Julbo Sunglasses

I have to admit, I love sunglasses. And while the brunt of my collection is simple and inexpensive, there are a few pair of high-end shades in the mix. Take for example, the Run and Dirt models from Julbo.

While many people may not have heard of Julbo, they are in fact a 120-year-old company from the mountains of France. They started as a corrective lens manufacturer, and the business evolved to include protective outdoor eyewear. Both the Run and the Dirt are from Julbo’s performance line—intended for mountain biking but perfectly suitable for urban cycling. They feature photochromic lenses (they get darker as the light gets brighter) and high-quality nylon frames. While I wasn’t a huge fan of photochromic lenses at first, I’ve learned to appreciate them. I only wish they started out crystal clear so that they could still be worn after dark.

In my experience, both models fit well and provided adequate coverage. I ended up using the Dirt glasses more often for aesthetic reasons (they came in black). The supplied hard-shell case was a nice bonus, helping to keep the glasses safe and sound when not in use. But even without the case, the lenses resisted scratching remarkably well. I had absolutely no qualms with these glasses until I lent a pair to my friend Rob. Leave it to Rob to find any product’s weakness—he loves to jump his bike off stuff, and doesn’t mind hitting the ground. After a couple weeks he gave the Run model back to me, saying that the lenses have a tendency to fall out while he was just riding along. Weird.

I inspected them closely and while I couldn’t find any visible damage, the lenses do exactly what he said. The other pair, however, are absolutely fine. Perhaps they suffered a crash and neither of us noticed, or perhaps there was a minor manufacturing defect. Being that there’s no obvious damage, however, I’m fairly confident they would be replaced under Julbo’s lifetime warranty.

Both the Run and Dirt retail for $160/pair as tested. Other lenses, colors and models are available. Visit www.julbousa.com for more information.