Sunny, cloudy, foggy, snowy, nighttime … it didn’t matter. I was able to wear 509’s new Sinister X5 goggles ($129.95) with the photochromatic lens all day and into the night without considering changing out goggles. The photochromatic lens automatically tints when the light brightens and untints as light conditions change.
These goggles lighten your load by eliminating the need for carrying multiple lenses or goggle sets with you for varying light conditions.
While I still think clear lenses are best for night riding, I was very impressed at how well the polychromatic lenses adjusted. When night riding with them, I could detect the slightest of tints, so they are not 100 percent clear when it’s dark, but the benefit of that is it cut down on glares from approaching headlights.
During the day, I hardly noticed the skies go from cloudy to sunny and anything in between. It’s a fairly consistent – nearly clear – field of view with the blue-to-clear photochromatic lens. It was a view I found I could ride all day and nearly into the night with.
More info: www.ride509.com