Review: Primal HiVis Arm Warmers and X1 HiVis Jersey

Fluoro kit is very much still in fashion, and it is a great way to add a bit of hi-vis safety to your team kit or normal riding apparel in the low-light conditions of autumn and winter.

The HiVis kit from Primal Europe is up there with the best, and I've been testing out their arm warmers and X1 jersey for the last month or so; on everything from the daily commute to my 300 mile Falmouth-London ride.



Primal Hi-Vis Arm Warmers

These have been used almost non-stop so far this autumn/winter. Team Wiggle kit is largely black in colour, and as a result I tend to be a little concerned about visibility to oncoming and pursuing traffic. Using these arm warmers certainly adds some colour!

The warmers themselves are very well designed and made. I have a size medium, and the length is perfect; slightly longer than many warmers, so you avoid the uncomfortable exposed gap at the top or bottom of the tube. 

They are nice and narrow too, so they hug your arms throughout their length, and you don't get any aggravating "slippage" over the duration of a ride. They also just have one single seam down the inside of the arm, so there is no itchy abrasion or annoyance on the elbow. 

They have been bombarded with spray, mud and grease throughout testing, and yet they seem to come out of the washing machine looking like new each time. Impressive for such a light coloured garment. 

A great accessory for any cyclist.




Primal Hi-Vis X1 Jersey

The Primal X1 short sleeved jersey is great as a complement to the HiVis arm warmers, or to be used on its own as summer/autumn ride apparel. It's not the most technical or feature-packed jersey in Primal's range, but it has a very affordable price tag and some great attention to detail in the design.

The X1 jersey uses Primal's 'Sport Cut', which is a bit more relaxed than their 'Race Cut', and ideal for longer hours in the saddle or for commuting. The fabric is the same as that used in the Primal Black Label Lucent Jersey, and is a comfortable and durable material called HexaDri; it seems to work very well at moisture management, and has remained comfortable even when the temperatures have risen on hotter autumn days.

The jersey has three well elasticated rear pockets to stash all your kit in. It also features a high quality zipper, which from my experience of Primal apparel lasts very well.

Of course, the real merit of the X1 jersey is its visibility aid. The fluoro panels and reflective detailing built into the stitching on the seams, makes this significantly more visible to approaching traffic than your standard jersey. I've worn this in dusk conditions, and it certainly feels like you have a bit more presence on the road.


Both great bits of kit then, as seems to be the norm with Primal apparel. There is a real attention to detail both in fabric choice and design styling. Staying safe and being seen, can now be done in comfort and with no performance penalty it seems - ideal!

Primal Apparel is available from Wiggle (Link)

View the range at primaleurope.com (Link)





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