GamJams Reviews - Sunglasses: Kaenon Kore

But first, a medical update. I've been under some pressure from my lovely wife to go and have a checkup, my last one having been sometime in the before time - the long long ago. As I am approaching that age where the doctor's fingers spend less time in his lab coat pocket during checkups, I relented and went. Pending results of my urine, blood and PSA (my dad had prostate cancer, so they're going to start checking my levels earlier than for most), I am the picture of health. Blood pressure is 110/67 which is on the normal side of normal, I am still a shade under 6'1" tall (this gets important soon - old people shrink!) and am a fit and trim 166 pounds. Racing cyclists is about the only American demographic on which I am anything but to the extreme left of that bell curve. I do not have a hernia and can pee and cough on demand. My reflexes are fine and my lungs are as clear as a bell. I can't wait to find out my haematocrit level later in the week. Last year when they did blood work for my operation it was at 42%, so I guess it's my fault if (that) I suck.

Towards that end (me sucking), I have been working on a few things which seem to be bearing fruit. I definitely fall victim to the folly of training what you're good at, so I probably spend too much time on threshold and tempo efforts and definitely not enough time on the short bursts that actually produce results. My version of Tuesdays with Morrie has lately been Tuesdays with Brickyard. I love Brickyard. Last night I tried to big ring Brickyard. It hit me with a slap chop like I've never before known. The other one I like is the Mass Ave hill that the 7am does. That one's my beyotch, I cane it on that mother, and it's like a perfect two minute interval (yes I can do it faster but not 7 times in succession).

On to the shades. My favorite pair of shades ever is the Kaenon Kore.

I have them with the darkest copper lenses. They protect your eyes from hazards both seen and unseen, have unbelievable optical clarity, they are light and they don't really fog very easily at all. They cost bank. We used to get a good deal on them through the wife's old job and sailing channels, but no mas. My current pair is probably 6 years old and I've kept them in near perfect condition simply because I love them. There is one spot on them where my caustic nasty sweat burned a hole in the lens mirror treatment. It's not in the direct field of vision so I don't worry about it all that much.

The other pair I like is the Smith Threshold.

These are about the same size as the Kores and do similar protective duty. The lenses aren't as good, but they have 4 pairs of lenses - clear, yellow, copper, and brown polarized. Yellow is the nuts for rainy and overcast, and copper non-polarized is really good for mountain biking. The lenses are replaceable so it they get dinged up it's no hanging matter, no capitol crime.

The old school pair that I sometimes bust out are the Brikos.

That's right, I've got a pair of these. I bought them originally for mountain biking and because they were the biggest glasses you could get so I wouldn't lose my contacts every time I went windsurfing or sailing on a fast boat that kicked up a lot of spray. They are still awesome although the lenses are a little roughed up. When I'm feeling hip enough to gel my hair and smoke a butt on the bike, I rock them.

Here's a random old picture of me and the lady sailing on a fast boat that I developed.

For those who might know, that's Bristol Harbor, and I am wearing a pair of sunglasses not mentioned in this review. I don't ever remember having a yellow dry top. Maybe it's one I bequeathed to my mom a long time. Being sponsored by a sailing clothes company rules - at least when you are sailing a lot.

Greenbelt tonight.