When I first checked out Assos’ new line of “performance eye protection” (which is pretty much the fanciest way I’ve ever heard to say sunglasses), the $398.95 price tag elicited an eye roll. But before you cast these shades aside as a bunch of Swiss cheese, let me just go on record by saying these puppies are worth every penny.

First things first: yes, it’s true that at first glance the Zeghos resemble bug eyes, and when you put them on, house music is likely to start thumping in your head. But while the oval-shaped lenses may scream European hipster, they are hardly just for looks. The Zeghos line, which includes three different lens configurations, was the result of a partnership between Assos and sunglass wunderkind Carl Zeiss, enabling the Swiss bike clothing company to create shades that match their company’s stellar reputation of pairing aesthetics with cutting-edge performance technology.

Looking at the lens straight on, you can see that there is a tiny tint variation from the top to the bottom of the lens, a patent-pending technology created by Zeiss known as TV-Tunnel Vision. While most sunglass lens offer a uniform tint the whole way through, this ombre-effect means that your eyes don’t need to adjust at all while riding quickly through shadowed areas or tunnels, making for a clearer—and safer—ride. The rimless design also allows for 180-degree vision, meaning you can truly get a feel for your surroundings, and not feel as if there is a barrier between your eyes and the road around you.

While most peformance lenses these days feature polarized lenses, Assos’ don’t. Their reasoning? Polarized lenses are meant to create a uniform landscape for your eyes—one without any blurry spots or glare; they also, however, make it more difficult for you to move from shade to sun and still notice, for example, that huge puddle of water in front of you. And if that puddle happens to splash into your face, or you are caught in a rainstorm, the Zeghos’s hydrophobic lenses repel the water almost instantly without you having to rub it off. While not polarized, these lenses are 100-percent UV protective, and the large frames keep sunlight out of your delicate eye area.

What I noticed most of all while testing the Zeghos was the lightweight, comfortable fit that doesn’t budge an inch—whether I was running on a rocky trail, mountain-biking or riding my road bike along straight into a headwind. Weighing in at a scant 27-grams and featuring bendy frames that are hand-constructed in Italy, these suckers are so comfortable that you can put them on and forget about them until your ride or run is over. Unless, of course, you want to head over to a European disco, then by all means, keep them on.