Smith Motocross Goggles

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I haven't owned a dirt bike in a long, long time, so I'm definitely a neophyte when it comes to modern off-road riding equipment.

When we decided to review the Shoei VFX-R Air Pastrana 2 motocross helmet (see the wBW review), I had to ask my dirt-riding friends for a recommendation on a good pair of goggles that would fit over my eyeglasses.

They recommended the Smith Option OTG Airflow.  These goggles are designed to fit over eyeglasses, and they supposedly offer more air flow than other goggle designs to help prevent fogging of both the eyeglasses and the removable goggle lens.

The eye opening on motocross helmets are nice and wide for a reason.  The goggles are designed to fit inside the eye opening (the area normally covered by a visor on a full-face street helmet), and the strap fits around the back of the outside of the helmet.  The strap on the Smith goggles have some nice silicone strips that give it a good grip on the helmet's surface and prevent the strap from riding up over the top of the round helmet shell.

I had a problem locating this exact Smith goggle model, but I finally found a pair at RideGear.com.  The Smith goggles fit perfectly over my eyeglasses and they are very comfortable because they have a very thick foam cushion. 

The only problem is that they press against the bridge of my nose, making it hard to breathe and giving me a feeling like I have a mild head cold.  This can be somewhat mitigated by loosening up the strap as much as possible, but if the strap is too loose, it may not hold the goggles in place.

It takes a while to get used to riding with goggles, because their thickness means that peripheral vision is somewhat diminished.  But it didn't take me long to reorient myself, and the combination of the motocross helmet and goggles doesn't really feel that strange.

The Option OTG Airflow goggles seem a bit heavy to me at 138 grams (4-7/8 oz.), but the weight doesn't seem to affect the comfort.  Smith makes goggles with different size frames; the Option OTG Airflow uses the "large" frame, which fits my size XL round head and wide face.  You may want to try on a few pairs of goggles and wear them around the shop for a while to see which one fits best.

Smith claims that the lens is treated with anti-fog coating, but it fogs up rather quickly at very low speeds.  The goggles do seem to clear up very quickly once they receive some air flowing over them.

These goggles are available in clear, black or blue and Smith carries replacement lenses in many different styles and colors. 

As I said, I'm a rookie when it comes to off-road gear, so there may be better goggles out there, but the Smith's are pretty comfortable and they seem reasonably priced, so I'm satisfied.

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