TriEye View – sunglasses with rear vision!

The TriEye View sports sunglasses from Norwegian company TriEye include a rearview mirror that is surprisingly functional.
Mirrors are a topic of contention among cyclists; while some swear by a helmet-mounted one or rock a small one at the end of their handlebars, most cyclists, especially more competitive ones, would not like to be seen with one. Besides the aesthetics, there are also concerns about additional drag and weight and having just one more thing on your bike to attend to and maintain. I count myself firmly as belonging to the latter group. So when I stumbled upon the TriEye glasses at Eurobike last year, it got my interest: A mirror that seems to do away with all the drawbacks. I decided to test a pair and find out how well they work.

I received two pairs from TriEye, the View Sport Revo Max Red in size M and the View Air Revo Max Green in size S. The Air has the same frame, but the lens differs by having a cutout on the top to allow for more ventilation.

Unboxing:

The glasses come in a box made of recycled paper. The packaging, in general, is minimal and aimed at reducing plastic use as much as possible.

Inside, you find the hardshell case with a little Norwegian flag on the side.

With your glasses, you get a cleaning cloth and a little drawstring bag out of the same material. There is also a small booklet with instructions.

The M-sized View Sport next to the S-sized View Air; note the cut-out on the View. I have an average-sized head, and the M fits me well. The materials are the usual suspects for high-quality sports glasses – TR90 for the frame and polycarbonate for the lens.

The glasses can be taken apart, and the pieces bought separately. I noticed that the soft rubber on the arms of many sunglasses tends to discolorize or get very sticky after some years, and I have also damaged nose pieces before, so this is a significant benefit. The mirror and the part that houses it can also be removed, but it’s not a part listed on their webshop. Replaceable parts are good for consumers and the environment and should be a part of anyone’s purchase considerations.

I also like the latch mechanism that flips open so you can remove your lens should you want to replace it with a different one. It makes it much easier to do that without applying much force, which you often have to do with other models. I frequently change lenses since I usually use a clear one when it is darker outside, so this is a real benefit for me. TriEye sells clear lenses, and while they don’t come with the glasses (I think a clear lens should always be included), I suggest adding them to your order.

The mirror sits quite a bit to the front and rotates freely so that you can set it up at the optimal angle. The attachment is sturdy enough so that the mirror does not change angle even when bunny hopping, but you need to be careful where you grab your glasses so that you don’t accidentally push the mirror.

While the mirror is small, the closeness to your eye means that the field of vision easily matches a typical bar or helmet-mounted mirror. I found the size more than sufficient. The mirror is flat rather than convex, so there is no distortion, and I was surprised by how clear and detailed everything reflected in it looked. The current models are the third iteration of the glasses, and with every iteration, the position and size of the mirror changed. The optimal size and position minimizes head twist, minimizes how far outwards your eye needs to look, does not cover too much of your front view, and keeps the overall optics of the sunglasses aesthetically pleasing.

Use:

I had plenty of rides with the TriEye glasses and also let some of my mates use them to get more input and opinions. They sit comfortably, and the adjustable wings of the nose bridge accommodate my wide nose, which is not the case with all sunglasses.

The first thing you notice once you use them is that you do need to turn your head to look back, no matter how you adjust the mirror—the below image of me from above shows why this is necessary. Heads are too broad in the middle section. Placing the mirror further outward or further forward would help, but at the cost of either having to extremely twist your eyes or losing the sleek look of the glasses.

I estimate that the average angle you need to rotate your head is around 10-15 degrees. In case you wonder how much that is, here you go:

You can also check videos on TriEye’s website (link below) that give you a good idea of the head movement that is necessary. It is much less than turning your head back to look over your shoulder. Initially, I was not happy, though, since you do not only need to turn your head but also glance to the lower outside corner and re-focus your eye, and I felt that it took just the same amount of time to do that as if I just had looked over my shoulder. However, my eye and head movement coordination became much quicker throughout the next five to ten rides.

I made a drawing of what I think best represents the field of vision I had on the road without turning my head.

You can’t see right behind you, as mentioned, but you also have a blind spot, as you have with any side mirror (not that you would not have a blind spot without any mirror!)

Once the mirror was adjusted correctly (TriEye recommends setting it up so that you can see a bit of your cheek and shoulder) and I got used to the head twist and side glance, I found the mirror useful on many occasions. My Garmin Radar (still the most useful – but also the most expensive- rear view tool), for example, would tell me that there were vehicles behind, and I would take a brief look to see whether those were trucks, cars, taxis, or buses (all which behave differently, trust me!). On group rides, I checked how far back my mates were to adjust speed if necessary. I was also quite happy to have them on the TT bike, as head turns are notoriously difficult and risky when on the extensions, meaning that often you need to get out of your aero cruising position and sit up to look back. Lastly, when I rode with my young daughter behind me, it was nice to glance back just once in a while to see if she was alright. My mirror is tilted slightly differently on the TT bike, as my head is relatively low. Still, on the road bike, I found that it does not make much difference what position I am in (I usually place my hands either on the hoods or the near the center of the bar, seldom in the drops).

How do they look?

They definitely look better than I do, and I think they do not look geeky at all. But judge for yourself (judge the glasses, not me!)

Wrap-Up:

I grab the TriEyes now on every ride and leave my much more expensive 100% glasses at home. The reason is simple: I like the way they look, they perform as sunglasses, and the added benefit of a mirror to me makes the difference. I am still playing around a little with the optimal mirror angle, and am getting used to the twist and side glance motion. Are they perfect? Not if you expect great rear vision without having to take your eyes off the front. You do lose a second of forward-directed attention. But in my opinion, TriEye represents the best effort so far at adding a mirror to a cyclist’s repertoire of tools. They are still listening to all feedback from users and will make minor adjustments to mirror size and placement for future models if needed.

TriEye also hit a perfect spot with their pricing starting at EUR 69.90. You can get cheaper glasses, but also much more expensive ones without the added benefit of a mirror. Considering that the mirror piece and its housing add complexity in production, it is excellent they still managed to keep the price very reasonable.

Models are available in different colorful Revo coatings, in a basic smoke color, with a “high-definition” lens that improves contrast, and with a photochromatic lens. Should you live in a place with left-hand traffic, you can choose to have the mirror on the right side, and for a sport like rowing, you can even have mirrors on both sides. A prescription lens insert is available for EUR 23.00, enabling you to add prescription lenses if needed

Besides being great for competitive cyclists and commuters, the TriEyes are also helpful when you ride with kids in a trailer, and I can imagine there are many more use cases.

If you live in Germany, Switzerland, or Austria and are interested in these glasses, you can support this site by ordering through the link below. YellowCrank will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. This review is independent as always, and has not been seen or approved by TriEye before publishing.

Product	FORM wedges and shims
Price	from GBP 9.00
Brand	FORM
International Shipping available	yes
Company location	U.K.
Manufacturing Country	U.K / Far East
Sustainability Info	n/a
Product / Company link	https://www.form-bikefitting.com

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