Seasoned cyclist Matt Ray delivers his verdict on the Oakley Kato Trail Torch, equipped with lenses fine-tuned to deal with fast-changing off-road conditions.
The Oakley Kato Trail Torch is featured in our guide to the best cycling glasses. Matt tested every pair by clocking up significant distances across a range of terrains and conditions – riding on road, gravel and dirt trails, and in bright, overcast and inclement conditions. Only the best performing specs across a range of conditions made it into our comprehensive guide. So, read on to see why these glasses made the cut.
Men’s Fitness verdict
The Oakley Kato Trail Torch is equipped with lenses fine-tuned to deal with the fast-changing light of off-road riding, and they excel in low-light conditions.- Incredible clarity
- Low light performance
- Next-level coverage
- Prohibitively pricey
- Not for the brightest days
How we test cycling glasses
Our cycling product testers Matt Ray and Laurence McJannet put each pair through their paces, wearing them on extended rides on a variety of terrain and different lighting conditions to see which were best for overcast, bright and changing light and whether they shone particularly on road or off-road cycling sessions. They looked at comfort and fit, lens quality and ventilation, as well as price, availability, product options and durability before awarding an overall score.
Oakley is known for its road performance, so it was a pleasant surprise to find an off-road focused lens that could also hang on the tarmac on cloudier days. But where these sunglasses really shone was in the mixed lighting conditions of wood-shrouded trails.
Oakley Kato Trail Torch features
The challenge for gravel and mountain bikers lies not just in switching between exposed trails and blasting along underneath a canopy of trees, it also lies in how the latter trails quickly strobe between shade and sunlight.
I tested the Oakley Kato Trail Torch on a fast gravel ride through Epping Forest, where the ground was baked hard, and the sun was high, sending shafts of light down through the branches overhead. The lens dealt admirably with the sudden shifts of light in these high contrast conditions.
These Katos have a lightly mirrored finish and let in a generous 35% of light. I found that this counterintuitive combo succeeded where most shades failed, allowing me to keep wearing them in low, shifting light while avoiding getting mud in my eye (or dust, at least).
The innovative lens profile also gave me a wide view, free from the visual distractions of frame and nose pieces, which gave me a better chance to spot fine details on the trail. And the supplied interchangeable nose pieces gave me a comfortably custom fit.
Oakley Kato Trail Torch performance
The high-contrast Prizm lens of the Oakley Kato Trail Torch really did light up the path on a sunny off-road ride though the trees, but these sunglasses pull double duty for mixed conditions on the road, too – just don’t expect them to cope with the brightest days.
What other cycling glasses should I consider?
If, however, you do indeed live somewhere where it’s sunny all the time, Panda Fixed Sport glasses with the Hot Ice lenses should be on your wishlist. At the very least, you should give them a try. Panda has a wealth of experience dealing with bright blue skies and glistening terrain, thanks to its background in ski goggle manufacturing. So, when I put them to the test on a bright summer’s day, they thoroughly impressed.
That said, those glasses aren’t the sort that will work for you every day of the year, if you live in a region where the weather and light is far more changeable. In that case, you need more of an all-rounder: something like the Rapha Pro Team Frameless glasses. These wonderfully stylish glasses have substance too, offering excellent peripheral vision, good ventilation, and top-notch clarity. You’ll want to be a bit careful with them though, especially if you’ve got butter fingers – the lack of frame may look cool, but it does mean the lens is more vulnerable.
On the opposite end of the design spectrum, you’ll find the framed, dual-lens Oakley Plazma. They may look comparatively old-school, but trust me, the polarization technology that these glasses are packing is anything but outdated. In fact, this Plazma pair earned five stars from me due to the sheer clarity of vision you get while wearing them. They are in fact my top pick – the only thing you need to consider is whether you personally get on with polarized lenses. If not, the experience may be somewhat bothersome if your eyes catch flares.
So, really it depends what sort of conditions you’re going to be cycling in most often. As I say, if you’re a frequent woodland rider, the Oakley Kato Trail Torch is well up to the task. But if you cycle on different terrain, perhaps consider some of the other glasses I’ve mentioned above.
| Light transmission | 35% |
| Features | Adjustable rake, swappable nose pads |
| Lens colors | 7 colors available |
| Frame colors | 6 colors available |
