When riding at night, being seen is paramount. Reflective clothing, lights, and reflective bits on the bike go a long way to keep you visible. To do their part, manufacturers have gone to great lengths to add reflective material or prints to their clothing, while other companies concentrate on building lights for your bike. Endura has taken a combined approach and added them both to a functional jacket in their Luminite II Jacket and reflective prints to the Luminite Thermo Gloves.
As a jacket alone, Endura did a lot of things right with the Luminate II. They started with a 2.5 layer waterproof and breathable fabric. That means they took a breathable, yet windproof base layer, added a waterproof coating on the outside, and added a protective inner layer, giving you the lightest weight option of a 2, 2.5, or 3 layer material. It is also fully seam-sealed to to add to the waterproofing. There are storm flaps on all zippers, which includes the chest pocket, both waist pockets, the large rear pocket, and a bonded and laser cut double storm flap on the full length zipper. When you need more ventilation, but you don’t want to unzip the main zipper, there are under arm zipper you can open to let more air in and heat out.
The jacket isn’t made to be warm, more as a top layer to protect you from the wind and rain. The cut is generous enough to layer up underneath, but still fitted to keep from flapping. The back pocket, neck, and waist pockets are lined just enough to offer a soft touch. The rear of the jacket is extended to provide coverage when riding. You can customize the fit around the waist and neck with drawcords, and around the wrists with velcro cuffs.
The Luminite Thermal Glove also checks off all the right boxes for a thermal cycling glove. They nylon/polyester outer fabric has a little bit of stretch added to keep the glove comfortable. Inside, there is a seam-sealed waterproof and breathable material with a wicking brushed tricot material to keep the gloves soft against your skin while removing perspiration.
For insulation, Endura added 40 gram Thinsulate wadding, to help keep the bulk to a minimum. The palms have a hexagon silicone print that extends to the pointer and middle finger, providing grip whether you are on flat bars or drops. They even added a little bit of the silicone print to the tops of the tips of the pointer and middle finger and to the velcro strap around the wrist. To make them a little more comfortable, there is a small amount of padding on the heel of the palm. And like any good glove out there, there is a generously sized terry section on the back of the pointer finger to wipe away sweat and the inevitable snot on cold days. Sizing is about average, but when in doubt, go a size up to allow for a loose fit to help trap some heat around your fingers.
What separates this jacket and glove pair from other rain jackets and thermal gloves on the market are the same things that will keep you safe at night. Endura added reflective graphics to give 360 degrees of visibility on both items. During the day, they only look like silver graphics, but at night, they light up when light hits them. Coincidentally enough, the only reflective bit on the fingers of the gloves is a stripe going up the middle finger. While I was told by Endura this was done unintentionally, this stripe should make these a favorite for riders and drivers a like in New York City.
On back of the Luminite II jacket, Endura added a small flashing light like you would normally find on the back of a bike. There is a small rubber piece molded to the shape of the light, and stitched into the jacket just below the zipper for the rear pocket. To turn it on, just push the top section, and it activates two flash patterns, or a constant red light. The light is easily removable if you choose to. When sitting with a back rest, it is noticeable, but not all that uncomfortable.
Overall, I love the looks of both the jacket and glove. I’ve received compliments from cyclists and non-cyclists alike. Many didn’t even realize there was a rear flashing light until I mentioned it, which drew cyclists in even more. For riding at night, both items were plenty bright, even in the black colorway. If you want to be even more visible, check out the hi-viz green and yellow jackets, and the hi-viz yellow non-thermal gloves.
The jacket lit up from headlights of cars, and the accents on the gloves helped make hand signals (single fingered and full hand) easily visible. The flashing light in the jacket worked well, and can easily replace a bike mounted light, especially if you are concerned about people walking off with your lights when locked up.
The jacket and gloves are both very well built, and performed well during testing, keeping water and wind out, while letting my body breath. The jacket was surprisingly warm at times, which was easily regulated by unzipping the openings under the arms. I was a little disappointed by the warmth of the gloves, but I think it has more to do with the sizing I requested than the gloves themselves. I typically wear size Large gloves for my full finger summer gloves, but the XL would have offered a little more room to trap heat. Another tester who has smaller hands thought the 40 gram Thinsulate was plenty warm for temps into the 40’s. For temps into the 30’s and below, I’d love to see a Luminite lobster glove, splitting the middle and ring fingers and allowing the fingers together to help keep each other warm.
If you commute year round, the Luminite II Jacket and Luminite gloves are a great option for functional gear that will keep you warm and dry. Along with these two items, Endura has a whole range of Luminite products to cover you from helmet to shoe all year long, and even a backpack cover, to make sure that you are seen when riding at night. Check out their site for more on these other items.
Luminite II Jacket – Yellow, Green, or Black, in sizes from XS-XXL – $154.99
Luminite Thermo Glove – Black, in sizes from XL-XXL – $64.99
Heckling Editor, Image Taker, Crash Test Dummy, and Beard Master at Bikeworldnews.com
~Veggie Powered Athlete~
Location – Lancaster, PA
Current Testing Rigs – 2024 Van Dessel Arch65, 2019 Van Dessel Full Tilt Boogie, 2018 Van Dessel Motivus Maximus LTD, 2016 Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 2015 Bianchi Sempre Pro, 1978 Trek TX900
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