THE BACK END | PRODUCT EVALUATIONS
With winter fast approaching, it’s important
you are properly equipped to handle frosty
conditions, especially if you dwell in the
southern states. Last winter my nipples had
frozen solid, and would have been more
use for cutting holes in my body armour's
breastplate than ... actually I’m not sure
what the point of the male nipple is!
The Avade heated top is made from a rash
vest-type material that’s stretchy but skin
tight where it needs to be.
The heat comes from a pair of wired pads,
like those in an electric blanket, placed in
the front and back of the garment, so you'll
never have to worry about your nipples
freezing again. To activate the pads you need
to press a button on the right sleeve.
It has three different setting: warm,
warmer and dang you hot!
The top is designed for warm up and warm
down, not for cooking you once your body
temperature gets up. So you can turn it off
once you’ve defrosted on a ride.
The pads are powered by a rechargeable
battery pack in the right rear of the jersey.WE LIKED
EASE OF USEThe switch on the sleeve has
three settings that light up in three different
colours: green, orange and red. Push the
button, wait 15 seconds and you’re away.
BATTERY LIFEI expected the warmth to
last one hour on full heat, but I managed
to squeeze three hours out of the hottest
setting and six out of the coolest one (sorry
about the typo in the We’re Testing inADB
#434, which stated the opposite).
HEATI’ve also used the Avade top for
a trip to the snow. It kept me toasty in
temperatures below zero.
FITI’ve got long levers but the sleeves still
stretched all the way down to my wrists and
the torso of the top didn’t ride up my back to
reveal my muffin top.
WATERPROOFThe wiring is waterproof,
meaning you can stick it in the wash.WE DIDN’T LIKE
WIRING LOOMThe wires that run down
the arm to the sleeve from the chest are all
connected and, after a wash, some of thewires had pulled out of the chest area and
got tangled in the arm.
COLOURAfter a day in the dust our white
top didn’t look so white. The black version
will probably look better.
WEATHERUnless you live in the southern
states, the weather in this wide brown land
doesn’t make an Avade heated top essential.
That being said, it still gets bloody cold
come 6am at Finke time!VERDICT
The Avade Heated Top is an excellent piece
of kit if you find yourself shivering through
the first hour of your rides on a regular basis.
It’s light, comfortable, easy to use and does
a good job of keeping you warm.
While some of us will never need a heated
top, many parts of Victoria, Tasmania and
even NSW and SA will find the Avade heated
top a brilliant item on those cold early-
morning rides.
Mitch LeesAVADE HEATED TOP
$199.95, Avade, avade.com.au
Main: Is that wiring on your chest
or are you just pleased to see me?- Heated wires up front
- Easy-to-use button
- Battery life is good
- Heating out back
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122 | APRIL 2016 http://www.adbmag.com.au