Vital Rides Leatt’s All-New Velocity 6.5 Goggle

Protection specialist Leatt has come a long way since the introduction of their now-iconic neck brace in 2006. The Leatt catalog has grown at a steady pace and today features an impressive range of gear designed to keep you safe and look good both on your mountain bike and on your moto. You can pretty much kit up from head to toe in Leatt’s goods already, but one crucial piece was missing from the range: the goggle. Rather than slap their logo on some generic offering and call it a day however, Leatt went about designing their very own goggle with customary investment in R&D and attention to detail. The result is the impressive Velocity 6.5 that launches today, and since we’ve been lucky enough to lay our hands on some early samples, we can tell you a little bit more about it already.

Leatt Velocity 6.5 Highlights

• Bulletproof tested and certified to: ANSI Z87.1-2015, Military Ballistic Impact Standard (MIL-DTL-43511D), CE EN 1938 :2010
• Out-riggers with a 50mm Anti-Slip coated strap
• WideVision (170°) Anti-Fog lens
• Permanent anti-fog function built into the inner lens polymer
• Self-draining lens/frame design
• Easy clip-in/out lens change
• Dual-density frame for fit, seal and comfort
• Tapered custom shape to fit even those difficult helmets
• OTG – over-the-glasses fit
• Triple-layer, dual-density foam and anti-sweat fleece backing (removable for washing)
• Roll-Off ready for our WideVision 48mm system (optional)
• Tear-Off ready with posts, tear-off pack included
• Removable nose guard
• Soft bag included
• Optional lenses available from 20-83% light transmission (VLT)
• MSRP: $79.99/€79.99/£72.99 (6.5), $89.99/€89.99/£79.99 (6.5 Iriz), $99.99/€99.99/£89.99 (Roll-Off)

Initial Impressions

Taking a quick look at the current goggle market, a couple of trends stand out: the move to injection molded lenses, and some kind of “outrigger”-based frame layout. Leatt jumps into the fray ticking both of these boxes, with the new Velocity goggle presenting an imposing profile and a very purposeful design language. It bares more than a fleeting resemblance to Oakley’s Airbrake, but with an overall identity that remains strictly its own.

Continuing on with the comparisons, Leatt’s new goggle may look a lot like some of its main competitors, but it actually brings a couple of innovative new features to the table. Up front, there is a double lens where the inside layer is equipped with a permanent anti-fog function, something we’re more used to seeing on snow goggles. Additionally, the lens is actually certified bulletproof up to a relevant US military standard (which Leatt supplied evidence of in the form of a lens that had apparently been fired upon with some sort of small caliber firearm).  

Much like on certain other high-end goggles, the Velocity’s outriggers double up as locking mechanisms for the removable lens. Unsnap both side and the lens pops out with relative ease, allowing you to replace it with any one of the numerous different versions on offer. There’s a removable nose guard that the moto guys will be sure to appreciate while on the comfort side we find a dual-density foam liner with a fleece back (which can be removed for easy cleaning), and a wide strap that is easy to manipulate and adjust. If you often ride in wet and muddy conditions, the goggle is ready for tear-offs (a pack is included in the box) and there is a roll-off version available as well. The bottom of the frame is left open to allow the goggle to “self-drain” (i.e. have mud and water run off the lens as opposed to accumulate up against the bottom of the frame).

Packing all these features into a goggle will surely place the price in the stratosphere? Wrong! Leatt has hit an impressively low price point with the new Velocity, coming in well below both the Oakley Airbrake and the FOX Vue to name but a couple. In fact, handling and using the goggle we almost have a hard time believing it will only set you back $79.99 (for the basic version), but we’ll gladly take it.

On The Trail

Slipping into the Velocity goggle for the first time, we found it super comfortable and perfectly shaped. Fit is always a personal thing, but we really like the way the Velocity sits on the face, with enough space both for the eyes and the nose which helps prevent any feeling of claustrophobia. We've tested it with several helmets and it was able to fit in all of them. The wide strap is easy to adjust and provides plenty of grip, thanks to a silicone strip that runs all along the inside of it. The field of vision is wide, and the optical clarity of all the lenses we tried so far is great. With everything from almost clear to fully mirrored finishes available, it’s also pretty easy to match the lens to your riding conditions.

Foggy lenses are always a concern, especially if you ride in less favorable weather conditions. We’ve only managed to get out for one wet ride with the new Velocity goggles so far, but we saw good results at a rainy 12 degrees Celsius with plenty of humidity in the air. A dual-layer lens is usually an effective barrier to fogging, and Leatt has doubled up here with a permanent anti-fog treatment on the inner lens as well. We’ll need a bit more time to really know for sure, but it looks as though Leatt is on the right track here. We’ll also need to wait for the warmer months to really know how well ventilated the Velocity is, but a couple of sunny days have already shown us that it seems to breathe fairly well.

What’s The Bottom Line?

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, and Leatt’s new Velocity 6.5 goggle is living proof. It is aesthetically pleasing, comfortable, and loaded with innovative features that keep you safe and help you perform on the trail – and it manages all this at a price that defies competition. Leatt took their sweet time entering the goggle market, but it definitely looks like it was time well spent. We'll keep on testing and we'll come back at a later date with any further observations, but in the meantime we have no reservations about putting the new Velocity right up there with our current favorite goggles. 

More information at: www.leatt.com.

About The Reviewer

Johan Hjord - Age: 45 // Years Riding MTB: 13 // Weight: 190-pounds (87-kg) // Height: 6'0" (1.84m)

Johan loves bikes, which strangely doesn’t make him any better at riding them. After many years spent practicing falling off cliffs with his snowboard, he took up mountain biking in 2005. Ever since, he’s mostly been riding bikes with too much suspension travel to cover up his many flaws as a rider. His 200-pound body weight coupled with unique skill for poor line choice and clumsy landings make him an expert on durability - if parts survive Johan, they’re pretty much okay for anybody. Johan rides flat pedals with a riding style that he describes as "none" (when in actuality he rips!). Having found most trail features to be not to his liking, Johan uses much of his spare time building his own. Johan’s other accomplishments include surviving this far and helping keep the Vital Media Machine’s stoke dial firmly on 11.

Photos by Nils Hjord and Johan Hjord