Oakley creates insane new Encoder model by accident, teases new ski-cycling hybrid

Having taken charge of testing all of the best cycling glasses, and then reviewing them all slowly but surely, my target ads and suggested news occasionally throws up something that's actually of interest. Today was one of those days.

Firstly I was suggested an article relating to an award-winning pair of sunglasses that, thanks to a nifty modular strap, could be used for snowsports and more general use. This revealed an upcoming pair of Oakley glasses, so I headed to the Oakley website to investigate. Sadly I didn’t find anything on the so-called “Flex Scape”, though I have enough information from the award article itself to give you a detailed sneak preview. What I did find, however, slapped right across the homepage, is perhaps the most outrageously styled set of Encoder variants I’ve laid eyes on - the Space Encoder.

New Oakley Space Encoder

I’ve made no secret that I love the standard Oakley Encoder. I am also lucky enough to have access to the vented Encoder Strike model, and an all-gold (very understated) version of the freshly released Encoder Ellipse but the standard version with Prizm Road lenses is my all-time favourite. 

It appears that Oakley is keen to create variants on this new platform, as I’ve discovered not one but two new Encoders. First up there’s the Encoder Squared. This isn’t much to write home about in terms of novelty - it’s much the same form as the standard encoder, just with a large upper vent. It’s similar to the Encoder Ellipse, though the lens and the upper vent for that are both oval in form. 

The pair that really grabbed my attention though, and I suspect they will yours too, is the new Space Encoder. Take the Standard encoder, drill circular vents along the top, mill in a groove at the brow to mirror the nose gap, and bevel the lowers aggressively and you are some way to imagining it. You could also just refer to the picture, which I suggest is infinitely more helpful. There’s a certain butterfly-esque quality, but I may just be feeling overly poetic. 

It also transpires that the Space Encoder was created completely by accident; 1000 pairs of Kato lenses were cut in error, and have ended up with the creation you see here. Only 940 pairs survived, so these really are a very limited run.

The Encoder Ellipse, Encoder Squared, and the Space Encoder are all listed as limited editions, and priced at £219 / $264.

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Teased new “Flex Scape” model

What initially kicked this voyage of discovery off was the fact a teased new model, dubbed the Flex Scape, won an Ipso award, primarily for its modularity. From what I can glean from the specs it is primarily designed as a snowsports set of hybrid glasses/goggles, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that the form resembles the Oakley Kato quite so starkly. It is going to come with Prizm lenses, but the options intended for snow rather than tarmac or trail.

George Yoo, the lead designer on the Flex Scape project is quoted on the IPSO website as saying ““Flex Scape was designed with the purpose of maximizing the function of goggles and sunglasses. The outrigger clips on the frame represent visual cues of goggles from the past, intertwined with the swapping mechanism of goggle strap to sunglass stems”.

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This will be the first set of Oakley glasses (or goggles?) that can directly swap between a strap and arms. Casey Lee, senior design engineer explains “We haven't done a true temple to strap swap in the past, but we have had temples that accept strap attachments. Those tend to be clunky and feel like an afterthought. When we started working out how to make Flex Scape convertible from a goggle to a sunglass, or even something in between, we wanted it to feel like an Oakley product. Well-designed, robust, sturdy, with a simple and intuitive user experience,”

While this may be a snow-and-fashion, rather than snow-and-cycling product, it does pose some interesting questions for the future of sports eyewear. Given the similarities in speed and protection required by both cyclists and snowsports athletes, it’s no surprise to see cycling glasses often resembling ski goggles. It wouldn’t be beyond the reaches of the imagination to see this system rolled out to models like the Oakley Sutro or the Wind Jacket, enabling riders to use their cycling glasses in the off-season when they inevitably take up cross-country skiing, or for snowsports athletes to transition into cycling in the summer months, or when climate change has left ski resorts a resolute, verdant green year-round.