Sportful No-Rain arm warmers

The Sportful No-Rain arm warmers perform a lot like regular arm warmers except that, as the name implies, they are also water repellent.

They're made from a Nylon/Elastane fabric just like most other arm warmers, with tons of stretch and breathability. The inside face is fleecy – it's a Roubaix-type fabric – so you get quite a bit of warmth too, making these suitable for cooler spring and autumn rides. The single seam isn't particularly noticeable in use while a silicone band inside the elasticated gripper holds the top comfortably in position on your upper arm.

The smart bit, though, is the water repellency and, like pretty much everything else in cycling at the moment, that's down to nanotechnology. To save you heading over to Wikipedia if you're not familiar with the term, nanotechnology covers materials on an atomic/molecular scale. It's small stuff, basically.

Like Castelli's Nanoflex garments, Sportful's No-Rain arm warmers have nano filaments of silicone embedded in the fabric. The result is that water beads up and rolls off. The first time you see it, this messes with your melon. Water should soak in to fabrics like this. But it doesn't – at least, not very easily.

The No-Rain fabric isn't waterproof like Gore-Tex or similar seriously waterproof fabrics but it does shed water well. Mist, road spray and light showers won't get through. Heavier rain will, especially if water gathers in any folds around your elbows, for example.

I've found these most useful for those days when the weather's a bit grey and it drizzles from time to time. Sling on a water-resistant gilet and these and you can keep riding without the need to keep getting a jacket on and off.

These are a little thicker and warmer than the Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers that we've reviewed so they're suitable for slightly cooler temperatures, although there's really very little in it.

Verdict

Great stuff; as stretchy and breathable as standard Roubaix arm warmers but water repellent with it.