Since then the brand has grown, and are now branching out further afield with new and exciting garments added to their line. I’ve been wearing and riding around town in their Le Jongleur (The Juggler) jacket, and found a lot more than I bargained for.

The two way reversible jacket has a super reflective orange pattern on one side for night time riding, and a quilted black layer side for the day time. Even while wearing the jacket with the black side out, reflective zip piping allows the jacket to remain seen in low light conditions.

Upon being dazzled by the fluorescent orange pattern, my first thought was: “Wow. No one is going to miss me”, which is exactly the point. It’s brilliantly bright and offers 360 degree high-vis coverage. Even in the daylight when lights glances over, the jacket kicks back such a great reflection.

There are two zipped pockets on the front of Le Jongleur, and popper fastened pockets on the black side of the jacket.

I’ve been really impressed with this jacket. It’s got a lovely tapered cut, nicely finished hem along the cuffs, and it’s warm. I’ve worn this on the bike around town, but also out for walks and the stuff quilted layers keep you really toasty. Despite being a breathable jacket, I was quite hot on the rides, however I was quickly cooled down just by undoing the front zip.

The Jacket within the Jacket

“We just want to make it fun, and to create a small surprise to our clients” – Ann, Urban Circus

You buy a new coat or jacket, and you may expect some stickers… perhaps even a pouch for additional buttons and thread, but Urban Circus tuck a high-vis condom into their pockets.

I didn’t even notice this for the first few wears. My hands are on my bars, or flaying at my side as I prance around town, so when I discovered this little French inscribed gift in my pocket, I was excited.

It was a glow-in-the-dark condom. The loose translation of the packet is: “Your Protection is Our Profession”. Even now, I find it hard to formulate an eloquent enough sentence to describe my thoughts because it’s just so bizarre, and quite possibly the last thing I expected to find in my pocket. I’ve been laughing about it, because I just don’t get it. Is this some misguided marketing campaign?

Everything you need to know about sex and cycling is here

I emailed Urban Circus asking about this jacket within a jacket, and their reply was simply this: “We just want to make it fun, and to create a small surprise to our clients” – well they certainly succeeded in surprising me!

*Note to reader: I’ve not reviewed the high-vis capabilities of the condom

Aside from the not-so-appropriate freebie in the pocket, I’ve gotten on quite well with the high-vis Le Jongleur jacket from Urban Circus. It’s super warm, highly visible in low-light conditions, and they’ve certainly incorporated a great fit and style too.

To launch their updated line of high-vis coutre, Urban Circus has taken to Kickstarter to raise 15,000 euros for production. With 2 weeks left, they’re halfway to that target, and with a 50 euro pledge, you can secure yourself your very own.

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