The meteoric rise of One Hundred Percent

One Hundred Percent crushes it on style. But how do they stack-up against established players like Oakley’s latest and greatest, the Flight Jackets, on fit, performance and style? Is 100% the heir-apparent to cycling’s lucrative eyewear biz?

Having ridden Oakley’s Flight Jackets for weeks, I was excited to get a look at 100%’s and compare the two on aesthetics and performance. Like Oakley, 100% traces its roots to action sports, in their case, motocross and racing, and since 2010 when the brand was bought (the company actually dates back to 1982 but was then focused entirely on gravity sports and motocross), has applied that spirit to their designs - first with mountain biking, and now road.

The Speedcraft - probably the pair to register in the minds of most when thinking 100% - come out of the box with the company’s “HiPer” orange lens (made by French manufacturer, Dalloz), a spare nose pad, clear lenses, hard case and cloth lens bag. Immediately noticeable when handling the Speedcraft (SoftTac Day Glo orange and white version worn for this review) is the quality feel of the frames, a soft, tacky grilamid that’s velvety on the fingers and distinguishable from harder resins (which the company uses on other models). Also noticeable is the size of the lens, something we’ll address later on.

Oakley’s Flight Jacket comes with their signature hard case, one lens, additional nose pad and sunglass arms to customize length.  Retail on the Speedcraft is $195. For the Oakley Flight Jackets, retail starts at $223.

Both the Prizm and HiPer lenses have an illuminating quality to their fields of view; roads are crisper, sunlight is more vibrant, riding in daylight just looks more vibrant.

Both the Speedcraft and Flight Jacket are made for larger face types. If you wear a medium or large helmet, this means you. Both come with oversized lenses that protect the face from bugs and road debris, particularly at high speed - - something you just don’t get with more compact lens shapes. Also both the Prizm and HiPer lenses have an illuminating quality to their fields of view; roads are crisper, sunlight is more vibrant, riding in daylight just looks more vibrant. It’s difficult to comment specifically on lens quality, one being better than the other, as both the Flight Jackets and Speedcrafts sit at the top of the market. Both create impeccable fields of view thanks in due part to their wide and unobstructed shapes. If you sport a large dome, you’ll enjoy wearing either for these reasons.

From outside edge to edge, the Speedcrafts measure large at 5.7 inches; the Flight Jackets a similar 5.5 inches. Lens height is 2.6 and 2.4 inches, respectively. One slight advantage to the Speedcraft is the arm shape; the elongated curve hugs the face better than the Oakleys. Otherwise on fit, both are excellent with minimal movement when putting out big efforts in the drops.

Oakley’s Flight Jackets are particularly innovative on two accounts: the first is their decision to go rimless at the top of the frame. This enables excessive airflow on the face when riding and virtually eliminates any chance of foggy lenses, even when grinding uphill. They’ve also integrated something called Advancer technology, effectively a button on the bridge that allows for even more airflow in circumstances where it’s required. The Prizm lens used by Oakley is the stuff of modern legend and noticeably different from a lot of what’s available in market. Vision clarity is almost without parallel; you’d have to struggle to find fault in quality.

The Speedcrafts go about airflow differently with roughly a thumb’s distance from face to lens, which is more than enough to keep your field of view unobstructed. One Hundred Percent has applied a very simple and elegant approach to the performance of this frame -- it is a very unique shape that sits well on the face, enhances field of vision, and looks good while doing it. The lens quality is also versatile in bright and low light.

Critically -- and deep sigh of relief -- both frames sit well in our helmet (POC Octal) when not in use.

Whereas previously 100%’s business focused only on goggles, in the two years since structuring relationships with Peter Sagan and Mathieu van der Poel and improving upon the initial 2016 Speedcraft design, the company now counts 20 percent of their sales directly from performance eyewear. But, says the company’s CEO, Ludo Boinnard on a call from his California office, the company is more aware of mimicking Oakley’s trajectory than usurping their position atop the eyewear podium.

On looks, both the Speedcrafts and Flight Jackets have few rivals. Rim shapes, lens shapes, lens quality -- matching these up to kit is easy; wearing them is even better.

This is 100%’s second “real” year of building performance eyewear; the Speedcrafts deliver a lot of value, particularly with the second clear low-light lens coming as standard. The value conscious might favour 100% for this reason.

The ride in either frame types requires confidence; they are atypical designs and comment-worthy in pink and orange. In really bright light, if we had to choose, it’s the Flight Jackets. For everyday wear and versatility with style and panache to match, the Speedcrafts. Both are backed by the best riders in the world; it’s easy to see the relationship between style and performance on both.

Like buying a bike, the call is subjective as to which ends up on your face. Larger, rounder face shapes will be blessed by being able to choose either.

State Bicycle's Undefeated II - 2019's best looking track frame

State Bicycle Co. has just released its Black Prism edition Undefeated II frame - an update to their Undefeated I - a track-inspired frame with aero tubing and race geometry that was popular with track riders and commuters.

