Velocio Zinnia women’s cycle vest review

Velocio’s special-edition Zinnia kit, which has been developed in partnership with NYC fashion designer Lela Rose, has been floating BikeRadar boats of late. It’s also been flying off the shelves, so if you like the look then better act fast.

We’ve taken a look at the women’s bibs and jerseys on offer already, but the brightly coloured Zinnia wind vest is also worth a quick mention.

The vest uses a soft, wind blocking material on the front and sides, and a breathable mesh on the rear. It hugs the body with a nice, even stretch meaning it never billows in the wind. We found ourselves rejoicing that fluoro is so fashionable right now – and love that the vest is both stylish and safe.

It wasn’t total sweetness and light during testing though. The bottom of the two-way zip on our test vest didn’t lock when not in use. If we loaded the pockets (and our stomach) to maximum capacity, the bottom zip would work its way open while riding.

YKK zips usually perform faultlessly, and we’d expect this fault – seemingly a manufacturing blip rather than a design issue – to be covered by Velocio’s 30-day return policy, which also extends to exchanges and returns if a larger size is the better option. This provides ease of mind given most purchases will be made online.

The vest’s cost is pretty hefty, relative to the already pricey bibs and jersey. This makes it an expensive addition, but we were glad to see its use extends far beyond the life of the rest of the kit… provided you don’t over-fill the pockets.