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Lusso Active Aero Leg Warmer

8
£29.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Not the warmest but an excellent fit and lightweight fabric makes them ideal for the racers
Weight: 
98g
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.

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Lusso has been expanding its Active Aero range and these leg warmers join the arm warmers in taking the chill off while providing a bit of a wind-cheating advantage. With their thin construction they are more suited to spring and autumn use, making them ideal for those early and late season races.

  • Pros: Shaped for a comfortable fit, material is very soft
  • Cons: Not warm enough for full winter use

The Italian made Aero fabric is what gives the warmers their name. The fabric is 75% nylon, 20% Lycra and 5% polyester, but the clever bit is that it has thicker strips separated by thin ones, designed to keep the turbulent air attached for longer and thus reducing the drag on your legs. How much effect it has is hard to gauge, but I know plenty of riders who'll seek out every tiny gain they can, and thanks to the warmers' lightweight construction I can see the benefits for those road racers, cyclo-crossers and time triallists who are competitive in the chillier months.

> Buy these online here

If you want something for the deepest of winter weather, these aren't your best option. The material of the narrow strips is quite thin so it can let windchill in much more noticeably than the rest of the fabric. If you are heading into an icy northerly breeze you are going to feel it.

Quality is very impressive, and it is always great to see that Lusso can produce such high end products in Manchester without sky high prices. All of the stitching is neat throughout, with the whole product having a great finish.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best arm and leg warmers

The leg warmers are made with one seam that runs from top to bottom at the back of the leg, then there is another which runs around the back of the knee which creates the bent shape to suit your leg when on the bike. I'm not a fan of anything that can rub during a ride, and normally prefer the vertical seam to be positioned on the inside of my leg. Thankfully, there was no such issue as both seams are quite unobtrusive and soft. They shaping thing definitely aids comfort too.

The material has plenty of stretch and with the shaping you don't get any bunching of material anywhere.

The bottom of the leg doesn't use anything special for retention but I never had any issues with them riding up, and the 45mm gripper at the thigh keeps things in place too.

Lusso Active Aero Leg Warmer - cuff.jpg

Value-wise I don't think they are overpriced. True, some other warmers on the market for the same price are thick enough to wear throughout winter, those like the dhb Aeron Rain Defence leg warmers, for instance. You could easily spend a lot more, though – the Pearl Izumi Elite Thermal warmers are £59.99.

On the whole, the Lussos may not have the massive thermal qualities that others out there do, but they bring something different to the game for the fast riders who don't want to be restricted, at a reasonable price.

Verdict

Not the warmest but an excellent fit and lightweight fabric makes them ideal for the racers

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lusso Active Aero Leg Warmer

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Lusso says, "The Lusso Active Aero Leg 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 legs 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 Leg Grip

50+ UV Ray Protection

Reflective Lusso Logo

Machine Washable

Designed & Made in Manchester

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10

Plenty of length and width thanks to the stretchy material. I wear a medium in all of Lusso's kit and these were spot on.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

An added bonus is a lack of any labels to irritate.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Lusso recommends a 40 degree machine wash and there have been no issues with cleaning them.

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

Some of the most comfortable leg warmers I've worn, offering no restriction when riding hard.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Exceptional fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not a major criticism considering their design, but windchill will get through.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

You can get warmer leg warmers for around the same money but the overall quality and performance of the Lussos means they stand up against their more expensive competitors.

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 may or may not achieve aero benefits in the real world, but with an excellent shaped cut and very stretchy material they are very comfortable to ride in. Well made too.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

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

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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