Shield-style cycling sunglasses often contact the cheeks during aggressive riding positions, creating pressure points and comfort issues over long efforts. Oakley's Sphaera Slash addresses this with an alternative lens shape that angles the lower edge away from the face, reducing cheek contact while maintaining the peripheral coverage that shield designs provide. The slash geometry emerged from decades of athlete feedback across multiple sports, resulting in a frame that works equally well hunched over drop bars, tucked into an aero position, or standing upright during casual riding and commuting.

The Matte Carbon colorway pairs a neutral dark gray frame with Prizm Road lenses, which use a rose base tint to enhance reds, yellows, and greens at 20% visible light transmission. This tuning highlights road surface texture changes, lane markings, and potential hazards that might otherwise blend into the pavement under standard gray lenses. The 20% VLT handles most daylight conditions from partly cloudy to full sun without feeling excessively dark, making it a practical choice for riders who prefer a single lens option rather than swapping between multiple tints throughout a ride.

Frame construction uses O Matter material that weighs 34 grams complete, light enough to disappear during extended rides while maintaining the durability to survive crashes, drops, and equipment bag storage. A front vent along the brow line pulls air across the inner lens surface to prevent fogging during climbs, traffic stops, and other situations when forward speed drops and airflow decreases. The frame geometry includes 30 degrees of wrap and 19 degrees of pantoscopic tilt, positioning the base 6x4 toric lens for optimal coverage regardless of head angle. The design accommodates helmets and cycling caps without interference at the temples or crown.... Read More