Arm warmers are a simple but essential piece of kit for any cyclist’s wardrobe. Whilst these tubes of fabric, essentially removable sleeves that add a degree of versatility to an outfit, might all look similar from a distance they are certainly not all created equal.
With the Sportful Fiandre Light No Rain arm warmers, the clues to their best virtues are in the name. They are, above all, light and water repellent - both highly desirable traits for this piece of kit, plus Sportful’s Fiandre fabric is also a great wind defence.
Having a wind and water barrier in an arm warmer with such minimal bulk is a real plus, although with no fleece backing they don’t feel quite as cosy against the skin, or offer quite as much thermal insulation than the more traditional styled Roubaix warmers.
That said, there are plenty of milder days when these arm warmers are absolutely spot on.
Fit needs to be more carefully considered with the Sportful Fiandre Light No Rain arm warmers as the face fabric is a little less stretchy than a full Lycra sleeve.
To offset that Sportful has included an additional stretch panel in the rear, which helps to maintain a good close fit.
The overall length is a little on the short side, but Sportful designs its short sleeve jerseys with a generous sleeve length, so paired with one of its own garments – which clearly the fire red colour option is the ideal partner to Sportful’s Fiandre Light SS jersey in the same vibrant pantone - there should never be any skin-gap issues.
The No Rain treatment seems to maintain its ability to bead water, even after many washes, which is good as these are likely to be go-to items for a big chunk of the year, as they’re very well suited to UK riding conditions.
