It’s a classic irony that when the international pro-cycling season hits its full swing in July, early morning cycling conditions here in Australia are about at their worst. For some, this means hanging up the bike for a few weeks and staying up late instead.
This year Wiggle told me to “harden up” and provided a pair of dhb Vaeon arm and leg warmers so there would be no excuses. If you are on their website and looking for cycling wear, chances are that you will come across the dhb brand of gear that is cheaper than more well known brands and may catch your interest. dhb are a brand for the price conscious cyclist and though it isn’t advertised as such, is a “home brand” from Wiggle.
Both arm and leg warmers boast some neat feature; they are anatomically cut to follow the movement of your elbows and knees, have nice big gripper panels, and they have reflective details for early morning visibility. Overall, everything feels really well constructed; there’s great attention to detail on the seams and they fit and flex to your body perfectly. The fabric has a slightly brushed feel on the inside and a slick, aero finish on the outside.
Part of fitting well is staying in place and to this day the Vaeons have refused to slide down no matter how long the ride. I put this down partly to the well-designed arm and leg grippers, and partly to the anatomical shaping. Whereas simple “tube-shape” warmers bunch and pull each time you bend your arm or leg, this is not the case with the Vaeons.
There’s not much to dislike, really. In fact it shouldn’t be hard to get right and dhb have taken the time to make sure they did get it right. If anything, these aren’t the warmest arm/leg warmers I’ve worn, if only by a little bit. The trade-off, however is that I can wear them longer, even when the weather warms up; they never seem to get sweaty.
It’s hard not to make this sound like just a simple ad, but these arm/leg warmers really do hit the mark. If you’ve always gone for the sock-with-the-end-cut-off style, you really won’t be disappointed by upgrading. And at the moment, being $21.27 for the arm warmers and $24.63 for the leg warmers, they truly are great value.
If you’re looking to ride in sub-5 degree weather, you might try something a little thicker (or a jacket!) but otherwise, they’re perfect for cold mornings that get warmer quickly.
Link: dhb Vaeon Robaix Arm Warmers
Link: dhb Vaeon Robaix Leg Warmers
