Café du Cycliste Loulou Rain arm warmers review

French brand Café du Cycliste is based in Nice and makes a range of kit to deal that city's Mediterranean climate. As well as being very hot during the summer months, the inland areas can get cold in winter and a ride in from the coast is likely to include a variety of temperatures as well as potentially an encounter with rain.

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So although armwarmers may not be the most obvious accessory, they're nevertheless as useful in Nice as in Sheffield.

Café du Cycliste has made its arm warmers with shaped structure to reflect the bend in the arm when riding. The Loulou Rains have a non-flatlocked seam running along the base of the warmer and a second flatlocked seam which coils around the arm. This gives them a pronounced curvature which works well to avoid bunching and keep them comfortable when cycling. The outer forearm also has a long reflective tape sewn into the seam for really pronounced low light visibility.

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The fabric is fleece lined thermoroubaix, so there’s a lot of warmth and wind resistance on offer. This is coupled to a wide, stretchy cuff at the wrist and a silicone band top gripper.

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Café du Cycliste has topped this off by surface treating the Loulou Rain warmers, so that water beads off the fabric. Their water repellency has lasted well through multiple washing cycles. Although not as compact and pocketable as some warmers, they fold up well too, but they will take up most of a jersey pocket if you decide to take them off completely rather than just to roll them down. With their technical features, they should be a good option to take you through into autumn.