helmets as you’d expect but also works with all the Giro, Specialized, Bontrager, Lazer, Smith and Leatt helmets we tried too. We’re not sure why the Scott logo is white on one side and black on the other either.
Verdict
Scott’s Sport Shield potentially offer lots of coverage with excellent optics and zero steaming. Lens proportions mean they’ll be gappy on some faces though and the plain hooked arms reduce security and seem rather cheap considering the relatively large price tag.
Tech Specs: Scott Sport Shield sunglasses
- Price: Tinted $89.99/£81.99, Clear £72.99 (Not available in the US)
- Colors: Black/Clear (tested), Black/Red Chrome, Mineral blue/Green chrome, Marble black/Teal Chrome
- Weight: 32g
