Lusso 50 Shades Thermal Jacket

The British brand's tongue-in-cheek attempt to sex up its latest winter garment by naming it after the infamous erotic novels is unnecessary: the Lusso 50 Shades stands up on its own thanks to some good fabric choices, a stylish look and a well judged fit.

Lusso is clearly aiming to spank its competitors with the 50 Shades jacket, and it certainly has the look and the performance to put it in a dominant position…

> Buy this online here

It is in reality more of a thermal jersey than a jacket. It's not water- or wind-resistant but instead it's lightweight and close fitting enough to be worn under a hardshell in winter and works equally well as an outer layer over a baselayer for shoulder-season riding.

Construction and fit

Designed and manufactured in Manchester, the Lusso 50 Shades is a limited-edition garment (Lusso says it's only making 50 in this colour and style) made from thermal Italian fabrics.

While the outside of the body section has that smart grey-flannel look, it has a darker fleecy inside that traps the heat nicely.

The sleeves and three rear pockets have a smooth outer surface and a thinner fleecy, brick-patterned fleece lining – you can make this out on the photo below. 

Lusso has created some distinctive features in its garments lately, such as the reflective strips with tiny perforations that are also present here. Some may doubt the wisdom of making road cycling clothing in grey, but at least there are plenty of reflectives front, rear and on both sleeves that will help with low-light visibility.

Lusso has also done an excellent job with the fit. The sleeves are long and fitted with substantial cuffs and stay in place while on the drops; the collar is high, stretchy and snug. Overall fit is fairly skinny – I would say the 50 Shades is made for just a baselayer underneath rather than an additional jersey. Lusso says it has an 'anatomical' fit but it's not cut like some Assos garments that only feel right in the bike position: rather, it uses a more traditional pattern with set-in sleeves.

The pockets are at the right height – nice and high and well supported with no risk of sag – and are deep enough that you don't need to worry about a mini pump jumping out.

A wide gripper band with silicone pips to keep it in place works well at the bottom of the Lusso, stopping it from either sagging or riding up.

The only criticism I have of the construction – in fact the only criticism of the jacket full stop – relates to the zip flap, which is intended to sit flat behind the zip and keep out draughts. It won't sit flat unless you very carefully poke and tuck it there while you're doing up the zip. If you haven't got it sitting flat it can make the zip garage at the top look untidy, since it's joined to that.

Just a little tweak in the design would sort that out. Assos, for example, puts its jacket zip flaps on the left (non-puller) side rather than the right so that you're tensioning it with your left hand as you pull up the zip with your right, and that seems to work well.

Performance

Since it's not windproof or water resistant and doesn't have any kind of membrane or DWR, the Lusso 50 Shades is very breathable and can be worn as soon as the leaves begin to turn. From then on it's good down to about 5°C and after that has to be worn under a shell layer. As it's close fitting and non-bulky it works really well as one layer in a system – either as the outer with just a baselayer underneath or under the shell – and is very comfortable whichever role it's playing.

> Buyer's Guide: 20 of the best winter cycling jerseys

It dries quickly too, and although when under a shell I found it got slightly sweaty under the rear pockets because of the double layer, it doesn't hold onto moisture.

Value and conclusion

I'd suggest it's fairer to compare the Lusso 50 Shades to competitors' thermal jerseys rather than jackets. As such, it undercuts the Sportful BodyFit Pro (£90) and the dhb Equinox at £75. The Giant Illume goes for slightly less than the Lusso at £64.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 29 of the best winter cycling jackets

Overall, I really like the style of the Lusso as well as its performance and would say that, all things considered, it's a very good buy.

Verdict

A spankingly good performer, as the saucy name suggests; this is a stylish, comfortable and versatile three-season garment