Review- Rudy Project Hypermask Performance

This winter I got a pair of the Rudy Project Hypermask Performance.  They are an evolution of the Sportmask that I reviewed before and offer a similar wrap-around frameless style.  I opted for the very en vogue neon yellow frame color.

The Hypermask really takes what was right about the Sportmask (great peripheral vision, lightweight, fog resistance) and adds in some new features like a grippier nose piece and rubber lined temples to make the glasses really stay in place well. 

 
The nose piece is the same one found on the Zyon and Genetyk models and is both wide and adjustable.  The grippy temples also help to keep them in place and resist sweat much better than the all plastic temples of the Sportmask.  Without the added rigidity of a full frame the glasses have more flex and in order to stay in place they need to have a solid grip where they rest on your nose and over your ears. 

The lenses are also interchangeable and can be swapped out by simply pivoting the temples up and away from the nosepiece as shown here (the nosepiece stays attached to the lens).  This is a small thing, but it means that I'm more likely to wear these glasses because I can run different lenses relatively easily.  Most of the time I've been running the yellow lenses as shown here.

The Hypermask is equally at home on the road as it is in the woods.  I really came to enjoy the great peripheral vision in every riding situation and felt that I could see more of the terrain.  Coupled with their low weight it's easy to forget that you're wearing them.

Over the winter I also used these for skiing which means that the temples need to stick to a wool hat in order to stay on my head.  It's a good test to see how well glasses can stay in place, and the Hypermask held on flawlessly for several long ski outings. 


During spring road rides when I was wearing a cycling cap I ran the temples under the helmet straps and tucked under the hat to keep them in place.  That approach worked remarkably well even if it meant deviating from my usual glasses over the helmet approach. 

 
So what's the downside?  They do still slip around a little as the sweat rate goes up, but it's not terrible and can be minimized by properly setting up the nose piece. The lack of a frame also means that if you drop the Hypermask you are likely to damage the lens so be careful when removing them during rolling wardrobe changes or while removing your helmet to make trailside pit stops.

I'd definitely recommend the Rudy Project Hypermask.  With the improved temples and nose along with the interchangeable lenses these are a great option for on and offroad adventures (nordic skiing too, actually).

For more information visit www.rudyprojectusa.com