D.Franklin x AURUM: Designed to Perform, Tested at Badlands
Some products are developed around specifications. Others need kilometres, terrain and real-world conditions to prove what they are capable of.
The collaboration between D.Franklin Athletic and AURUM was born from a shared vision of performance: to create lightweight, durable and precise cycling sunglasses, capable of accompanying riders through long hours in the saddle and performing as conditions change.
The result is the D.Franklin x AURUM Storm, a limited edition developed around the real demands of cycling and built with materials and technical solutions designed to deliver protection, stability and comfort.
To push them to the limit, we chose a setting worthy of the challenge: Badlands.
Badlands: The Perfect Testing Ground
More than 800 kilometres and around 15,000 metres of elevation gain across some of the most spectacular and unforgiving landscapes in southern Spain.
Badlands means fast gravel tracks, rough terrain, dust, high temperatures, long hours exposed to the sun and constantly changing light. It also means spending entire days on the bike, when every detail of your equipment starts to matter.
In 2026, four AURUM riders took on the route aboard our AURUM MANTO bikes. The D.Franklin x AURUM Storm sunglasses were part of our kit throughout the entire adventure.
We didn’t want Badlands to be simply the backdrop for this collaboration. We wanted it to be its testing ground.
Kilometre after kilometre, the sunglasses faced exactly the conditions they were designed for: heat, sweat, dust, vibration and long hours in the saddle.
Engineered for Long Days in the Saddle
At just 24 grams, the D.Franklin x AURUM Storm are designed to minimise what the rider feels while maximising what really matters: stability, protection and a wide field of vision.
Their construction combines a lightweight, flexible and durable TR90 frame with anatomically shaped carbon-fibre temples, a material chosen for its outstanding strength-to-weight ratio.
Over long-distance efforts, this construction helps reduce pressure and fatigue associated with extended wear. When you have been riding for ten, fifteen or more hours, comfort stops being a detail and becomes part of performance.
The nose bridge and temple tips also feature anti-slip silicone grip zones, designed to provide a secure fit even in sweaty or humid conditions.
OPTAREX™: Clarity as the Terrain Changes
At Badlands, seeing clearly means being able to read the terrain ahead.
A track fully exposed to the sun can quickly give way to a descent through the shadows. Hard-packed gravel turns into rocks, sand or broken ground. And the higher the speed, the more important it becomes to anticipate every change in line.
The D.Franklin x AURUM Storm feature panoramic lenses with OPTAREX™ technology, Category 3 UV400 protection and an anti-reflective treatment on the inner surface. Their design provides a wide, clear field of vision while reducing reflections and enhancing visual clarity in changing conditions.
The semi-rimless construction and wraparound geometry complete a design conceived to combine protection and field of vision without adding unnecessary weight.
Performance That Lasts for Hours
The best equipment is often the equipment you stop thinking about.
Cycling sunglasses need to remain stable when the terrain gets rough, stay comfortable after hours in the saddle and allow you to focus entirely on the line ahead.
That pursuit of efficiency sits at the heart of this collaboration.
At AURUM, we develop our bikes drawing on the experience Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso accumulated over years of racing at the highest level of professional cycling. Performance, design and engineering are all part of the same approach to the sport.
In D.Franklin Athletic, we found a partner with a compatible philosophy: creating a technical product without compromising on a distinctive visual identity.
D.Franklin x AURUM: Built for the Ride
Badlands was dust. Heat. Short nights. Thousands of metres of climbing and more than 800 kilometres spent searching for the next line through the terrain.
That is exactly why we wanted to be there.
Because a collaboration built around performance had to end up where it truly matters: on the bike.
The D.Franklin x AURUM Storm Trans Grey / Black is a limited edition combining carbon fibre, a TR90 frame, OPTAREX™ technology and an ultralight 24-gram construction.
Cycling sunglasses created for long days, demanding terrain and those adventures where there is still a long way to go when conditions start getting tough.
Discover the D.Franklin x AURUM Storm at D.Franklin:
