HUUB DESIGN HEATED TROUSERS

£399.99 Hot pants at a hot price

arming up before a triathlon is one thing, but actually staying warm before the race starts is another and can be fraught with problems. Fortunately, with Norseman products in their line-up, Huub know a thing or two about keeping triathletes warm, so we tried on a pair of their heated trousers to test that toasty pre-race experience for ourselves. The trousers were designed to keep cyclists’ legs warm at the velodrome between warm-ups and short, explosive races, with Huub citing research that claims 43°C is the optimal temperature for increased blood flow, increased performance and injury reduction.

The trousers have eight inbuilt heating elements to heat the calves, hamstrings and quads to 35, 40, or 43°C, with full-length zips to allow the trousers to be quickly removed over shoes. However, at an eye

Wwatering £400 (with charge and power packs), we can’t imagine anyone discarding these trousers at the start line or in transition to come back and look for them later, although their understated all-black design doesn’t look hugely different from your average tracksuit bottoms.

A battery in each pocket allows the legs to be heated individually, although a situation where you might want one cold and one warm leg was beyond us. That price tag and the practicalities of this garment may limit its appeal for many, but for those looking for the ultimate optimised performance – or the most luxurious pre-race experience – these may have strong appeal. 73 %

INNOVATIVE BUT MORE FOR TRACK CYCLING ATHLETES THAN TRIATHLETES