We check out 100%’s cold weather protection for your digits

Words: Toni Walbridge
Photos: Misti Walbridge

It’s January now with cold temps and short days but in many areas of the country it’s also the time of year for perfect dirt. The trick to enjoying those chilly rides is staying warm and I’ve always found my hands to be particularly susceptible to the cold weather riding. I suspect squeezing grips and brake levers works against normal blood flow which tends to render fingers numb in a hurry. 100% has come up with a nice option to add a little warmth back with their Brisker Cold Weather gloves so that you can shred on through snow season.

The Briskers are a pretty simple but fairly effective take on a cold weather riding glove. The tops of the gloves are covered in an insulated soft shell material with a moisture wicking micro fiber interior layer. Several of my recent rides have involved temps in the low to mid 30’s and except on really long descents with a ton of braking, my hands have stayed toasty warm in them. It’s worth noting that the soft shell material is very breathable but not particularly waterproof. They’ll shed off a few light rain drops but quickly become saturated in a full on rain storm. I’d love to see a DWR coating added since our winters are often as wet as they are cold.

The Clarino synthetic leather material on the palm is similar to a summer glove but lacks perforations to help with warmth. This results in a slightly muted feel compared to a summer glove but its not really that distracting. And that’s coming from someone who only rides in the most minimalist of gloves in the summer. The palm graphics also happen to be printed in silicone for a little extra grip in the wet. The stitching you can see below on the index fingers, 100% calls tech-thread, is supposed to help with operating a phone with your gloves on. My iPhone has recently been living in a LifeProof case and is fairly unresponsive unless I remove the gloves first.

In terms of durability, it seems like gloves in general can be a little hit and miss but the Briskers have held up well for me. I managed to tear one to shreds on some berry bushes last year but I suppose that was my fault. My current pair has a few months of ride time on them and other than a little cracking of the reflective logo (a nice touch for night riding) they are holding up well.

Sizing of the Briskers seems pretty standard, I almost always wear a large and the large Briskers fit me perfectly. 100% went with a hook-n-loop closure at the wrist.  This generally feels extraneous to me on summer gloves but makes sense on the Brisker, easing the process putting them on with frozen digits.  Overall, I’m pretty stoked on the Briskers and highly recommend them if you’re into winter riding.  At an MSRP of $29.50 they represent a fairly small investment for a fairly large improvement in comfort in cool temps.

Details

• MFG: www.ride100percent.com
• Model: Brisker Cold Weather Glove
• MSRP: $29.50
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL