Great value goggles from 100% but I'm not sold on the lens quality
Spare lenses cost just £12 on the affordable 100% Accuri 2 goggles, but they steam up like a kettle
100% is a big player in the cycling eyewear and protection game and a frequent fixture over the eyeballs of top professional riders. In terms of MTB goggles, loads of downhill racers including multiple downhill world champ Loic Bruni race in 100% and French rider Bruni even has his own signature line.
This Accuri 2 is a revamped version of one of the US brand’s more affordable goggles and basically a dual-purpose MTB and moto model that retails for less than half the price of SuperBruni’s Armega (and down to almost £30 for the cheapest versions with a clear lens).
Design and specifications
While the Accuri 2 is decently affordable, it still packs plenty of high-end features like triple-layer face foam for comfort, something pretty much all the best mountain bike goggles use. Drop down the 100% range to the Strata and you’ll pay £15 less cash but basic foam padding and a thicker, silicone-backed strap. The Accuri 2 doesn’t have extender ‘wings’ for broadening the straps like those usually seen on much more expensive goggles though.
The Accuri 2 is sold with a multitude of tinted and coloured lenses or just plain old transparent like I tested here. Whatever lens you choose, there’s the bonus of using same design and tear-off’s as the Racecraft 2 and Strata 2, so it’s easier and cheaper to find replacements while clear lenses are as cheap as £12.
The thicker face foam includes a softer, fluffier layer against skin to wick sweat better and also seal the goggles against skin tightly. The frame isn’t as low profile or airy as something like the Smith Squad or Rhythm I use a lot and is also fully wrapped with foam round the inside edge to keep out bugs and debris. This might be a consequence of sharing a intended use with motocross riders.
The lens itself doesn’t have any vents either, but comes with an anti-fog coating and has an extended portion in the upper centre where you’ll typically be looking further down the trail. There are also two pegs on either side to fit tear offs if you wanted to use it for racing.
Performance
The Acurri isn’t as low profile as some goggles and sits a bit too far off my face in the middle close to the eyes and nose. Because the frame connects on the forehead and cheek bones more positively than at the bridge of the nose, I had to do the strap up tighter to pull the frame in closer in the middle, which also made them feel a bit too hot and oppressive, especially in a full face lid.
Looking through the lens, there is a narrower viewing window compared to something like a Smith Rhythm (that sits closer in to the face) and therefore produces a bit of a letterbox effect. This is particularly so at the top and bottom where you can just see the face foam overlap in the edges of your vision too.
I could live with the marginally restricted view, but 100%’s goggle also suffers from getting very steamy and foggy on damp humid days. This may be because the seal around my nose wasn’t great, but I also think it’s because the lattice frame is fully wrapped in foam that traps condensation and there isn’t any venting in the lens to help steam dry and disperse quickly.
This fogging up aspect means they are too slow to demist in UK winter conditions and on the kind of days where you are essentially inside a cloud in a dank forest. No amount of spinning them round in your hand gets them useable at the top of a trail either, and they stay really steamy.
On the plus side, it’s great that the clear lens on the set I tested is only £12 to replace, but it is also quite easy to scratch and scuff while riding in mud and the wet. The optical clarity and sharpness isn’t that great either. This is especially evident in twilight or on really flat light winter days where it’s really dark in the trees, and that makes it harder to pick out edges. I’d guess 100%’s more expensive coloured lenses will have better optics too.
The cheaper lens is a basic acrylic plastic material and ships flat rather than pre-shaped and it’s not a patch on some of the custom-formed clear lenses on more expensive packages in terms of resisting reflections and being super contrasty. I also cracked it accidentally in transit with two hairline fractures at the bottom edge, although it did remain useable.
Verdict
The 100% Accuri 2 goggle offers decent protection and function, but with something as crucial as seeing where you’re going it doesn’t quite cut it for me compared to pricier options. I’d look elsewhere for the noticeable benefits of minimal visual distractions and a faster demisting time. But the Accuri 2 is at least affordable and very cheap to swap lenses when damaged, so you’ll have to decide if this is cost compromise you’re prepared to make.