Price: £39.99
Weight: 29g
Spare Lens: Not in this specification
Case: Yes, hard and soft case
Lens options: Clear, Bronze Mirror, Green Mirror, Blue Mirror, Amber, Fire Mirror, Photochromic
Colours: Mango, Navy, Crystal Smoke, Gloss Black, Matte black
The Madison Crypto Air are the latest in Madison’s line of performance cycling eyewear at a very competitive price point against most of the competition. Dropping the lower frame from the standard Crypto model reduces the weight while also increasing the field of vision with no lower or side frame to get in the way. It looks very similar in style to the Oakley Sutro Lite in my opinion, a pair that sits safely within our guide to the best cycling glasses.
Using a cylindrical lens, as many cycling glasses do nowadays, the Crypto Air have an impressive level of coverage, with the lens being large enough to cover most of your field of vision. There is still a gap towards the lower base of the lens, but sitting close to the face means there isn’t any intrusive airflow into your eyes. Adjustable arms and nosepiece also help aid the fit, while the curved and rubber coated arms give great retention on the face or in helmet vents.
Coming with both a zip up hard case and soft case boosts the value of these glasses even further, while replacement lenses are readily available. The only thing that alludes to the cheaper price of these glasses is how the lens performs in low light or direct sun, with a level of glare affecting the optics. However, their performance for the most part is great, and it’s very hard to justify paying four or more times the price for something from higher end brands, making them a standout contender for the best cheap cycling glasses award.
Design and specifications
Front and centre of the Madison Crypto Air glasses are their Polycarbonate lenses, made to ISO 12312 standard, the highest you can get for eyewear. Essentially a set of guidelines that dictate how lenses need to be made and to what standard so that they are deemed appropriately protective against sunlight but also strong enough to withstand sporting activities without causing damage in the event of say a crash. This means the Madison lenses offer UV-A and UV-B protection, which are the penetrative UV rays we see and feel, plus impact and shatter protection.
In this guise, the Green Mirror lenses, they are a Category 3 light transmission lens, meaning that they allow 8-18% light transmission putting them in the darker tint category. There is a scratch protective coating as well, to prevent the occurrence of nicks and scratches to the lens. The lenses also feature two ventilation slits across the tops of them, while they are easily interchangeable to cater for different riding condition requirements. Add to this the frame and lenses are compatible with an RX Lens insert, perfect for those who require prescription lenses.
The frame itself is made of a TR-90 plastic which promises to be lightweight, flexible, and durable. This material features a plastic memory meaning that it can bend and move without cracking or shattering and always return to the original shape.
For the arms and the nose piece, these both feature a rubberized outer coating to provide better grip against the skin even with sweat present. Both are fully flexible allowing for changes made across 360 degrees of movement, designed to provide a very tailored fit.
Provided with the glasses as standard is a zip up protective hard case, as well as microfibre soft case for added protection and lens cleaning.
Total dimensions for the glasses are lens width of: 129mm, Height: 56mm, and a frame width: 141mm, bridge height: 13mm, and arm Length: 127mm. Five frame colours are available, while there are a total of seven different lens options.
Performance
Out of the box, and the Crypto Air impresses thanks to a hardcase that is not quite as sturdy as the likes of what Oakley provides, but is similar to what comes with the BBB Valour Flux while being effective. This makes packing the glasses in a bag or suitcase a much safer situation, with good protection against any form of crushing. I do think it’s an essential inclusion with a pair of glasses, but even some higher priced options forgo this and opt for a less rugged cardboard case or just a soft case. A soft case is still provided with the Crypto Air, which protects them further while also acting as a microfibre cloth for cleaning.
When it comes to actually wearing the glasses, again the quality belies the price. The materials are not quite as rugged or premium feeling as Oakley or 100%, which have arms that feature definitive snaps into place. However, the frame feels sturdy, and the joints on the arms are strong.
There is flexibility in the arms but that is to allow a degree of movement in them to tailor the fit. In reality I kept them fairly straight with a small curve around my longer oval shaped head. What I really like with these arms though is that you can tailor them so they are straight like Oakley, or more curved akin to AlbaOptics offerings. I like a curved down arm as I find they are more secure both on my head but also when lodged into helmet vents. These arms are truly adjustable in any direction you fancy, so the fit can be truly individualised for the wearer making them impressively comfortable.
This adjustment continues to the nose piece, which can not only be pushed in and out to suit nose width, but also shaped around the nose. With this and the arms being rubber coated, these glasses stay on the face brilliantly. Even when bobbing in and out of the saddle up climbs, the glasses never moved from my face and were fully secure. I’ve tried far more expensive glasses options that are far less comfortable than the Crypto Air.
