Lumo Herne Hill Harrington Jacket

Everyone knows one of those people: good looking, smart and understated during office hours… but get them down the pub after work and suddenly they turn into a different person. Well, the Lumo Herne Hill Harrington is that person. During the day it looks much like a typical casual jacket, but as evening approaches you turn the lights on and… it’s disco time!

We first featured Lumo on road.cc in December last year (see here) when the company launched its Kickstarter campaign aiming to raise £50k to, erm, kick start the brand. The good news is it smashed the target and managed to raise nearly £75,000, then went on to secure equity investment through Crowdcube, and Lumo was born. 

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Lumo's modest launch range, The London Collection, features just three items of clothing available in men’s and women’s cuts, and a couple of accessories. Lumo has very much opted for the 'quality, not quantity' approach, and this is to its credit as the quality of the items we've got our hands on is second to none. The range is centred around a neat LED light system built into the garments that lights you up like a Christmas tree when activated, but is totally inconspicuous off the bike. 

Lights fantastic

The Herne Hill Harrington is Lumo's showpiece jacket. It might be based on the classic British Harrington but it’s affectionately been dubbed 'the disco jacket' in the road.cc office. It’s quite amusing what effect a strip of lights down the front of a jacket can have – passing pedestrians and drivers all seem to double take as you ride past, and strangers want to talk to you about where you got your jacket and how it works.

During the day when turned off they're almost completely invisible, just appearing as a section of piping down the front of the placket and across the rear hem, but when activated the 14 LEDs on the front and back become a real attention grabber. The lights are obviously 'to be seen', rather than 'to see by', so they're designed to accompany a set of lights rather than as an alternative. They do have two modes, though: high energy pulse and low energy flash. It kind of feels like there should be a third option of a 'steady mode' as most other lights would offer, but that's not on the menu. 

They’re powered by a 1100mAh 3.7v lithium polymer battery that sits neatly in a discreet pocket in the inside front panel and plugs into a connecting wire sewn into the bones of the jacket. The battery is about the size and weight of one of those small, flimsy pay-as-you-go mobile phones, so not much of an inconvenience to carry about. Battery life varies depending on which setting is used: it's around 6 hours on the high energy pulse, and up to 14 hours on the slower low energy flash. Charging is done through a USB cable supplied with the jacket, handy for plugging in when you arrive at your desk to make sure you’re fully charged for the ride home. 

The battery has a single large button which is used to turn the lights on and off (long press) or toggle between modes (short press). It’s a bit of a faff to get the battery pack in and out of its pocket, easier to operate the button through the fabric of the jacket. It’s large and tactile enough. 

The LEDs are fully waterproof and washable (hand wash only), but the battery pack isn’t, nor does it have any protection against the rain. The jacket itself doesn't purport to be waterproof, and the battery could easily be susceptible to water damage if caught in a really heavy downpour. 

Everyday day wear

When you’re not using the lights, the overall look of the jacket is understated, with an occasional flash of Lumo's signature red and white polka dot pattern on the underside of the pocket flaps and front placket. It's designed for everyday use and works perfectly on a commute to the office or a trip into town. The jacket is unlined and best described as 'midweight' – well suited to spring and autumn riding, with a recommended temperature range of 5 to 20°C (okay, summer too, then).

The cut is slim but with plenty of room for a couple of layers underneath. It’s designed to be worn with normal clothing and works with just a T-shirt in warmer weather, or a few layers when the mercury plunges. 

The neck zips up high and fits closely to keep out the worst of the weather. The arms are cut slightly longer than normal, which is ideal when you're in the riding position and barely registers when you're off the bike. Thought has also gone into the cuffs; they're cut in scallop shape giving extra protection over the top of your hands when gripping the bars. There's also a Lycra inner cuff which fits snugly around the wrists, keeping wind and rain firmly locked out. 

The hem is dropped lower than the classic Harrington to keep you nicely covered when you're in the saddle. This works perfectly at the back, keeping you protected from the elements and any road spray thrown up by your back wheel, but at the front it does have a tendency to bunch up a bit when you're reaching forward. 

The Harrington is constructed from 97% Gabardine cotton twill, which should be hard wearing, mixed with 3% elastane, commonly found in casual cycle wear to give things that all-important bit of flex when on the bike. The shoulder panel also has some extra stretch to it, which is a really welcome feature – this part of the fit can be restricting on a standard jacket and is often overlooked on casual cycling jackets. 

>> Check out our guide to the best casual cycling commuter clothing here

The material also features Schoeller® 3XDRY® technology, a treatment that gives the outside of the jacket hydrophobic properties, repelling water and stains, while the inside is hydrophilic, absorbing body moisture and dispersing it to let it evaporate and regulate body temperature. The treatment also means that it dries quicker than normal after washing, or, more likely, after getting caught in a sudden downpour.

The water resistant qualities stand up pretty well in light to medium showers – you can see water droplets beading on the surface of the material – but anything more than that and it's not going to offer much protection. It's ideal for short hops across town in showery conditions, but if your commute is longer and the rain is more sustained then you’ll want to grab something else from the wardrobe.

The Harrington performs pretty well in the breathability department: the fabric technology does its thing and the large open vent across the back of the jacket helps to circulate air and regulate your body temperature. 

Storage space

There's plenty of room for storing your valuables: two zippable front pockets with flaps for extra weather protection, an inside chest pocket perfect for a phone, and a back pocket with magnetic closure that's perfectly positioned for easy access when you're on the move.

As well as zipping up high around the neck, the collar has a fleece lining which keeps it comfortable against the skin, and the magnetic closure makes it easy to snap shut or open up while you're riding along. Small reflective tabs on the cuffs and rear pocket are also handy for that extra bit of visibility in low light, and a useful analogue back-up if the battery for the lights was to fail you.  

Lumo's aim is to create garments that work well off the bike as well as on it. It states on its website: “If it doesn't look good off a bike as well as looking great on one, we won't make it. The LUMO test is 'Would we feel good walking into a bar to meet our friends wearing this?'' The Herne Hill Harrington does pass this test. It’s a nicely understated jacket that looks good in most scenarios and matches well with smart or casual clothing. The cycling features are minimal enough that they slip by under the radar, the only slight exception being the longer cut of the body; this is the biggest step away from the classic Harrington look. 

The jacket is available in both male and female cuts, but just the one colour. The men’s sizing ranges from XS (36in chest) up to XL (46in chest), and the women’s are XS (size 6) up to XL (size 16). 

Value added?​

There's no escaping the fact that for a jacket like this and from a brand of this ilk you're going to be paying top whack, in this case £250. That sharp intake of breath you just experienced was shared by most people when they saw the price tag. It's a really nicely designed jacket, made from great materials, and the lights work really well, but that price tag is a real tough one to swallow.

It's extremely difficult to look at this jacket without comparing it to the Vulpine Harrington; it shares the same kind of styling and cut, and many of the details are quite similar, but the Lumo has the significant additional benefit of the lights. The Vulpine jacket is £195, so it's a question of whether the lights are worth the extra £55. Maybe.

The one saving grace for the value score on this review is that the jacket is available on the government's cycle to work scheme, as it falls into the 'reflective clothing or safety equipment' category. Depending on whether your employer is signed up to the scheme and your tax rate, you could save up to 42 per cent on the jacket, and that puts the value into a whole different light.

Verdict

A great looking and impressively performing jacket that will really light up your commute, if it's not eclipsed by the price