The new Tifosi Rail sunglasses are the brand’s first frameless cycling sunglasses. Utilizing an oversized shield design, Tifosi has developed the Rail to offer wide coverage and protection for road cycling or mountain biking. As with other Tifosi sunglasses, the Rail sunglasses are an impressive value at only $79.95 which includes a swappable clear lens and all-conditions red lens. At 131 mm wide and 59.5mm tall the Tifosi Rail has a wide field of view that is unencum bered by upper or lower frames that traditional sunglasses use. Tifosi offers the Rail in a wide variety of lens options from Clarion mirror lenses as well as variable photochromic Fototec lens options to match any riding condition. Additionally, you can choose from a variety of temple arm colors or build your own using the Tifosi Custom lab.
The Tifosi Rail sunglasses combine an oversized shield lens with a frameless design for a wild field of view.
| Retail Price | $79.95 |
| Rating | Design: A Optics: A Comfort: A Value: A+ |
| Measured weight (in g) | 32 |
| Likes | + Affordable price point + Impressive field of view with frameless design + Includes multiple interchangeable lenses and hard case / fabric case |
| Dislikes | – Venting could be improved – Oversized styling looks out of place off the bike |
| Where to Buy (US) | Tifosi |
UNBOXING
The Tifosi Rail sunglasses come in a compact cardboard box with bright blue Tifosi branding printed on it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Rail sunglasses
- Zippered hard case
- Clear + All Conditions Red (39% VLT Cat 2) lenses w/ fabric pouch
- Fabric carrying case
- Installation manual
Despite the oversized lens design and two spare lenses, the zippered hard case appears to be a standard size. Tifosi has done a great job packaging everything into the case with thoughtful details such as Velcro on the lens pouch to hold it in place.
FIT & FINISH
The Tifosi Rail sunglasses combine an oversized lens with a shield style and frameless construction. That means you get the best of both worlds, a large lens with a wide field of view and no frame to block your vision. Tifosi offers the Rail in a variety of Clarion and Fototec (i.e. Tifosi’s photochromic option) lens options as well as different frame colors. Colors include black, smoke transparent as well as a full Tifosi customize option which lets you choose the lens, frame and ear piece color combination. For this review, we have the Crystal Blue frame which has a semi-transparent black and blue graphic finish with the matching mirrored Clarion Blue lens. It’s an attractive color combination that pairs well with blue color bikes or cycling kits.
The Rail is one of the few frameless sunglasses on the market that offers interchangeable lenses. It’s a simple design that allows you to pull the temple arms and the nose pads of the lens. To remove the temple arms you have to rotate the temple arm clockwise while holding the lens in place, this pulls the temple out of a slot on the lens. After that the arms can be slid off the lens. Removing the nose pad just requires applying a slight bit of compression as it is rotated. That allows the nose pad to be slid off the lens. Although the process is simple it’s impossible to not get fingerprints on the lens during the process, which is something the Smith Shift Mag avoids with clever magnetic tabs.
Tifosi includes two extra lenses with the Rail sunglasses which is impressive given the low retail price. One of the extra lenses is a clear lens which is perfect for riding at night or early morning as you can protect your eyes from debris without restricting your vision. The second lens is the All Conditions (AC) Red lens which is a Cat 2 lens with 39% VLT. This is a great option for low visibility conditions as the red tint color is designed to improve contrast which is ideal for foggy or overcast days. The primary mirrored Clarion Blue lens is a Cat 3 with 13% VLT is ideal for sunny conditions and has an attractive mirrored finish.
ON THE ROAD
We found the aggressive design language of sharp edges combined with the oversized frameless design of the Rail sunglasses to look great on the bike. The lack of frames means you have an excellent field of view that gives you an immersive experience even when tucked in aggressive aero positions. While the design is reminiscent of other shield glasses such as the Magicshine Windbreaker the customization options and various lens options let you customize the appearance. The oversized lens does look out of place off the bike though, we’d recommend something like the Bollé Lightershifter as a dual purpose sunglasses. Although the clarity and color contrast of the Clarion lenses are excellent, we did notice a slight vertical in the color coating and wish the lenses had better ventilation. Otherwise, the three included lenses make the Rail a great option for year-round riding.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Tifosi Rail to be well priced and designed sunglasses. With their oversized shield lens and frameless design the Rail offers an excellent field of view. Regardless of what your cycling position, you never see the edges of the lens or any frame. Despite the budget friendly retail price, Tifosi even includes two additional lenses along with the standard zippered hard case and fabric case which is far more than most brands offer. Swapping frames is as simple as twisting off each temple arm and the nose pad allowing you to use the Rail in nearly any riding condition. The only aspects we think could be improved would be additional venting to reduce fogging when climbing and the fact that the oversized style looks out of place off the bike. That said, if you’re looking for a budget friendly pair of sunglasses with excellent clarity and replaceable lenses, the Tifosi Rail is a great option.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Tifosi. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.
This doesn’t make sense. Even standard glasses like Radar EV I like to remove during a long climb, in these I’d boil.
What’s the point of protecting half of your forehead? That’s the purpose of a helmet.
These glasses (and similar) collide with many helmets (maybe even more if your have size S, smaller head)