Of course the main element of cycling glasses that people look at is the lens. Madison’s Polycarbonate lens works very well, featuring a scratch protection coating on the outer to help aid longevity. The background tint of the Green Mirror lens is a slight yellowing, perfect on days where it’s sunny but cloudy, but still giving good definition in bright conditions where sunlight isn’t direct. The lenses don’t have the sharpness and contrasts that Oakley’s Prizm or BBB’s Flux lenses offer, but it reduces brightness enough that road definition and obstacles are more visible than without.
Where the lenses do suffer compared to the higher end competition is when faced with direct sunlight. For early starts, late evenings, or faced with clear days when the suns glare can reflect off things, there is a definite issue with glare on the lenses. They are not as good at protection against this as higher end offerings, which does make sense. It doesn’t make them unusable by any means, but does detract from the performance.
They also lack any hydrophobic treatment or oleophobic coating, so in the rain they can get a bit distorted as water builds up, and fingerprints can take hold easily. I also found that based on if you have your head facing down or slightly up, the tint changes. This isn’t uncommon, with more light visible lower down for seeing things on the road in lower light while a heavier tint at the top reduces brightness, but I personally am not a fan of that sort of varied tint and if you ride in a more aggressive position with head down and eyes looking up, it can affect how you see the road a bit.
That however is the only area where the lower price of these glasses becomes noticeable. Featuring vents across the top of the lenses, their performance in warmer conditions, or colder starts where lens fogging can occur, was admirable and I had no issues of overheating around my face or fog build-up. The lenses are also very easy to switch out, while replacements are relatively cheap compared to much of the competition.
Photochromic, clear, or different tinted lenses are all readily available giving a good level of flexibility in terms of the lenses that you choose. Style wise the Crypto Air also hold up well, as heading out on group rides where the likes of Oakley and 100% reign supreme, I had compliments on the glasses with several people thinking they were Oakley Sutro Lites. I do think that for the level of performance that these glasses offer, it’s very hard to justify the commonly reached £200 barrier that other performance cycling glasses hit and exceed.
Value
I think the Madison Crypto Air make a great argument for being one of the best value cycling glasses options available today. At £39.99, coming with a hard case, soft case, and glasses that stack up well in terms of performance, makes these incredibly good value. When it comes to the comfort and fit of the glasses, these are actually one of the best pairs that I’ve worn, and with a choice of options to go for, I find myself reaching for these ahead of higher end competition.
They are by no means perfect though, and the relatively poorer performance in bright direct sunlight does mean that in high summer, or for those that commute in mornings or evenings, it is potentially worth investing in a lens that can better deal with that sort of glare, such as the BBB Valor Flux.
For everything else though, I really like the Crypto Air. I’ve tested the Crypto before in the full-frame format as well, and my only criticism of that outside of the lens glare was that the lower and side frame got in the way of my peripheral vision. That issue no longer exists with the Air version, making these an even more compelling pair to opt for. Add to that the cost of replacement lenses being £19.99 for standard tinted or clear, and £39.99 for photochromic, and the total system value of these is exceptional. For example a similar lens replacement for a pair of Oakley Sutro Lites is in the region of £70 or more for the Prizm offerings; three and a half times the price.
Verdict
Overall, the Madison Crypto Air are a genuinely impressive pair of cycling sunglasses. For the adjustability of the arms and nosepiece alone, they stand out across the field in terms of comfort and ability to tailor fit towards specific face and nose shapes. That in itself is an impressive trait of them.
Add to that the performance of the lens is solid when compared to more expensive models, plus a hard case is supplied, and the Crypto Air offer incredibly good value for money.
The only real downside of these glasses is how they perform in direct sunlight or from reflective glare. Lens flare is visible and does detract from the performance. However for £39.99, that can, to an extent, be forgiven, but it is worth considering for those wanting to use these on morning and evening commutes though.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design and aesthetics | These are reminiscent of the Oakley Sutro Lite glasses, but don’t have quite the same refined finish or colour options. That’s to be expected for a quarter of the price, but nonetheless they look good on the face. | 8/10 |
| Field of vision | This is an area where the Crypto Air do very well. Using a half frame means there are no obstructions to peripheral vision or below the glasses. But cylindrical lens does mean daylight is visible when looking down. | 9/10 |
| Lens performance | For the most part the lenses are great. They don’t feature hydrophobic treatments, but are scratch resistant. Some colour change based on lens angle is odd, while lens glare in direct sunlight can be a pain in rising or setting sun riding times. | 7/10 |
| Comfort and retention | Having arms that are slightly hooked gives more security than straight arms, while a rubberised coating means they don’t move on your face. Adjustability on the nose piece and arms also means the fit can be truly tailored, making these incredibly comfortable and secure. | 10/10 |
| Value | At this price these are flawless when it comes to value. Yes there are other glasses that perform better in some areas, but nowhere close enough to justify a price sometimes £200 more expensive. | 10/10 |
| Overall rating | 88% |