With the second gen, the bike gets lighter 7005 aluminium tubing, a beefier over-sized tapered head-tube, a black paint job that glitters spectacularly in the sun and a noticeable improvement in ride quality, with stability to spare and the feel of akin to many modern metal geometries.

Fixed-gear crit riders will love this ride. As advertised, the stock build is race-ready, and with a 5mm torque wrench, is assembled and ready in about 45 minutes. The stock Essor USA bolt wheelset is subtle and feels sturdy. To make the bike more road-ready, the company sells the frame with a rear flip-flop hub, front and rear brakes and other features, too, making it immediately versatile as well.

While many will look at the bike and consider it a crit-race machine only, doing so is a mistake. The Undefeated II is a pleasure to ride on asphalt; fast when you put some energy into it and responsive when cornering, too.

While it rides well as a stock bike, many who invest in it will want to upgrade some of the parts. The standard saddle shipped with our test bike, for example, should be swapped for one of the others on offer or an old saddle from a previous build. As a taller rider at 6’1 on the 57cm frame, the 90mm stem shipped with the bike also isn’t great for reach. Trading up for a stock aluminium 110mm stem made the ride a lot more comfortable. Recommended max tire clearance with the frame is 25c in the front, 28c in the rear - plenty for riding this bike, be it on road ride, crits or on the track.

This is a quality ride that is also inexpensive (~925 in the UK). Once the set-up is dialed, which is easy to do with even average wrenching skills (the company recommends having it checked out by a professional mechanic - definitely double check and tighten all the bolts before taking it out), it’s the ride you want if you’re after versatility - a fast commuter, a perfect winter/poor weather training bike, a crit-race machine. With so many options available from State to customize it, you’ll find it a staple for whatever scenario you ride it in.

Continental goes tubeless with release of new GP 5000 TL for road

Continental, the Korbach, Germany-based  tire maker, has just released its next-generation road tire with the GP 5000 TL—its first tubeless tire for road—as well as a clincher version of the same model. The new tire incorporates Black Chili and Vectran Breaker technologies, building on one of cycling’s most popular road tire platforms—the Grand Prix 4000—first introduced by Continental 14 years ago.

A decade after tubeless tires were first made available to the road market, Continental’s decision to finally make a tubeless tire will be seen by many as validation of tubeless technology’s future. At a press event in Tenerife, Spain, spokespeople claimed curiosity about tubeless tech had always existed inside company walls, but its release had been on hold until it could deliver a high-performing tire that provided a stable fitting on rims.

“We don’t just come out with a new tire because the market demands it,” said Continental’s global head of marketing. “We develop tires when we think the timing is right and we have the best technology. With the GP 5000s, we think we have the best technology. We expect riders will get more out of riding tubeless when riding these tires.”

Compared with the GP 4000 S2 tires, the new clinchers are said to offer better rolling resistance (by more than 12 per cent), greater puncture protection (by more than 20 per cent) and are slightly lighter (less than 10 g per tire for the 25 x 622 option). The tubeless versions, modelled on a different construction platform than the clincher, boast five per cent better puncture protection and rolling resistance than the new clincher version (tested without sealant).

“Until this point, tubeless just wasn’t ready for road,” said Jan-Niklas Jünger, product manager, road, for Continental. “Now that’s changed. All technologies combined, this is completely different than what’s currently available in tubeless road tires.”  

In an effort to accelerate the adoption of tubeless technology across all aspects of road cycling, Continental, alongside other tire manufacturers, continues to speak with rim builders and standardization bodies to solidify a universal fitting standard for tubeless tires. Both sides are looking at each other to lead this bureaucratic process. Until there is greater standardization, skeptics claim there will be more asymmetries between tire and rim compatibility, and further adoption delays overall of tubeless by everyday cyclists.

As for UCI adoption of tubeless tires, coming off a season where both the Tour de France and world championships were won on Conti tires, Continental says it continues to collaborate with several teams, continually testing different prototypes. Still, cycling’s elite cite safety and weight as reasons why tubulars are still most commonly used.

As anyone who has fitted tubeless tires on rims will appreciate, each new GP 5000 TL is fit with a refined rubber bead, which supposedly not only makes fitting the tire easier, but aids in the bedding in process, too—definitely something to cheer about. Talking tech specs, the new laser grip technology is said to create a micro profile over the tire’s shoulder that enhances cornering when compared with its predecessor.  

For fans of the Continental GP 4000s, bad news. Production of the popular tire will stop, though small amounts are still available at your local bike shop. Most won’t miss them, however. On a test ride of the GP 5000 TL on buttery smooth roads on the Canary Island, an idyllic playground with perfect tarmac, and on brand new SystemSix bikes from Cannondale, the tires cornered aggressively on a wet descent. Though perhaps not the most rigorous testing environment, the tires were still a pleasure and fun to ride with all the smoothness and durability of the GP 4000s in this long-awaited update.

The GP5000TL is be available in 25, 28, 32mm widths. Signature double dot wear patterns included. Tires are available as of November 8th. Expect to pay over CDN$100 for the tubeless versions. Slightly less for the clincher.