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. Here’s all the details.
Men’s Fitness verdict
The Endura Shumba II is an affordable and comfortable wraparound option that lets you see the bigger picture. Three included lenses makes it an even better value buy.- Great value
- Three interchangeable lenses
- Wide field of view
- Contact points could be grippier
- Lens clarity lacking
- Lenses collect grime
How we test cycling glasses
Our cycling product testers Matt Ray and Laurence McJannet put each pair through their paces, wearing them on extended rides on a variety of terrain and different lighting conditions to see which were best for overcast, bright and changing light and whether they shone particularly on road or off-road cycling sessions. They looked at comfort and fit, lens quality and ventilation, as well as price, availability, product options and durability before awarding an overall score.
Some of us go through sunglasses like tissues, and if that’s you then you may prefer a less expensive option than this. 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 realized 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 microfiber 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.
What other cycling glasses should I consider?
Having tested the latest and very best that the cycling eyewear industry has to offer, one pair of glasses sticks out in memory above all the rest: the Oakley Plazma. If clarity is what you’re after, you simply can’t do better than these, though before you go ahead and buy a pair, I should warn you – the thing which makes them so great is their polarized lenses, however not everybody gets along with polarization while cycling. If it all possible, it’s worth testing those before buying to avoid disappointment.
If you want to play it a little safer, maybe you could consider the Rapha Pro Team Frameless glasses, or have a read of our Oakley Kato Trail Torch review. These two options run the Plazma close, so if polarization is not your friend, either of these would also be a worthy alternative to Endura’s Shumba II.
Finally, one other pair of cycling glasses I’d like to shout out is the Panda Fixed Sport with Hot Ice lenses. These excel in bright conditions, so if you live somewhere where it’s often sunny, these might well be worthy of the #1 spot on your shopping list.
Oh, and if you’ve got a pair of running glasses at home and you’re thinking, ‘I’ll just use those on my bike instead’, you may want to rethink that idea. We explain why in our cycling glasses vs running glasses guide.
| Features | Adjustable rubber nosepiece, 100% UV protection, extra clear and bronze lenses |
| Lens colors | Mirrored red, blue, yellow |
| Frame colors | Grey, yellow, white |
