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review

Lusso Windtex Aero+ Jacket

9
£135.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Warm, well-made softshell at a reasonable price
Weight: 
510g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Lusso Windtex Aero+ jacket is a warm, well-made softshell for the cold weather, and the price is pretty reasonable too.

I've tried out quite a few Lusso pieces of clothing over the years and this is the best of them. As the name suggests, this jacket is made largely using a Windtex membrane. This is a material used by many brands to make windproof and waterproof fabrics. It's lightweight and very stretchy, breathable in the right circumstances (like any other breathable fabric), and the inner face is comfortable against skin.

The white panels at the front and back use Windtex membranes too, in a fabric called Aero+. The fabric manufacturer reckon the golf ball-style surface of the fabric helps with aerodynamics but Lusso admit it's probably not going to propel you towards any Strava KOMs! I don't think the indentations make a whole lot of difference to the performance – possibly providing a bit of flexibility to a fabric that would otherwise be very thick – but they certainly add a distinctive look.

The underside of the arms and the centre of the back, areas that aren't so exposed, are made from a fleecy, brush backed polyester, the sort of thing you find used in a million different winter tights. It has been given a DWR coating to add water repellency (although it'll wash out and need re-applying over time).

This jacket really does keep the cold air out very well, so much so that you'll cook if you wear it in typical autumn/spring conditions. No, this is one to save for winter weather, although those who particularly feel the cold might get a larger window of use. Even with just a base layer underneath (with no jersey), the temperature had to be well down into single figures before I was getting the most out of it.

I like a fitted cut and found this to be about right (that's not me wearing it in the pics). Some Lusso tops are too loose in the body for me but this one is slim with enough stretch in the fabrics for you to get another layer underneath without feeling that you're going to asphyxiate yourself when you do up the zip.

Speaking of the zip, it comes with a middling-sized puller that you can grab relatively easily with gloved fingers, although a little larger would help. There's a windproof baffle behind it and a chin guard at the top at the top of the tall, close-fitting collar, each doing its job well.

Wearing this over a long sleeve base and jersey will see you right for most cold winter temperatures you're likely to encounter in the UK. You'll need a waterproof jacket if you're out in proper rain but water will roll off the Windtex and Aero+ areas and keep you dry for a while – it can get through the untaped seams – but damp air won't soak into those panels.

The waist is drawn in by elastic gripper tape like you get around the hems of many shorts. It works fine and will cope with a wide variety of waist sizes because it's super-stretchy. Silicone print on the inside adds a bit of grip to help prevent it riding up as you pedal. The cuffs are the same fleecy fabric that's used for the back panels, again with enough stretch to fit closely without feeling tight. Breeze can get through that material so you need to cover it with the cuffs of your gloves if you don't want draughts on really cold days.

You get three big pockets around the back along with a fourth zipped one that's big enough to take any mobile phone (even one of the huge new-style ones like the iPhone 6 Plus). There's not acres of reflective trim but stripes on one pocket and on the wrists, along with reflective logos, all help out.

Lusso handmake their clothing in the UK – Radcliffe, Manchester, to be precise.

Verdict

Warm, well-made softshell at a reasonable price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lusso Windtex Aero+ Jacket

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Lusso say. "Redesigned windproof softshell. Completely redesigned for 2014, this jacket features new generation carbon look Windtex and Aero+ Fabric, offering wind protection whilst remaining highly breathable and comfortable.

Features:

Windtex thermal fabric

Aero+ fabric

Windproof – breathable

In 3 colours

 

Full zip front-4 Rear pockets

Anatomically Shaped

Made in the UK

Machine washable"

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Although this looks a bit like a jersey, it's very much a softshell jacket, and the price is good considering the level of performance.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well. It's definitely one for days when the temperature is low and you want to keep the cold air out.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The windproofing and the slim fit (our photos don't show it well but it comes in a sporty cut)

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Hmm, nothing really. I think it's a really well designed and put together piece.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

This is a really solid performing jacket for cold winter rides. It's an easy 8.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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2 comments

Avatar
Curly | 9 years ago
0 likes

I've got one of these and its a cracking Jacket it does what it says on the tin - its got "best on test" in this month's cycling Active too, against all of the well known brands. Their Bib shorts are Brill as well

Avatar
Nick0 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Nothing bad to say about it, and yet only 4 stars/8 out of 10 for this MADE IN THE UK garment?

Personally I think we should be shouting from the rooftops about any good products that are made here.

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