- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
review
£24.99
VERDICT:
Well made performance arm warmers for cooler rather than cold days
Weight:
46g
Contact:
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.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
The Lusso Active Aero arm warmers are as much about cutting through the air as keeping you warm. With their slim profile they are the ideal companion for fast rides in the spring and autumn.
- Pros: Unrestrictive fit, lightweight and packable
- Cons: Not especially windproof, more suited to spring and autumn temperatures
Lusso has a whole performance range which it calls Active Aero, and the majority of it is based around the aero fabric you see here in the pictures. Its design feels basically like a row of strips, the depth of fabric changing from thick to thin around the circumference. The thinking behind it is that the material keeps the turbulent air attached for longer to the garment to reduce the drag, effort and watts needed. I can't imagine it is a massive saving but the arm warmers could be a smart solution for those early and late season time trials if your skin suit only has short sleeves.
The way that the fabric is designed means the thinner sections are virtually see-through, so as far as temperature ranges go I'd say you're looking at about 7°C or 8°C before you'll start to feel the chill, especially if it is wind blowing from the north.
Should you want to wear them in the spring or summer to keep the sun off, you also get 50+ UV protection.
They are so lightweight that you could easily wear them as a layering system alongside a short-sleeved baselayer underneath a jacket or long-sleeve jersey.
The fit is really good. With so little material there is no bunching up at the inside of the elbows and the single seam that runs down through is completely unobtrusive.
They are held in place on your arm by a 45mm-deep elasticated gripper which also has little dimples on it. It totally worked and I never needed to pull them up or adjust them while riding.
Lusso doesn't have a size guide for arm warmers specifically, but these are a medium, the same size as I wear in the rest of Lusso's kit, and they fit spot on.
> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best arm and leg warmers for cycling
Value-wise, at £24.99 they are just a penny cheaper than the similar Castelli UPF 50 Light arm warmers, so well in the ballpark. A lot of the other arm warmers we've tested are similar money, tending to go up in price the more protection they give.
These won't be the only pair of warmers you'll need to get you through the winter, though.
Verdict
Well made performance arm warmers for cooler rather than cold days
road.cc test report
Make and model: Lusso Active Aero Arm Warmers
Size tested: Medium
Tell us what the product is for
Lusso says, "The Lusso Active Aero Arm Warmers have been designed to keep the turbulent air attached for longer to the garment thus reducing the drag, effort and watts needed on your race or ride.
"Not only does this garment take the chill off your arms they are also easily detachable making them ideal for racing or even just training rides."
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Lusso lists:
Italian Aero Fabric
Anatomic Race Fit
45mm Self Arm Grip
50+ UV Ray Protection
Reflective Lusso Logo
Machine Washable
Designed & Made in Manchester
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Not a thread out of place.
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
9/10
Sticking with the general size guides these mediums fit exactly as they should. If you are muscular you might need to go up a size.
Rate the product for weight:
9/10
Rate the product for comfort:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
6/10
About the same as other arm warmers we've tested; cheaper than some.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Machine washing caused no issues at all.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
For early and late season races they'll be ideal.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Great fit.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Windchill gets through even if the temperature isn't massively cold.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
They are priced in the same ball park as other similar models we've tested.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
The Lussos offer good quality and an excellent fit, though their appeal might be limited to those who are chasing fast times.
About the tester
Age: 40
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
Especially given the paintwork hardly looks pristine.
Top sports people have to focus on their sport, or they won't be the top of their sport. That they focus intensively on their sport does not give...
Putting in a single cycle lane isn't enough. Nobody just rides up and down the same road again and again. Your need a network of cycling...
How do we stop banned drivers from driving again?...
Rather artistic photo of this (driverless) car that has ended up on its roof on a dead straight road in Bradford....
Cool - that removes one of my issues with Garmin. I'm quite happy with the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, so I doubt that I'll be switching unless Garmin come...
No doubt it will catch on in Plymouth, but it is Devon, where everything happens 10 years later. Not least the buses....
GCN just did a cool video on this. All I could think by the end was that perhaps if you got to do what the presenter did and mince around Italy in...
I missed that, thanks for pointing it out. I can't comment, as that's outside my area of expertise. Apologies to Rendel. This is why they should be...