Cycling do-everything brand BBB sent us some fresh Chester shades to review. They’re a lot more affordable than big-name brands, but do they stack up?
BBB Chester Price & Specs
- Price | $89.99 AUD
- Colour | Blue, Sandstone shown
- Lens | Multi Layer Coating, Smoke
- Nose Support | Adjustable rubber coating
- Frame | Full frame
- Weight | 34g
BBB reckons that almost every cyclist has one of its products somewhere. It’s a fair call. Take a look through your spare bike parts, accessories or tools and you’ll likely find something made by the Dutch brand.
In this instance, we’re testing BBB’s Chester bike sunglasses, which the company considers full frame, but with a frameless look.
The best of both worlds? Depends what you like the look of. But they definitely look sleek, and you get a wide view. There’s a few colours to choose from. We’ve got some flash blue ones on test.
They also feel sturdy. Not like those fake Pit Vipers you bought in Bali. BBB says the 45% plant-based Rilsan Clear Rnew G850 material is lighweight, flexible and ‘virtually unbreakable’.
We’re not going to test that last point, because these sunnies are good! Every head and nose is different, but the ‘famous’ rubber nosepiece (I’ll reserve my judgement on fame) is adjustable, so you can mould it around your snoz and stop it from sliding down. On the bike they stay on nicely and didn’t feel like they would slip.
Bigger sunnies can come unstuck on a hot day when you stop and the wind isn’t flowing, causing them to fog up. As an Olympic-grade sweater, I’m used to this issue on summer rides but I was pleasantly surprised with the Chesters and not needing to take them off or wipe them after a break.
BBB has catered for different head sizes too. I wore the regular Chesters and they fitted well – the cream coloured Chester Narrow not quite big enough for my rather large head (about 60cm circumference and a lot of brain cells).
Just like me the Chesters have rubber arms. The rubber coating is comfortable around the ears, although it is a bit annoying if you stash them in your helmet as they don’t slide out as easily. Minor gripe if you’re riding at sunrise or sunset and you want to take them on and off.
The ones we’re testing are CE Category 3, which have low light transmission of 8-18%. The multi layer coating in the lens stops glare and offers 100% UV protection.
They’re good for sunny days, but still offer decent visibility when riding along tree-lined trails. You can buy them in a clearer lens for gloomier conditions.
BBB also offers a photochromatic lens in the Chesters which adjusts from 17 to 85% light transmission. It costs a lot more, but it’s more convenient than changing lenses, and maybe cheaper than buying two pairs of glasses.
BBB may not have the brand cache of bigger names in the sports glasses space, but the Chesters are very well made and offer some great features with a considered design, at a very good price. Not showy, but a quiet achiever with a rubber arm. We’ve got a lot in common.
