Lusso Carbon Thermal Jacket

If you're planning any early morning excursions or even a late evening spin, the temperatures are still cool enough to require a little more cover, and that's where the Lusso Carbon Thermal Jacket comes in.

We're not talking a full weight winter jacket but more of a windchill thermal layer. The Carbon Thermal Jacket is something of a misnomer in so much as it's actually a jersey, so don't be put off by this. The thinking behind its design is to speed up the evaporation of any sweat through the Resistex Carbon fabric which keeps the rider cooler. The idea is that this in turn lowers the chance of lactic acid build up and improves circulation.

As a result the jersey is breathable but designed to keep the chill out at the same time. The Lusso Carbon Jacket is not the lightest but then it isn't a pure jersey, is it?

Besides a full length zip you get the usual raft of pockets on the rear, three decent sized pockets and a zipped security pocket that is ample for a phone. There is also some reflective trim on the reverse for safety.

It is fitted but not overly tight so there is room for additional layers underneath. The inside has a brushed fleece touch to aid warmth but the chest panels don't quite cut it in keeping the chest area warm. The sleeves and shoulders are adequately protected but the chest is the key area. Don't get us wrong, Lusso don't claim that these areas are windproof, we'd just prefer them to keep out more cold air when zipping down fast descents.

The other area that caused some concern was the front zip. The inner flap that is designed to prevent air coming through the zip itself is liable to get caught in it when you try to remove the jersey. Not a huge problem but annoying despite whatever you try to prevent it happening.

Given the price, £64.99 you'd expect a little more in the way of performance. Unfortunately it falls short in providing warmth in the right areas.

Verdict

We'd prefer it to keep more cold air off the chest, but it's well made.