Our resident cycling expert Matt Ray says if you’re riding out under blue skies and a scorching sun, you might want to pop on a pair of Panda Fixed Sport glasses.
Although the UK’s not best known for its blue skies and scorching sunshine, the Panda Fixed Sport glasses perform well enough in a variety of conditions to make it into our best cycling glasses roundup. Matt tested them over a range of rides in bright, shady and dappled light; on road, trail and gravel; and come rain or shine – and they shone in his final verdict.
Men’s Fitness verdict
If you’re lucky enough to be riding out under blue skies and a scorching sun, you might want to pop on a pair of Panda Fixed Sport glasses.- Huge field of view
- Performance lens
- Excellent value
- Heavy 13.5% tint
- Limited color options
How we test cycling glasses
Our cycling product tester Matt Ray put each pair of sunglasses through their paces, wearing them on extended rides on a variety of terrain and different lighting conditions. During his time on the bike, he noted which glasses were best for overcast, bright and changing light and whether they shone particularly on road or off-road. He looked at comfort and fit, lens quality and ventilation, as well as price, availability, product options and durability before awarding an overall score.
Experiencing the Panda Fixed Sport’s ski goggle-level coverage on a sun-drenched road ride redefined my expectations of what cycling sunnies could achieve – and my sweaty head dug the ventilated arms.
Panda Fixed Sport features
Panda also makes fantastic ski goggles for the likes of Chemi Alcott, and that performance heritage shines through in its great value cycling-specific shades. Unlike the other inexpensive offering in this test, the Panda Fixed Sport fixes its sights on the sunniest days with a visible light transmission (VLT) score of 13.5%, the smallest number reviewed.
This means I wouldn’t recommend these glasses for those mixed days of sunshine and cloud. On the other hand, you could probably ride through a solar flare in these! Even after a long day staring at a sun-blasted white chalk trail, I had zero eye fatigue, which definitely wouldn’t have been the case wearing most other shades. The impact-resistant, mirrored lens may be specialized, but its quality shines through.
The Category 3 UV400 lens is housed in a robust, frosted gradient frame that looks far more expensive than it is. In this case, you are definitely saving money by buying British. The frame is also more flexible than most, so I didn’t think twice about popping it into a microfiber sack and chucking it into my bag.
Performance
The next time a summer heatwave hits I’ll be going full solar and wearing the Panda Fixed Sport to eliminate eye-burn and maximize those infinite blue skies. And other sunglasses manufacturers please note: ventilated arms beat sweaty temples.
That said, despite the fondness I have for these, the Oakley Plazma remains my top choice of cycling glasses, and not just because you can wear them whatever the weather.
Unlike the Panda, and most other rivals for that matter, the Oakley Plazma is a dual-lens design, created in such a way which snugly grips onto your face like no other set of cycling glasses I’ve tried. Now, that might sound claustrophobic, but I find them to be very comfortable, and the field of view remains on par with a single lens setup. Plus, the assured grip makes them ideal for rougher, fast-paced MTB trails as well as road courses. The real trick up their sleeve though is the polarization in both lenses. For outright clarity, you can’t do any better.
| Light transmission | 9.9%, 13.5% |
| Features | Impact-resistant PC lens, adjustable nose grip |
| Lens colors | Mirrored red and orange, gold |
| Frame colors | Hot ice, Iridescent |
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