After a little bit of digging, Cyclingnews understands that these are likely to be known as Oakley Kato.
Oakley, a market leader in the sunglasses space, is widely accepted as a manufacturer of some of the best cycling glasses available and they're not afraid of pushing the boundaries of design, a fact that is proven here with the Kato, with their single wraparound lens that will be sure to divide opinions.
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Stock images of the sunglasses, which are rumoured to be called Oakley Kato(Image credit: Getty Images)
There's no official line on the number of designs to be made available(Image credit: Getty Images)
A traditional nose piece can be seen through this particular lens(Image credit: Getty Images)
There is no official news surrounding launch dates(Image credit: Getty Images)
They are frameless, and therefore, it is the lens that does much of the heavy lifting when it comes to the design of these shades. Easily the standout feature is the nose-piece area of the lens which is shaped around the rider's nose. From images shared on the O-review forum, it looks as though there is a nose-piece built into the lens to aid fit and comfort, but that does nothing to negate the divisive aesthetic. With that said, rumours suggest there may be an alternative pair available which foregoes the bump in favour of a traditional nose piece.
The brow of the lens steps up in a similar fashion to Oakley's Flight Jacket sunglasses, but for the Kato, it features an outward leaning lip. As for why, we're not entirely sure, but our prediction is that this section could be an airflow play, enabling (or preventing) airflow as necessary to prevent misting in the absence of vents.
The trailing edge of the lens extends into a point, not all that dissimilar to the brand's Radar and M2 frames, but with particularly sharper finishing point, which is also backed up by an additional piece of plastic, which - another prediction - looks to be designed to direct airflow around the ears.
The glasses came to the public eye after Chris Froome posted a particularly unsubtle, close-up photograph on social media, however, the sunglasses have already picked up a WorldTour win, thanks to Sam Bennett's Stage 4 win into Ejea de los Caballeros on Friday.
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A launch date is as yet unknown, but Cyclingnews has reached out to Oakley for additional details and will bring you further details as and when they become available.
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
