Ombraz Refugio: Armless Sunglasses For Cycling – Spencer Harding | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

Ombraz just released its latest armless sunglasses, the Refugio, with a shield-style frame. While Spencer has been wearing Ombraz for years, he has found the brand’s previous offerings difficult to cycle in, until now. Check out all the details about the newest Ombraz and Spencer’s first ride review of these unique armless sunglasses…

Why Armless?

I have been wearing Ombraz armless sunglasses for a few years now. Ombraz replaces the arms that typically go over your ears with a piece of adjustable cord. This creates an all-day comfortable fit as the arms won’t wind up digging into your temple throughout the day. In addition, removing the arms eliminates the chance that they might break, which also makes them pack almost flat for travel.

In the past few years, I’ve done a ton of river trips. Whether working as a guide or enjoying packrafting trips with friends, I’ve enjoyed wearing Ombraz while on the water. But since I had issues with what Ombraz calls “cheek crash”, where the frames sit on my cheeks and caused them to sweat while exerting myself, I haven’t been able to wear Ombraz comfortably while riding bikes. Their potential for use on the river is enormous, since there is no need for croakies to keep the sunglasses from falling off into the river, and when not in use they can be easily stowed with minimal worry of breakage.

I have also found Ombraz comfortable and stylish for wearing casually or on long drives. I have gotten headaches from sunglass arms digging into my head on long days in the sun, so having the soft cordage instead of hard plastic arms was a welcome innovation.

Quick Hits

Zeiss Lens (non-polarized)
TR-90 Aerospace-Grade Nylon Frames
100% Recycled Marine-Grade Cord
Frame Colors:
- Charcoal
- Tortoise
Lens colors:
- Grey with Silver Mirror
- Grey with Black Mirror
- Brown with Copper Mirror
Lens Coatings: Hardcoating, hydrophobic, oleophobic
Accessories:
- Nose Beak
- Side Shields
- Floatie‌
Available in regular (pictured) and XL
Lifetime warranty
$195.00

What’s New?

The folks at Ombraz were really hyped on the Refugio being the first fully Italian sunglasses they’ve made, with both the frame and lenses being produced in Italy. Unlike their previous sunglasses, the lenses are not polarized. As I’m not fishing often in these, I don’t see any fault here. The Refugio most notably has an integrated nose riser, something lacking on previous Ombraz unless one purchased a 3D printed nose riser, which were released some years later. In the past, Ombraz had classic frame shapes in predictable silhouettes. While the Refugio deviates from that convention, it still has a simple and elegant curved shield silhouette.

The Refugio comes in two frame colors, charcoal and tortoise (reviewed), as well as three lens colors and mirrored finishes. Ombraz will also offer a nose beak to protect your schnozola from those harmful UV rays.

Initial Thoughts

The first time I tried the Refugio on, I was hooked. The curve of the shield frame lends itself to gentle bending as you pull the glasses over your head. In the past, the only issue I have had with Ombraz was a frame cracking on the nose bridge from repeated stress. The good folks at Ombraz were kind enough to replace that pair. Initially, I was concerned about the Refugio frame being floppy and crashing into my forehead, but this was less of an issue in actual use.

I have worn the Refugio on almost every bike ride since I received them, from the Enve Grodeo to summer hot laps on Bugs Springs in Tucson. I have been really happy to be able to finally comfortably ride in Ombraz. There were muggy moments where the part of the lens near my forehead would accumulate some sweat and condensation. Except for a bit of forehead sweat on the lens, they have performed flawlessly. I posited a possible forehead riser to the Ombraz folks to keep the glasses reliably off my forehead, but that might just create another sweat point.

Ombraz has always surprised me with their quality. I could have seen their product as just some gimmick, but they are truly standing by their original design with a quality product. My other pairs of Ombraz have made it through years of heavy use with only a (small) crack to tarnish their reputation.I should also mention that Ombraz now uses TR-90, a more durable frame material.

The price is steep, but if you’ve been curious to try armless sunglasses while riding, I believe the new Refugio is the best entry point to the Ombraz lineup.

How to Wear Ombraz While Riding

I’m not trying to be like the roadie sunglasses police (I wear my armed sunglasses under my helmet straps), but here is how Ombraz recommends using their armless sunglasses while wearing a helmet:

Toss your Ombraz around your neck.
Put your helmet on and buckle it.
Place the frames on your nose and guide the cord over the helmet straps and above the tops of your ears.

This enables you to take your Ombraz on and off without interfering with the helmet straps.