A really solid choice for year-round riding, both on and off road
Pros
+
Big lenses give excellent coverage
+
Clear lens included
+
Soft touch frames feel luxe
Cons
-
HiPER lens doesn't perform as well as some in low light
-
Brow sits a little close to face
You can trust Cyclingnews
Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.
In my seasonal quest to coagulate all the best cycling glasses in one place, I’m revisiting a pair I’ve had in my usual rotation for close to two years now. 100% as a brand rocketed onto the scene a good handful of years ago now with the high profile sponsorship of Peter Sagan (anyone remember the podium goggles?), and a young, but still prolific, Mathieu van der Poel.
Now the brand has settled back somewhat, becoming a staple of the market as opposed to a new upstart, and sponsors the Movistar team and Lidl-Trek. Two of its models, the S3 and the Hypercraft, made it into my overall guide, and today we’re going to tackle the older of the two, the S3.
After nearly two years, with use both in summer and in winter, I’m pretty confident in assuring you this is a quality set of shades. Where do they shine, and where, if anywhere, have they been found wanting?
Image 1 of 3
The arms are straight, with no ear hook.(Image credit: Will Jones)
From the front they look rather flat-faced, but the lenses are quite wrapped.(Image credit: Will Jones)
The 'soft tact' finish on these ones is particularly lovely.(Image credit: Will Jones)
Design and aesthetics
Despite the best efforts of Geraint Thomas, large, single-lens cycling glasses are here to stay. The 100% S3 fits this billing, with a half-frame setup, though the nose gripper does extend further along the base of the lens than most, purely for an aesthetic touch.
The lens itself is one of the largest I’ve had on test. It’s slightly larger than the Oakley Sutro but is still dwarfed by the genuinely titanic POC Devour. The lower half of the lens is angled, a little like the Sutro Lite Sweep, but not to quite the same degree.
Visually it’s a much more angular package than the Sutros, which to my mind is its main competitor. There is something about them that seems to hark back to the brand's heritage in motocross; you could imagine this shape but with a big strap around the back of your head.
Like the majority of Oakley cycling glasses, the arms are straight, designed to wrap around your head rather than hook onto your ears. The arm and nose grippers themselves actually feel smooth, rather than tacky, but we’ll get into how they grip later on. The whole frame, on my test pair at least, is the ‘soft tact’ finish, which is another way of saying it has a smooth matte, rather than glossy finish, rather than implying they are particularly diplomatic when breaking bad news. It’s lovely and makes them feel more premium, so if you can opt for it I would recommend it.
The colours here are clearly a pretty unapologetic nod to the classic Gulf Racing livery of yesteryear. But there are a myriad of other options to choose from, though the lens you get will vary - Here I have the HiPER Silver Mirror lens, which is a classic modern lens utilising an orange base tint to add contrast and a less transmissive outer coating to reduce the brightness. Whichever one you get though, you’ll also have a clear lens in the box.
Image 1 of 3
If you've got a small head, like me, then the brow will sit very close to your helmet.(Image credit: Will Jones)
After over two years the lenses, mucky fingerprints aside, have stood up extremely well. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Again, if you have a small head then the arms may foul on helmet cradles, but they are flat enough that it isn't always a massive issue even if it does occur. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Performance
A big lens means big coverage, and that’s what you get here. They sit relatively high on the face, with the brow about as high as it could be before starting to bounce off the brim of my helmet which is something I absolutely detest happening. The brow actually tended to just touch my eyebrows if I wore them right up at the top of my nose, but not quite enough for it to become an annoyance. Nudge them down a fraction and it's problem solved.
In terms of grip, they’re pretty tenacious, despite my initial misgivings on the material of the grippers. They aren’t quite so secure as Oakley’s ‘Unobtanium’ grippers, but the frame itself and the arms are sufficiently stiff for the S3 to grip your face well enough that they never thought about ejecting unexpectedly, even from my small head. The arms, though long enough to interfere with some helmet cradles, are flat enough that when this does happen it isn’t such an issue as with some other glasses.
The hinges have stayed smooth after two years, and don’t click into place so the glasses themselves don’t feel overly rigid. Everything still looks pretty new despite the abuse I’ve thrown at them - they get used for filthy gravel rides as much as they do pristine road ones. The matte finish on the frames does hold mud a little more, but not to the extent it was ever an issue, and nothing a run under the tap wouldn't fix.
The coverage and wind protection are excellent. Given the lenses' height, they work well even in extremely aggressive positions. The HiPER lens too is excellent, though despite all the right characteristics it isn’t as good in low light as the benchmark Oakley Prizm Road lenses.
The flip side to this is that these come with a clear lens, which many glasses eschew nowadays, which has meant I’ve been able to use these year-round where I’d have to eventually swap other glasses out. The clear lens, too, has been excellent for muddy winter riding even in daylight, where I’d be concerned about scratching the coating off the main lens. The lens swapping process, I’m also pleased to report, is extremely easy and quick. Simply pull the nose piece off, and then pull the lens down while gripping the frame and pop, out it comes.
That being said, I have got the lenses pretty filthy, and the outer lens coating has remained scratch-free. Aside from the odd spot of mud, they are essentially as good as new, which is a testament to their durability.
Adding a clear lens really opens these up for year-round riding. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Value
Cycling glasses pricing tends to fluctuate a fair bit. New models are usually quite expensive and then drop off quite quickly as they are superseded by newer models. Even at full price (£130/$150 or so), I think these represent good value, given the year-round use proposition, but you can pick them up nowadays for under £80 in some colours.
I would suggest the HiPER lenses are the ones to opt for, and it’s worth paying a bit extra for them if you’re torn between pairs.
Verdict
Not yet an elder statesman of the cycling glasses world, but very much worthy of being described as a mainstay. Great coverage, quality aesthetics, comfortable and durable. The lenses aren’t quite top-tier, but with the included clear lens you’ll get more use out of them if you still ride outdoors when the sun has dipped below the horizon. Of all the glasses I’ve tested the 100% S3 is probably the best option for winter.
In moderately low light I opted for clear, and when riding off-road I usually just slapped the clear lens in too so I avoided scratching the main lens. (Image credit: Will Jones)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Testing scorecard and notes
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Design and aesthetics
Good looking and durable, with easy lens swaps
8/10
Field of vision
These lenses are big, so you rarely get a glimpse of the frames
9/10
Lens performance
Not quite top of the line, but not bad by any respect
7/10
Comfort and retention
Not as grippy as some, but never felt floppy or came off
8/10
Value for money
With the extra lens they represent good value, even better if you can find them on sale
Will joined the Cyclingnews team as a reviews writer in 2022, having previously written for Cyclist, BikeRadar and Advntr. He’s tried his hand at most cycling disciplines, from the standard mix of road, gravel, and mountain bike, to the more unusual like bike polo and tracklocross. He’s made his own bike frames, covered tech news from the biggest races on the planet, and published countless premium galleries thanks to his excellent photographic eye. Also, given he doesn’t ever ride indoors he’s become a real expert on foul-weather riding gear. His collection of bikes is a real smorgasbord, with everything from vintage-style steel tourers through to superlight flat bar hill climb machines.
