Tifosi Moab Review

Tifosi has made a name for itself by creating quality sunglasses that don't cost all of your allowance. Over the past several years, we've tested several pairs of their cycling shades and often found them to offer 90% of the performance of top performers at half the price. The Moab is their latest sport-style iteration, recommended for everything from shredding single track to tossing a baseball back and forth.

Lens Quality

The Moab can be purchased with a set of three lenses or a single Fototec (photochromatic) lens with a wide range of variable light transition. We chose the Clarion Red Fototec lenses, which enhance the colors you're most likely to encounter while riding trails and ripping through the understory. A cylindrical lens provides wide coverage, and optically decentered technology means that the lenses don't have a sweet spot of clarity; instead, they minimize distortion and magnification that can occur with a wide lens.

With a variable light transition that ranges from 14% to 64%, the tint is perfect for pre-dawn rides but quickly adjusts to handle full sun riding. The transition isn't quite as fast as we witnessed on the Julbo Density, but riding in and out of shadowy sections of trail presented no issues with visibility. The shatterproof lens is constructed from polycarbonate and held up well to our “toss 'em in the helmet” abuse.

Fit and Comfort

The Moab is a relatively comfortable pair of shades. They have a typical weight for their price and performance, and use a fully adjustable hydrophilic rubber nose piece that isn't affected by perspiration. The Moab is marketed as having adjustable earpieces, and while you can bend them, they can only be moved in one direction. If you want them to wrap the back of your skull, you can form them, but they can't be molded around the ear. The fit is large; your main tester, who has a 61cm head, found them to offer a pinch-free fit. The nose piece can be adjusted to position the lens either further or closer to your face.

Coverage

Tifosi provides full coverage with the Moab's cylindrical lens. While that coverage can come at a cost, namely fogging and airflow, vents in the upper and lower corners of the lens provide enough ventilation. At high speeds, there was never enough air ingress to be distracting, even on higher-speed road bike descents. The lens is large enough that you don't notice the rim of the frames while peering down into your cockpit or scoping a line at low speeds. There were no places in our field of vision that we wished for more lens or coverage, and since they're vented so well, there were no times we wished they were smaller. The top of the frame's shape integrated perfectly with all the helmets we used them with during testing. One tester noted that the height of the lens above the nose piece was too high with their Poc Cularis helmet, causing the helmet's weight to push downward on the nose piece.

The fit is great for road or trail cycling, but the Clarion Red lens pulls up colors found off-road and is a better fit for off-road riding. Riders looking for road bike sunglasses should check out the Clarion Gold Fototec lens or opt for the three-lens option and trade them out at will.

Frame Quality

Tifosi makes the Moab frame out of Grilamid TR90 thermoplastic, which is a popular choice for performance eyewear. It's lightweight, durable, and relatively inexpensive, making it an obvious choice for many manufacturers. While we've experienced some Grilamid frames that felt a bit more flexible, it's not an attribute we would ascribe to the Moab. This frame feels rigid; you don't get the same level of comfort you do from the Oakley Sutro Lite or Julbo Density. The nose and ear pieces use a grippy hydrophilic rubber to add comfort and prevent slippage. While we were quite fond of the nose pieces' adjustability, the ear pieces' limited flexibility didn't accommodate all of our testers' ears very well.

The frame shape is a straightforward perimeter, making it pretty simple to swap the lens out. Since we were testing the Fototec lens, there was no need to remove it, but those opting for the triple lens package will appreciate the ease of use.

Field Performance

These are excellent sunglasses for riding with a good combination of coverage, ventilation, and optics. Testers loved the trail contrast viewed through the Clarion Red lens, saying it contributed to enhanced perception and, during fall colors, created a “surreal view that made everything in the forest prettier.” We think these are a great option for mountain bikers, provided they don't interfere with your helmet. If the earpieces sat on top of our retention system, even a small amount of helmet movement caused the glasses to shift, which felt disconcerting and uncomfortable on the tops of our ears. No one wants to buy a new helmet to accommodate their shades. Notably, Tifosi has a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try them risk-free.

Style

Style is pretty subjective, and we're of the opinion that form follows function. Might you look like a pro wrestler to your non-cycling friends? Sure, but the design of these sunglasses protects your eyes, gives you a wide field of view, and doesn't fog up on low-speed climbs in the heat. They're available in ten different colors with numerous lens options. If you'd prefer less frame, Tifosi offers a Moab-Lite that does without the bottom of the frame.

Case Quality

The Moab includes a semi-rigid zippered case and a microfiber storage bag that doubles as a cleansing cloth. The case feels small enough to be convenient and rugged enough that you needn't take extra precautions when packing up your bike bag for a trip.

Value

This is where Tifosi has made a name for itself, with quality shades that don't cost so much that you're stressed out about taking them on a ride. Given the high-quality optics, good photochromatic performance, and relative comfort, the Maob is a great buy. The larger fit likely makes them a more compelling option for riders who have to choose the large-sized helmets.

Conclusion