THE LATEST TRI GEAR
£180 Brand new cycling wear complete with embedded LEDs
All the newest swim, bike and run kit on the market, tested to the max by the 220 review team
Métier are a brand new British venture. This gilet forms part of their debut collection, which also features a jacket in both men’s and women’s versions. As the name and price suggests, this isn’t any old gilet: within its all-in-one Protech fabric are a number of LEDs, featuring two strips on the chest and one on the lower back, controlled by a rechargeable battery pack concealed in a rear zip pocket.
They’re impressively bright, 180 lumens at the front and 22 at the rear. While we wouldn’t suggest using them to replace bike lights at night intentionally, for increasing daytime visibility they’re absolutely perfect, and you can even operate the large button through the back pocket if you need to turn them on mid-ride. While the lights are an undoubted draw for safer riding (especially at a time when there are over 3,000 reported serious injuries on UK roads each year), what also makes Métier worth the attention is the sheer quality of the garment.
The Protech fabric is a threelayered construction, aimed to provide thermal warmth, breathability and proper waterproofing. Water beads off the rigid surface exceptionally and the inner dries moisture fast, even after hard riding in double-digit temperature. In combination with arm warmers and a good base layer in temperatures close to freezing, it did a great job of keeping us warm. With or without the embedded LEDs, this is one impressive garment. You get a washbag supplied and, after removing the battery, the Beacon can handle a cool wash. Ours has been through the washing machine a dozen times and the Durable water repellent (DWR) layers are still performing as new. The intended application is road cycling, so the lights are positioned where they would be most visible when the rider is down on the drops. But if you’re shelling out £180 it’d make sense to maximise on usage and, sadly if you commute with a backpack, the rear lights will be mostly covered if it drops down to the small of your back. Métier tell us that they’re open to changing the placement of the LEDs or adding some more for future incarnations of their garments, and inserting some vertical strips on the sides may improve the backpack issue.
For dedicated road cycling, however, the Beacon paired with a base layer and long sleeve jersey has become our go-to combination. Overall, it’s a hugely commendable effort from this fledgling British brand, and the integrated LEDs are much more than a party piece.