The Smith Pivlock V90 Max hit the market last year and quickly gained favor with riders due to their interchangeable lens system, lightweight design, and large single lens. Recently Smith introduced their Pivlock Rx Adaptor to add even more versatility to the V90 Max.

The Smith Pivlock V90 Max feature three parts - a single lens, nosepiece and temples. All three make up their proprietary Pivlock system. For the single lens, Smith uses a 7 base lens curvature along with Smith’s proprietary Sweat Seal Hydrocoating. The temples are constructed using lightweight and durable Grilamid TR90 plastic. To prevent the V90 Max from slipping, Smith employs their hydrophilic Megol rubber for the nosepiece and temple socks. The Pivlock V90 Max frames are available in a wide variety of colors including black, brown, crystal, gunmetal and smoke frames, while lens options include brown, gray, mirror, ignitor, platinum, brown, and clear.

The Pivlock system makes for a lightweight set of glasses but also makes swapping and cleaning lenses easy. The optics on the Smiths are perfect with no distortion. This is impressive considering the large size and coverage of the Pivlock V90 Max. The V90 Max one-piece lens is large and provides good protection from wind, dirt and water. The V90 Max are lightweight and comfortable, while the minimal frame design keeps the weight down to a feathery 25-grams. Smith didn’t cut any corners to save weight and equipped the Pivlock V90 Max with hinged temples. This makes for easy storage in a jersey pocket or hanging from the back of a jersey collar.

The Pivlock Rx Adaptor prescription insert clips in behind the large single lens and is virtually unnoticeable when looking at the glasses. The optics of the prescription lenses is first rate with a wide visual field and no distortion. The best part of Pivlock Rx Adaptor is that the prescription insert can be used with any standard Pivlock V90 or Pivlock V90 Max lenses. This gives the user several lens tint and color options with little added expense.

After months of testing we have discovered two drawbacks with the Pivlock Rx Adaptor. The first is the prescription insert pushes the frames and lens further away from the rider's face and on some caused the glasses to slip down the nose. The other drawback is the plastic rims of the inserts reflect light and can create bright spots if sunlight seeps in the top or sides.

The Pivlock V90 Max is a solid mix of lightweight, comfort and crystal clear optics. Add in the convenience of the Pivlock Rx Adaptor and the Pivlock V90 Max become a must consider item for any cyclist – especially those that require prescription glasses. The Pivlock V90 Max run $139.00 with three lenses, while the prescription insert runs $49.95 with prescription lenses starting at $180.00. For more information visit www.smithoptics.com.