The Endura Shumba II is an affordable wraparound option that lets you see the bigger picture, says seasoned cyclist Matt Ray.

Matt rigorously tested the Shumba II on rides covering many miles on road, gravel and trail. He saw how they performed in bright, dappled and shady conditions and how they coped with hot, sweaty rides and sideways rain. Overall they performed well enough to make it into our best cycling glasses roundup.

Endura Shumba II

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£74.99, amazon.co.uk (not yet available in the US)

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Pros:

  • Great value
  • Three interchangeable lenses
  • Wide field of view

Cons:

  • Contact points could be grippier
  • Lens clarity lacking
  • Lenses collect grime

Clarity: 3/5
Cycling Design: 4/5
Comfort: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5

Some of us go through sunglasses like tissues, and if that’s you then you may prefer a less expensive option. UK brand Endura knows what cyclists want and the exaggerated wrap of its Shumba II sunglasses helps give excellent peripheral vision. They have rubber grips on the arms and a range of interchangeable lenses that adapted well to changing conditions.

Endura Shumba II features

The problem with high-performance lenses is that they do spoil you, so even though I didn’t expect Oakley or Zeiss levels of clarity from these value-orientated lenses, I did kind of miss them.

That said, once I started playing around with the interchangeable lenses of the Endura Shumba II, I realised that on shady days I had probably been riding around with too much tint from sunglasses that couldn’t adapt.

OK, so the rubber on the arms may be slightly less grippy and the face-hugging design of the Shumba II offers slightly less ventilation, but these are a well-designed cycling-specific sunglasses that can adapt to our ‘four seasons in a day’ UK conditions.

These less-costly lenses do seem to attract more dirt and grease, so I resorted to holding them in the microfibre bag as I swapped between the mirrored, light bronze and clear options, and fiddled with the adjustable nose piece.

Endura Shumba II performance

The lightweight Shumba II’s were comfortable to wear all day and the mirrored lens batted back glare. You can’t expect the lenses’ clarity and coatings to compete with high-end performance shades, but when I inevitably scratch them, it won’t be a drama. And in the meantime I can rest assured I’ll be able to ride in whatever conditions the British summer throws at me.

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