Review: Solo Super Roubaix Arm and Knee Warmers

Autumn is a season of change, some days it is close to zero Celsius in the early morning, but then by mid-day it can be in the mid-twenties. Weather like that calls for flexibility in your kit choice, and warmers are a superb accessory to accomplish this.

In the spring I reviewed a wide variety of kit from Solo.cc; the Solo Cycle Clothing Review received a great audience, and I was thoroughly impressed by the products that it featured. The Solo kit proved to be well thought out, made to the highest quality and it performed admirably during testing. To extend the review of the Solo range I am here reviewing the Roubaix Arm Warmers and the Roubaix Knee Warmers; both products that are perfect for the cooler weather. In a later post I will also be reviewing the rather fantastic Roubaix 3/4 length bib shorts.

Solo Super Roubaix Arm Warmers
You could be excused for thinking that all arm warmers are equal; just Lycra tubes that keep your arms a bit more comfortable in cooler weather. Wrong! In my experience (and I've tried a few) there is a wide variety out there. Some are too big for most cyclists' upper arms and so slip down leaving a chilly gap, some are simply straight tubes which causes them to bunch up uncomfortably around the inner elbow, and to be honest some just don't look great (bright red ones spring to mind).

The Solo Super Roubaix Arm Warmers however tick all the right boxes. They are close fitting and have a superb gripper on the upper arm, they have contoured stitching to avoid uncomfortable bunching, and they come in a very slick black with a reflective "Solo" logo on the lower arm and a reflective tab on the rear.

The Super Roubaix fabric is soft, breathable and not too bulky. It has been effective at keeping the chill out on many cold autumn mornings, yet the thinner design means the warmers aren't too large to roll up and stuff in your back pocket when the sun comes out.

The feature that really stands out for me with the Solo arm warmers is the contoured fit, which makes them quite easily one of the most comfortable sets of warmers that I have used. The Solo reflective logo on the sleeve is also a great addition; it shows up incredibly well in the photos and therefore I'm sure it will in traffic as well.

Retailing for a recommended price of £29, the Super Roubaix is around the mid-price range for arm warmers, but with some of the best performance and comfort I've seen. Well worth checking out.

Solo Super Roubaix Knee Warmers
The Super Roubaix Knee Warmers use the same high quality fabric as the arm warmers, but utilise it to protect your vital knee joints from the cold as well.

The knee warmers also use a flat seam construction throughout, which means that you avoid any risk of uncomfortable chafing seams around the moving joints. They also have the superb reflective Solo logos on the lower shins, which in my mind are a great feature both for safety and for looks (not to mention effective branding).

The grippers on the Super Roubaix Knee Warmers are similar to those used on the arm warmers; a soft silicon strip on the upper and lower cuffs. They seem to be effective at keeping the warmers in place. I was concerned when I first put them on that the narrow gripper band on the thigh might be uncomfortably tight and not spread the load like other knee warmers I have tried such as dhb Roubaix warmers. However, any concerns were unfounded; the Solo knee warmers have proven comfortable even when worn for 6 hours in the saddle.

Selling for £34 these are great value for high end warmers; a very comfortable bit of kit that is well worth adding to your spring/autumn wardrobe.

Look out for my review of the Solo 3/4 length Roubaix bib shorts coming soon as the temperatures continue to fall...

Distributed in the UK by Paligap.cc, select Solo kit is also available from Wiggle.co.uk