The Café du Cycliste Loulou leg warmer offers a superb fit, excellent freedom of movement, and a soft lining.
The quality of the Super Roubaix lycra is extremely high, offering an impressive degree of stretch and insulation.
The four panel construction contributed to an excellent fit, aided and abetted by the deep ‘cuff’ at the ankle. We complemented Café du Cycliste on its inclusion on the matching arm warmer, and it proved equally effective here.
More important for any leg warmer, however, is the silicone band at the top. Too constricting and it becomes a pain – literally. We’re happy to report that the hem supplied here didn’t constrict or chafe, and neither did the warmer sag. Top marks.
Warmers have traditionally proved a desert for design, barring the garish logos of team or national kit, and perhaps with good reason: leg wear in anything other than black is a no-no for many. Café du Cycliste’s use of a contrasting ‘chocolate’ panel on the Loulou warmer, however, is subtle and effective: a nice detail that, along with the fabric and construction, does much to lift it above the run of the mill.
Further detailing was to be found in a small patch above the ankle of the left warmer, bearing CdC’s slightly risqué logo, and a strip of reflective material at the calf. The latter is to be welcomed: certainly not a safety feature to rely upon entirely, but, to quote the slogan of a certain supermarket chain, ‘every little helps’.
We declared Cafe du Cycliste’s arm warmer our new ‘go to’ item, and their leg warmer will also be the first we reach for in the months ahead. Warm, comfortable, and stylish, and constructed with a level of thought typically absent from the simple fabric tube that characterises much of its competition, the Loulou warmer is a first class product.
Price: £45
Size: small, medium, large
Colour: black and chocolate
Website: Cafe du Cycliste
