Enduro21 tests the Oakley Airbrake off-road goggles with the optically perfect and vision enhancing Prizm lens to help see better while riding in lower light conditions – can they stand the test of Red Bull Romaniacs?

Packing all the right tech details for a premium set of off-road goggles and ensuring they stand out with their design and delivering them in a sweet little goggle case made these Oakley Airbrake Off-Road Prizm off-road goggles beg for a real world Enduro21 test.

For all that bling we didn’t put them on a shelf like a trophy but put instead them to a proper off-road test which has included a range of riding conditions and a week in Romania at the 2025 Red Bull Romaniacs – off-road kit tests don’t come much tougher than that.

Premium price tag goggles (from around the £120/$150-mark for standard Airbrake up to £180/$220 for special editions like the “Sexton” set tested) should come with a high spec list and these do.

That includes impact and UV resistant lens, smart lens change system, optically correct lens with anti-fog, multi-layer foam on the inside, For added bling the model we tested has Oakley’s Prizm lens which enhances contrast across different light conditions and are the special edition Chase Sexton model in the Airbrake range with unique design on the strap and included goggle bag and Sexton’s number. 

They say:

With high-impact resistance that makes you invincible, this is the first ever MX design with a lens of pure Plutonite, the new standard of protection. Oakley Switchlock Technology is the secret to fast and easy lens changing. The view is wide open, the comfort is beyond reason and the performance leaves other goggles scrambling for second place.

Technical highlights:

• Available with Prizm Lens Technology (as accessory lens option) - engineered to enhance contrast so you can see more detail in terrain across a variety of light conditions.

• Switchlock Lens Change Technology for fast and easy lens interchangeability

• Injection-molded Plutonite High-Impact lens material provides 100% protection against UVA / UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm

• Optically correct lens with F3 Anti-fog coating

• Rigid exoskeleton with flexible O Matter faceplate conforms to your face comfortably

• Triple-layer face foam fleece to wick away sweat (removable & serviceable)

• Interchangeable & adjustable 4mm strap with silicone lining for a more secure fit

• Engineered to fit securely with most helmets without compromising fit

• Includes a stack of 7 laminated tear-offs, removable nose guard, outrigger strap attachments for tear-offs, microbag for storage and lens cleaning

• Meets EN 1938 standard for eyewear protection

Model tested: Prizm MX sapphire iridium lenses, Chase Sexton signature strap

We say:

That’s a lot of spec for a set of goggles but when the retail price is high you should expect it. The good news is they deliver on that promise.

A batch of days riding enduro and lapping at our local track means they’ve seen a bit of everything including different weather conditions and types of off-road – more flowing and less stressed, some hard enduro workouts and fast enduro tests between the trees, days when we were on and off the bike a lot testing other things and so on.

Romaniacs was the big test though, with temperatures warm in mainland Europe at that time of year and with a lot of riding in the trees, gettign hot and dusty at some times, hauling the big Yamaha Tenere (a bit too much!), some heavy rain and in mountain clouds.

The main point we're making here is they got a general beating only off-road event like that can serve up. The reality of Romaniacs means the goggles are on and off the helmet many times a day too which is testing goggle strap durability, plus the obvious stuff while riding: lens impact, comfort on the face, anti-fog coating, moisture wicking ability, lens removal and how well they coped with a hotel shower wash and dry overnight on a windowsill.

In and out the trees

Apart from wanting to see if the Oakley Airbrakes are tough enough to put up with hard enduro on an adventure bike, we were keen to find out how they work in changing light conditions of a race which famously puts riders in wildly different riding conditions.

The Prizm lens option is a big sell to us with so much of our riding going in an out of the trees and in different light conditions. A typical day in Romania can see you riding across dusty, open fields, through dense pine forests in the low cloud or 1000s of metres high in crystal clear mountain sunshine – you need a versatile goggle lens tint.

* Note, the camera doesn’t do the rider’s eye view justice and this appears more orange in the image below than it is in reality.

Spotting the hazards

The Prizm Lens Technology is an accessory lens option but claims to enhance contrast so you can see more detail in terrain across a variety of light conditions. The lenses are also optically correct, are constructed from high-impact material and claim 100% protection against UVA / UVB / UVC & harmful blue light up to 400nm.

Romaniacs couldn’t have tested these elements any better and the simplistic summary is they help you pick out the shapes of the stuff in front of you better and you have more chance of spotting the hazards.

The contrast between bright sunshine and dark, dense forest was huge at times through the Romaniacs race days. Being able to see as you plummet into a forest trail really is “enhanced” and the ability for the eyes to adjust is noticeably improved by the Prizm lens.

It worked well in rocky Romanian ravines too, helping spot the shape of dark rocks in the streams or picking out the roots poking out the mud of a wet climb out the river.

