RIVAL frames – A Zeal Optics Review

Growing up as the daughter of a small business owner, I have a soft spot in my heart for the hometown feel when it comes to where I buy things. Whether it is the hole in the wall breakfast spot beside a chain restaurant, a Home Hardware store instead of a big box building supply centre (ok, shameless plug) or the best eye care/wear provider in Waterloo, I will be there in a heartbeat because it was woven into my fabric as a child.

Working with Zeal Optics has been a small business lovers dream. They are owned by a smaller company rather than a large corporation and the representative takes time to sit down, ask about my training and travelling and shares the new designs and photo shoots with absolute pride and care. I am so so stuck on Zeal.

It’s not just that they are a small head office in Colorado that does all their look books with their staff or that their managers begin emails with “How’s it going?” and really mean it. It’s the unusual and incredible designs that they create and the care they take to make sure it is a perfect fit for you. They also offer the only fully biodegradable eyewear and plant based lens on the market.

I received my second pair of Zeals this spring and I went for the sport performance pair this time. They are designed to look as good at a coffee shop as the side of mountain and I always get compliments when I wear them.

I picked out the Rivals because, as my rep put it, they made me look fast!

A couple of weeks ago, I put them to the test and débuted them at my RunWaterloo race.

I enjoyed testing out a different end of the range of Zeals – I love my fashion pair and I was curious to see if they could successfully produce a pair of glasses for athletes to perform in.

They were so light and wrapped around  my face and the blue colour offers the shade of podiums. They are a unique design but they were unobtrusive, light and so subtle that I forgot I was wearing them.

I definitely was sweating hard and they stayed put on my face. They also have a ellume shield with hydrophobic and olephobic coatings for extra protection no matter where I use them. As a trail running, road running, cycling, mountain biking, climbing, swimming adventuress, I am pretty happy to know my sunglasses are working as hard as I am. They are hands down, worth every penny. Support quality and local and look fabulous – it all makes sense.

I also must add that I won the hill climb challenge and podiumed while wearing them. It was totally the frames.

I wear the Rivals in Black frame with Blue Bird Mirror.

What do you look for in your sport sunglasses?