Adidas SP0054 Sunglasses Review: Ready for Anything
By David Salas and Andrea Myers
Running accessories have always been a major player in race day choices from athletes. Some are more minimal where others like to have more accessories with them. Like shoes accessories, glasses have come a long way and have also undergone certain levels of innovation over time. Adidas and other companies have continued to try and push performance by focusing on little details and providing sleek and fast accessories. The SP0054 is one of the performance glasses on the Adidas lineup.
Adidas SP0054 SunglassesPrice: $190
Material: Injection-molded acetate frame, polycarbonate lenses
FIT AND PERFORMANCE
David: The Adidas SP0054 sunglasses are built with the aim of performance. When looking at performance there are a lot of things to consider. One of the first thing is weight and fit. Overall, the glasses ride relatively light and does provide good fit throughout. There are some features embedded in the glasses to help with customization with the fit surrounding the nose and the temples. The customization components are a little difficult to get situated, but overall the fit held well for me regardless. The lenses fit pretty close to the eyes and provide a really clear vision line. The frame is a little noticeable at the inferior aspect of the vision line, which made this a little difficult to where on trails. The glasses did not bounce, though they did seem to translate forward every once in a while requiring me to push them up perhaps once every 6-8 miles.
Some of the small features embedded I do enjoy are the vents on the superior aspect of the lens. This is meant to help with fog prevention and I do believe it helps with decent speed. On the front of the bridge there is a button that if pressed loosens the frame to help with switching out the lenses. This makes for a very smooth process when switching lenses out (clear specs are also an option and come with the glasses). I think the glasses perform pretty well overall, though it is tricky to figure out if it matches its value. It would need to come down to the consumer and their values. The lenses are nice and do provide more clear vision than a lot of other competitors, but the slight slippage and the vision field on the lower aspect make the price point a little high for me personally.
With that said those that like relatively full wrapping coverage and higher quality lenses that could tip the value in their favor for purchase. With these valued at $190 they fall in line with many of the other performance glasses on pricing, similar to Oakley, etc. Overall, I feel like it is on par with the rest of the market performance wise.
Andrea: My cycling background has made me very picky about the features of performance sunglasses. I prefer glasses with lighter colored lenses (my preferred cycling lens is red) as well as glasses that do not have a full frame (open at the inferior aspect) to allow for a full field of vision. The Adidas SP0054 glasses came with a "Bordeaux Mirror" colored lens, which is a darker red lens that I found worked well in both bright sun and overcast conditions. I dislike very dark lenses because I find them too dark if the conditions change from sunny to cloudy. While these glasses are almost 2cm wider than my preferred cycling and running sunglasses, they did not feel excessively wide and I was pleased with the fit and the look of the glasses. The adjustable nose pads provide a secure, comfortable fit without any pressure points or rubbing. The temple tips are also adjustable to further lock down the fit, although I did not need to adjust them at all out of the box.
I used these glasses for many runs, including a 22 miler, and did not experience any bouncing. I did occasionally have to push them back up on the bridge of my nose, but this didn't keep me from using them. The glasses also have ventilation holes in the upper lateral corner of each lens, which did a good job of preventing the lenses from fogging up. I appreciate that these glasses also come with interchangeable clear lenses, which are great for rainy conditions or cycling after dark. I was minorly aware of the full wrap frame in the lower lateral corner and would not take them on trails or use them for cycling because I want a full field of vision. Overall, I am pleased with the performance of these lightweight glasses and will definitely continue using them for road running and racing.
THOUGHTS AS A DPT: THE POWER OF VISIONVision is crucial to how we interact with the world. Whether it is scanning our environment for safety or simply watching television we are always utilizing our senses. Vision is very interesting in that it has multiple components and uses depending on whether you are static or moving. Piponnier, Hanssens, & Faubert (2009) found that statically our central and peripheral vision seem to be equally contributing to postural control when you are not moving. They found that after movement is created, our focus begins to move to our periphery (Piponnier et. al. 2009). This is important because we are now using much more of our visual field to help make decisions on our postural control. When running there are many things to look out for, like the feet of others, rock and debris, turns, and other moving objects. I think the Adidas SP0054 does a pretty good job of giving you a good sense of position and clears the visual field, but is a limited on the inferior aspect of the frame. This made things a little more challenging for me when needing to watch my step. Long road efforts with less urgent stimuli seemed to be totally fine. Vision may seem minor, but it is an integral part of our interaction with our world.
Piponnier, J-C., Hanssens, J-M., & Faubert, J. (2009). Effect of visual field locus and oscillation frequencies on posture control in an ecological environment. Journal of Vision, 9 (1).
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: The Adidas SP0054 is a performance piece of eyewear that focuses on many little details to deliver a quality running experience. The glasses are light weight and do a great job with fog resistance. They do seem to slide forward over longer mileage and duration, though mild. The vision field through the lenses is quite good, though the frame on the inferior aspect is slightly noticeable. On long roads and endurance efforts these are really nice, though in situations where you need to watch your feet a little more it could be improved. The glasses do okay on track settings, but some caution is needed when in packs.
There are enough qualities to the glasses that give some appeal for purchase as racing glasses, though a little steep for recreational wear. Aesthetically these are as sharp as any other performance speed glasses. If this is a pair the user will be wearing for long mileage on training and racing the price could be justified though. The pricing and performance is on par with other performance glasses in the category.
David's Grades
Fit: B+ (Overall good wrap with decent hold, slight slippage forward, customizable pieces could be easier to use)
Performance: A- (Lenses clarity is really good, weight is light, good anti fog, though inferior gaze could be a little better)
Overall: B+/A- (A performance pair of sunglasses that focuses on the little things to deliver a smoother performance during endurance sports. Executed really well outside of some forward slippage and the inferior gaze line)
Andrea: The Adidas SP0054 are performance running and cycling glasses that have great fit, ventilation, and stability. They look sharp and I particularly like the red/black colorway. Adidas was smart to spec these with red lenses because they perform well in most light conditions.
The price point for these glasses is comparable to other high performance sunglasses and I think they are a good value for training and racing. The only issue I have with these glasses is the full wrap of the frame blocking my peripheral vision, but I know many runners and cyclists for whom this is not an issue. Runners who like full wrap frames and a wider overall frame will find a lot to love in the SP0054.
Andrea's Grades
Fit: A- (Comfortable contact points at temples and nose, no bouncing, but occasional forward slippage on longer runs)
Performance: A- (Red lens performs wells in most light conditions, ventilation is excellent, but full wrap frame does block peripheral vision)
Overall: A- (Great looking performance sunglasses for running and cycling. Athletes not bothered by full wrap frame will love these glasses.)
FURTHER READING
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PEBAX and Carbon Fiber Plated Shoe Research Update
Asics Superblast - The brand new super stacked trainer from Asics
Fractel Performance Headwear - Check out running hats from the Aussie-based brand
Adidas Adistar CS - The heavy duty - and heavy - stability cousin to the Adistar
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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