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Mini Review: Pearl Izumi Arm Warmers and Cat Eye SL-LD100

This weekend Ryan and I took a trip to Hattiesburg Bicycle Center to pick up a couple things for his Trek.  As I typically do in the LBS, I ended up wandering around and found a couple things I “needed”.

First up is a pair of Pearl Izumi seamless arm warmers.  The weather is cooling off now, and I find that a jacket is often not what I need as it tends to overheat my core when all I want to warm are my arms.  These arm warmers are perfect for that.  I actually bought them in anticipation of a very cold marathon in December but intend to use them for riding as well.  They have performed great on my morning commute.  I was able to wear short sleeve shirt shirts and stay very comfortable with temperatures in the high 40s.

Unlike many arm warmers I’ve read about, these had no problem staying put.  They stayed nice and snug no matter how I rode.  The bicep end was tight, but not too much.  It felt comfortable and didn’t constrict me in any way.  Big thumbs up on these, highly recommended.

Next is the Cat Eye SL-LD100 red light.  Ashamed as I am to admit it, I’ve been riding for some time now with no rear light.  The last one fell off when my home-made mount failed (why do no lights seem to come with rack mounts anymore?!) and with the copious daylight of summer, I never thought to replace it.  With 5pm now being quite dark, I knew I needed to find something.  Most lights I disliked because of the mounting options.  Sure I can attach it to my seat post, but what about when I carry cargo on the rear rack?  It complete blocks the light.  This offering from Cat eye is different in that it uses an elastic cord to allow it to be mounted in a variety of ways.  Also neat is that the switch is magnetic.  A small fob at the end of the attached cord turns the light on and off just by waving it near the body of the light.  Anything magnetic seems to work, even my Blackberry!

I found that this mounting system is nice.  I currently have it on my seat post where it sits quite secure.  If I have cargo or need to move it to another bike, switching it is a breeze.  It can also be wrapped around my hydration belt for running at night, another big plus for me.

Where this light doesn’t do well is overall performance.  Compared to some red blinky lights I’ve used, this one just isn’t as bright.  You certainly sacrifice some luminosity for size and convenience. That said, I think it performs well enough.  It seems to be visible from a safe distance, just not blinding like others I’ve used.  Get this if you are frustrated with current offerings in rear lights or if you have some non-biking activities you could use it for, otherwise, a more traditional light will suit you better.