100% Glendale Review

With roots in motocross goggle design since the 1980s, 100% has only recently become one of the most prominent players in the performance sunglasses industry. With a rockstar list of sponsored athletes, 100%'s popularity in the cycling realm has skyrocketed over the last few years. We decided to test out the Glendale glasses. These behemoths offer goggle-like coverage with excellent optics and a durable and comfortable frame, beating out many other sunglasses we tested.

Performance Comparison

Lens Quality

100% includes two lenses standard when you purchase the Glendale. We tried the Soft Tact Mustard frames with a soft yellow lens for low-light conditions and a darker smoke lens for when it gets bright. The soft yellow lens offers a category one light filter that transmits 68% of visible light and provides protection from 100% of harmful UV rays. For more protection, the smoke lens is rated as a category three filter and transmits just 12% of visible light while providing 100% UV protection. Both lenses use an impact-resistant polycarbonate construction with an anti-scratch coating and water-repellent treatment.

We were hard-pressed to find any significant differences between the optical quality of most of the models in our test. At this level of performance, differences are relatively minimal. We had no problems with the Glendale's optics. Both lenses provided great contrast and clarity, and as much as we tried to find it, we couldn't detect any distortion from the five-base cylindrical lens. The water-repellent lens treatment did a great job of keeping our field of vision relatively clear when smashing through puddles on a mountain bike, and the lens didn't require constant cleaning.

Like many of the models we tested, the Glendale also impressed us with the durability of its lenses. If we're being honest, we treated all of the glasses in our test pretty terribly, and most of them came through with flying colors. The Glendale was no exception. After being dropped on the ground, stuffed into backpacks, and cleaned with a t-shirt multiple times, the lenses still looked great.

Fit and Comfort

After countless hours of testing, none of our testers would accuse the Glendale of being uncomfortable, but the fit is quite large. With a soft grilamid frame and “ultra-grip” hydrophilic rubber pads at the nose piece and arm tips, all of this model's contact points are agreeable. The nose piece doesn't offer any adjustability, but the design allows the rubber pad to stretch and contour to most nose shapes and sizes. The arm tips can be adjusted for a proper contour to your head shape. You can wear these all day without any pain or discomfort.

While all of our testers agreed that the Glendale is comfortable, some of our small-headed testers had problems with the fit. This massive pair of glasses fits well on large heads but lacks enough adjustability for a secure fit on narrow heads. At 41 grams, this is also one of the heaviest models we looked at, and the extra weight on your face requires more security to keep everything in place. The arm tip adjustment helps a little, but we still had some issues with them moving around when things got rough during trail runs and mountain bike rides.

Coverage

With a large lens, the Glendale doesn't lack coverage. At its largest points, the lens is 165mm wide and 60mm tall and provides an enormous field of vision. While wearing these glasses, you must consciously work to see the frame in your periphery. It does a great job of mimicking the coverage, protection, and field of vision that goggles provide. 100%'s motocross goggle heritage clearly shows.

The massive lens provides peace of mind when descending at high speeds. The lens wraps tightly to the face and blocks all wind interference while providing an enormous shield from rock, bug, or branch impacts. After wearing these glasses mountain biking for a while, we learned to stop flinching at incoming impacts and stay focused on the task at hand. We were so impressed with the coverage and protection. It scores highly in this metric.

Frame Quality

The Glendale features a fairly sturdy, tough, but flexible frame. The Grilamid TR90 thermoplastic construction is pliable enough to hold up when bent or twisted and sturdy enough to provide a tight, consistent fit no matter how many times you swap out the lens. The frame also includes hydrophilic rubber contact points at the nose and arm tips to add to the soft, comfortable feel of this frame on your face.

Unlike some other models, the Glendale doesn't offer any nose-piece adjustment. You can bend the arm tips for a tighter fit to your head, but ultimately we found this adjustment relatively inconsequential. Below each eye, the frame includes small aluminum air vents to prevent lens fogging at low speeds.

The flexible frame makes swapping lenses a quick task with no moving parts or extra pieces to keep track of. A quick tug at the top of the frame will pop the lens out of its secure groove and offer easy removal access. Despite its flexibility, the frame holds its shape and provides a tight and secure fit once a lens is locked into its groove. When the lens is fully secured within the frame, there's no movement or popping, even when the frame is flexed or twisted.

Field Performance

While the Glendale provides awesome performance, it also does well when the rubber hits the road. Of all the high-coverage glasses we tested, this model does the best job of replicating the performance and protection of traditional goggles. We had no problems with wind interference at high speeds, and the close fit provided great protection from dust in dry conditions.

The air vents did their job and prevented fogging at low speeds or when stopping after a hard effort, but we should provide the caveat that we tested this model in hot, dry summer conditions where fogging isn't typically a huge issue. However, we have every reason to expect that they would continue to perform well in more harsh conditions. We also had no issues with sweat running down the front of these lenses. The frame does a good job of channeling sweat away from the eyes and keeping the field of vision clear.

Our field performance rating of the Glendale suffered slightly due to a lack of stability on the face. Some of our testers found that when the going got especially rough, these glasses tended to slide down the front of the nose and needed occasional adjustment. We adjusted the ear tips to squeeze the sides of the head a bit tighter with success, but we're worried that some head shapes might not work with this model. With the stability issue, we also found that our frequent readjustment led to repeated contact of the center of the lens to the forehead and brow. Eventually, this lead to the center of the inside of the lens getting covered in sweat and slightly obscuring our vision. We didn't experience this problem on road rides; it was only an issue on rough trails that required constant attention to keep them in place.

Style

Like most goggle-style models we reviewed, the Glendale has a bold, retro style. The Americana-inspired design stands out from the crowd, and the lens's massive size dwarfs most other performance glasses. Unless you're Peter Sagan, we wouldn't recommend this model for everyday use, but it does make for a great look--on the trail or on the road.

Case Quality

100% provides a hard zippered case when you purchase the Glendale. Inside the case is a semi-rigid foam with cutout storage for the glasses and the included spare lens. The case provides super-secure storage but is a little bit large to easily stuff into a backpack or suitcase when space is tight. More often than not, we found ourselves just using the soft storage bag to save space.

Value

The Glendale sits roughly at the median price of all the glasses we tested. With the best coverage in the test and sharp, clear optics, we think they're a good buy. Add in the fact that 100% includes two lenses and a substantial, zippered storage case, which becomes one of our test's better values.

Conclusion