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dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers

8
£36.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Impressively warm, with some water resistance included, and a great fit as well
Shaped for pedal stroke
No irritating seam position
Plenty of stretch for ease of movement
Seams let water in quickly
Weight: 
133g

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dhb has released a new version of its Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers and the fit is excellent, as is the quality. The water resistance also does a decent job of keeping out the worst of the weather, as long as it's kept away from the seams.

I like the design of the Aerons and how the seams are positioned. Many leg warmers have just a single seam placed down the back of the leg, which can cause irritation at the knee. To my mind, seams should be kept as far away from the knee as possible.

> Buy these online here

dhb has used three panels in the warmers' construction, one for the entire length of the front of the leg, a panel at the rear from the ankle to a few inches above the back of the knee, and then another section above that up to the thigh.

The result is a warmer that is shaped to suit a bent leg through the pedalling stroke, with the main seams kept to the sides of the leg, and although there is a seam at the back of the warmers, it sits so high up the leg that it doesn't irritate anything.

They're very comfortable to wear, even on longer rides, especially as there is no bunching behind the knee.

2021 dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers - side 2.jpg

Sizing is about as I expected for a UK brand and ties in well with dhb's chart. I would sit somewhere between medium and large on it, and the mediums here fitted fine. There is plenty of stretch in the material, so they sat well without feeling overly compressive, and the silicone bands used at the top and bottom didn't dig in.

2021 dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers - top gripper.jpg

The material used is Rain Defence fabric created by respected Italian manufacturer Miti. It's a mixture of 48% polyester, 37% polyamide and 15% elastane, with a DWR (durable water repellent) coating. This, according to Miti, is fluorine-free, using a vegetable base technology.

It works pretty well, coping with road spray, light rain and drizzle, seeing the water bead off for half an hour or so. The weaknesses are the seams, though, as water of any pressure will get straight through the threads, and the material also can't cope with heavy rain.

2021 dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers - ankle.jpg

Miti also says that the coating will last for around 30 washes before you'll need to reapply it. I've washed them a handful of times so far and ridden in the rain for about 10 hours over the test period and haven't noticed any trade-off yet.

The wet weather performance is similar to many other coated garments I've used.

> 6 top tips to help keep you cycling through the winter

If/when you get wet, the fabric does a great job of keeping your legs warm thanks to its fleece backing. Temperature-wise, I'd say they'll be good down to just below freezing.

2021 dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers.jpg

The price of £36 is in line with much of the competition, and is backed by the excellent build quality.

The HTP Pioggia leg warmers offer similar levels of performance against the cold and wet for £39.99. They have seams that run behind the knee, although they didn't irritate like some I have worn, and they do come with plenty of reflectives on the calves, something I would like to see on the dhbs.

> Buyer’s Guide: 20 of the best arm and leg warmers

Mike was a big fan of the Lusso Max Repel leg warmers, complimenting them on their fit and performance. They are a touch cheaper at £29.99.

Conclusion

I think the main thing to bear in mind here is that the name Rain Defence doesn't mean waterproof. The dhbs offer the same sort of water resistance found on similar products with a DWR coating. My main reason for going for these would be the shape and the fit. The multi-panel design works really well, with no chance of any seam irritation.

Verdict

Impressively warm, with some water resistance included, and a great fit as well

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road.cc test report

Make and model: dhb Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

dhb says, "A completely new development from dhb, this is the Aeron Rain Defence Leg Warmers are reborn into a highly technical and incredibly flexible weatherproof short, designed to keep water out and you comfortable."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From dhb:

MITI Rain Defence fabric

Highly breathable

High level of stretch for maximum mobility

Bluesign Approved fabrics

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
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
Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

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

They have been washed a fair few times, with no physical issues and the DWR coating doesn't seem to be waning yet.

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

Decent enough water resistance and they fit really well without irritation.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great shaped fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Lack of reflectives on the calves.

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

They sit in between the Lusso and HTP warmers, which is about right for the performance and quality.

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 multi-panel design of the Aerons puts them right up there with the most comfortable leg warmers I've tried. Wet weather performance falls well short of waterproof, but they are on a par with many other DWR-coated products.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  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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2 comments

Avatar
Glov Zaroff | 2 years ago
0 likes

The silicone gripper tape at the thigh is exactly the same as the tape in the merino leg warmers that lost points because it chafed. I own these Aeron Rain Defence warmers and I'm also in the chafe camp. They rub you raw with or without shaved legs. It's really not a good design. I've worn mine, so Wiggle won't take them back. Total waste of money. 

Avatar
0-0 replied to Glov Zaroff | 2 years ago
0 likes
Glov Zaroff wrote:

The silicone gripper tape at the thigh is exactly the same as the tape in the merino leg warmers that lost points because it chafed. I own these Aeron Rain Defence warmers and I'm also in the chafe camp. They rub you raw with or without shaved legs. It's really not a good design. I've worn mine, so Wiggle won't take them back. Total waste of money. 

I've sent things back to Wiggle that I've worn. Even though they say you can't.
Just wash them, make them look presentable and use the original bag.

All the stuff that's been returned worn/unworn gets resold on their eBay site.

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