Bliz P004S Cycling Glasses

The Bliz P004S cycling glasses give you a large, effective lens and a straightforward, no-frill design. With 13% light transmission, this model falls into the dark category, designed for sunny days on the road.

What stands out is the size of the lens: It completely shields your eyes, both at the front and the sides so that, at 40 km per hour, no wind gets in around the edges and your eyes don’t water. At the same time, the view remains sharp right to the edges, so you don’t need to turn your head to see who is cycling alongside you.

The Bliz P004S glasses are available in different colours, three for the frame and three for the lens. The Smoke with Ice Blue Multi lens and the Grey with Blue Mirror lens are mirrored and deflect bright sunlight before it reaches your eyes. The Brown with Green Multi lens adds a touch of warmth to the view, which some cyclists find more pleasant when cycling on asphalt.

Who are these glasses designed for? For cyclists who mainly ride in good weather and want a single pair of reliable and fairly versatile glasses. If you are looking for glasses that are also suitable for grey days, take a look at the Bliz P004S Nano Optics. This variant of the same model features a 22% contrast lens with anti-fog incorporated into the lens. If, on the other hand, you’d prefer glasses that are even darker for the mountains, the Bliz P003S offers 11% light transmission.

What does 13% light transmission mean?

That percentage indicates how much light passes through the lens – in this case, about one-eighth. This is the range most cycling glasses fall into, and the P004S is just on the higher end of it. In practice, you will notice this when riding from direct sunlight into the edge of a woodland, or passing under a viaduct: You are still able to spot potholes, whereas a lens with around 11% light transmission would be a bit too dark. For cloudy days and twilight, 13% is also too dark.

Mirrored lens

Two of the three lens colours have a mirror coating (Smoke / Ice Blue Multi and Grey / Blue Mirror). This works differently than a tint: Whereas a tint absorbs light, a mirror coating reflects some of it back before it enters the lens. As a result, the lens heats up less and you experience less glare from wet asphalt or car windscreens.

Large lens, no ventilation

The lens of the Bliz P004S cycling glasses extends well beyond your temples, shielding your eyes from the wind. The downside of this design is that there are no ventilation openings in the frame. Thus, if you are standing still on a warm, humid day, the lens may mist up. It will clear as soon as you start cycling again, but it is the reason why many cyclists opt for an anti-fog version.

Suitable for:

• Helmets in sizes M or L – the hinge-to-hinge distance is 133 mm, which corresponds roughly to an average to slightly wider face.
• Sunny and very sunny conditions – open coast and country roads, and any type of ride in summer.
• High-speed cycling – the large lens keeps the wind out of your eyes.

Not suitable for:

• Cloudy days, twilight and riding in the woods – with 13% light transmission, the lens is too dark for these conditions.
• Rides with frequent stops on damp days – without ventilation openings, the lens will mist up more quickly.
• Changing lenses to suit the conditions of a ride – the lens is fixed, so you cannot swap it for a different one.

Not sure about the size? Here’s how to check:

The hinge-to-hinge distance of 133 mm refers to the width of the frame at its widest point. Take your current glasses and measure that width with a ruler. If you get a measurement of around 133 mm, the Bliz P0004S glasses will fit. If your current glasses are closer to 125 mm, this model is likely to be too wide. If your measurement is closer to 140 mm, they may feel too narrow.

The M or L helmet size guide is a rough guide, not a hard and fast rule: Your head circumference and the width of your face do not always correspond. The measurements in millimetres from your current glasses are more reliable.

Included as standard:

• Bliz P004S cycling glasses, 1 pair, in your chosen frame-lens colour combination

Not included:

• A second lens for different weather conditions – the lens of the P004S sports glasses cannot be swapped.

• Put the glasses on before you set off. A cold lens on a warm face will mist up, and without ventilation it will take a while for the mist to clear.
• If you are standing still at a traffic light and the lens fogs up, slide it slightly forwards on your nose rather than taking it off. This allows air to circulate behind the lens.
• Choose one of the mirrored lenses if you often ride on open roads or alongside water, which is where glare from below is strongest.
• Don’t keep the glasses in the car in summer – heat damages the coating on polycarbonate.