DESCRIPTION

In the transient world of cycling clothing, Assos strives for permanence. At their best, the Swiss company produces apparel that goes beyond being merely that. Their stuff is wearable bicycle componentry that has a timeless fashion and an honored tradition of durability. Because of their track record, it's no surprise that they ventured into eyewear with the Zegho, a sunglass that is the equal of their most storied gear.Zegho, pronounced "Zay-go", is a different animal than your typical sports eyewear. You know just by glancing at it; the design cues look to come from the runway shows they create for debuting Assos garments. The look not only stands out, but turns heads. The Zegho is futuristic while being contemporary, fashionable while being practical. These attributes are typical of Assos, evidence that its design is as smart and thorough as their paradigm-changing jackets and shorts.And because it is Assos, they looked at every single aspect of eyewear to figure out what works and what doesn't. It is for this reason that they partnered with Carl Zeiss Vision, a leader in lens technology. Zeiss has a reputation for producing lenses of amazing clarity. They work in eyewear, but also in microscopes and camera lenses. Their reputation is similar to Assos in that their products are thought of as "elegant and well-constructed."The Zeiss lens spans the face, 17cm across and 6cm top to bottom at its tallest, affording a full 180? field of vision. With this completely unobstructed view, you feel less like you're behind a lens and more like you're headfirst out into the world. The lens has zero optical distortion, which they refer to in their shorthand as Assos zOd.Tec. This is an amazing feat considering the long compound curvature of the lens. The lack of distortion is absolutely refreshing. If you regularly wear shabby lenses and try these on, you'll see a remarkable difference.Assos chose to use polyamide for the lens because it's lighter, more flexible, and more durable than polycarbonate. It has excellent optical quality and significantly better impact resistance as well. As such they were certified Optical Class I by Certottica, the Italian standards agency. Like their garments, Assos worked to optimize the fit of the Zegho. So rather than using a continuous curve lens, like a base-8 or base-7, the Zegho lens is curved to match human facial structure. The lens is big around each eye for maximum protection, but sculpted down elsewhere to keep the weight down and to reduce the likelihood of fogging.You'll notice that the lens has a short, sharp transition from dark to clear about 2/3 of the way down from the top. They call this Tunnel View or TV. It is unique to Zegho, and there's a patent pending on it. The idea comes from Assos designers not being satisfied with photochromic technology. They live in a land where they can be bombing down a sunny mountainside, go around a turn, and shoot into a dark tunnel. Photochromic lenses can't change fast en