It also helps clarify the shapes and bumps of a grassy field, for example, or a well-used trail where ruts or G-out holes can catch you out at speed if you don’t spot them.

That optically perfect claim rings true also with no distortion or weirdness from inside the lens when you’re eyes are scanning.

Oakley’s recommendations for their different lenses

Choose your lens

The thing which makes them great going into dark trees from bright sunshine, works the other way around and it does seem extra bright when you pop back into the sunshine. If anything, the contrast is almost too much when you jump back out the woods into the bright sunshine. But we’d trade that for the better visibility under the canopy and in low-light.

The blue Prizm lens is designed for partially cloudy conditions, if you want more sunlight protection there are dark lens options – and of course lighter and clear options if there is no sunshine. 

It’s also reassuring they are UV protective too with so many hours on the trail in bright sunshine.

Tough lens test 

We’re not sure if it is just us cutting too close to the trees but the amount of times you get whacked in the face by a finger-sized branch in Romaniacs is unreal.

The worst ones are those which are half snapped off or long-since dead and have been sticking around since the tree was young at dirt bike rider head height. Invisible in the browness of a pine forest ground level, they are perfectly hidden and positioned to clatter a guy on a dirt bike.

Does the high-impact protection claim stand up to scrutiny? Hell yes.

Lens protector is a must

We also fitted a protector film (Oakley’s own optional extra) over the lens which took care of keeping that sweet iridium blue surface nice during all the hours of wiping with gloves, getting rocks in the face and that tree branch whacking.

We had a pack of spares but this one protector shown is the same one we fitted at 5:30am on day one, ahead of the city prologue. It’s taken a couple of dings from stones thrown up following other riders but lasted amazingly well and we’d highly recommend fitting one.

Tough testing

The whole Romaniacs event means the goggles came on and off the helmet more than enough to test the durability of the elastic and how well the surface copes with being pulled, stretched, snagged and grabbed.

They also got spun round on the helmet countless times when the going suddenly got tough or while hauling an adventure bike up a long, rocky climb. For all that there’s very little sign on the outside of the strap which still look almost like new.

Inside has some bobbling but there’s no sign of the strap losing its elasticity and overall they’ve taken the hard times well with the smart blue outriggers and the frame looking good.

Ventilation and comfort

How well a goggle ventilates and keeps the body heat out, plus comfort through a six hour riding day is another element well tested in Romania.

It’s quickly easy to get hot and bothered inside your helmet when struggletown arrives and no goggle can outlast the fuming heat of a rider who’s picking a bike up for the fifth time in three minutes.

In conditions where you’re in the cloud at the same time I’s a hard task for any goggle lens. Which is to say they did fog up eventually in the toughest moments which is why we were spinning them on the helmet.

The anti-fog coating was tested to the max a couple of times and it did that slow creeping in around the edges thing as body heat contrasts with the lens temperature rather than suddenly fogging up.

You’d expect the same from any goggles and always make sure the goggles are clean and dry at the start of the riding day to maintain best possible anti-fog-ability.

We’d say airflow seems greater with some other goggle brands. Looking at the foam between the frame and the face foam it is a little denser than some. But there’s a trade-off to that in that these work better at higher speeds.

As for fit it’s simple and comfortable with the triple layer foam without any blasts of air coming in around the eyes and a nice snug size fit in the helmet aperture.

Enduro21 Verdict

Overall, we’re impressed with these goggles. Put simply they look good and they help you see better.

Not everyone needs the added bling aspect of the Chase Sexton editions (they also do Eli Tomac or Troy Lee Designs and more special options, check out the link below) but they do look great for it and besides, the blue matched the Yamaha at Romaniacs.

We were glad of the times the tough lens protected from tree branches and stones, really appreciated the clarity of vision from the Prizm option particularly when rushing into the trees when light contrast was massive, plus noticed how well they fitted inside the helmet aperture at speed on the road and when it rained heavily. 

The general harsh treatment of a multi-day race also tested the durability and we’ve since kept using these in enduro to find they’ve worked just as well.

We highly recommend a lens protector as well to keep that Prizm iridium coating looking good. The Prizm lenses themselves were great in those plunging into the darkness conditions and genuinely seem to help pick out details in the forest – for example you can see the shape of a tree trunk, a rock in a river or a hole in the ground more clearly. 

The only thing is they do seem extra bright when you pop back into the sunshine but there are darker lens options and obviously clear ones to choose from.

You can obviously find lower price point goggles in this world, Oakley have different options in their catalogue, but this set certainly feel like you get what you pay for.

If you want goggles which help you see better and pick out the details on the track or trail in front of you, these work.

Goggle tested: Oakley Airbrake Chase Sexton Edition with Prizm Sapphire iridium lens and signature strap

RRP: £181.00

More information: www.oakley.com