Look at most guides to the best winter gloves for MTB around and you'll find the 100% Brisker is almost always the top choice. The praise the gloves get for the level of warmth they provide without hindering bar feel and hand movement is most definitely justified and they have a very reasonable price tag too. The 100% Briskers are not quite 100 percent perfect though, keep reading to find out why...
Design and specifications
The Briskers use an insulated softshell material on the back of the hands and fingers which combines with a medium-weight Clarino vegan leather on the palms and inside of the fingers and thumbs. The outwards-facing sections of the thumbs have a thicker and slightly softer layer of Clarino which makes a handy wipe for running nose/eyes/sweat.
On the back of the palms and first fingers is a reflective 100% logo, while the wrist cuffs are made from neoprene with a Velcro fastening. Conductive threads are stitched into the ends of the thumb and forefinger of each hand to make the gloves touch screen compatible.
Performance
The Clarino palm with insulated softshell back is really effective combo that keeps your hands warm without compromising front-end feel and feedback. In dry conditions, the Briskers can handle sub-zero (centigrade) temperatures, but my hands started to get sweaty when I was working hard out of the wind in over five degrees or so.
Add rain and wind to the equation though and the gloves became less effective. On wet, windy rides in temperatures below zero degrees, I found that my damp fingers were particularly vulnerable to wind chill as the softshell insulation doesn't wrap around to protect your digits – but such is the payoff for proper feel and control.
While the Briskers don't claim to offer any wet weather resistance (see 100% Hydromatic gloves instead), they're pretty good at shrugging off light showers. The softshell backs can get sodden in sustained rain though, which leeches heat away.
I started riding in my test pair of Briskers at the back end of last winter, so they've had just over a season's wear up to this point. While they're in pretty good shape and haven't suffered from any cuts, splits, or cracks, the backs of the gloves have started to bobble in places and the palms have stretched a tad too. The reflective logos haven't started to disintegrate or peel away though.
Verdict
If you want a high performance glove that straddles the line between offering ride feel and levels of comfort and warmth extremely well, then the 100% Briskers are definitely for you. They're far cheaper than most winter rivals too, which makes them an even more attractive option. Yes, there are some warmer gloves out there, but you'll be sacrificing feel and control if you go for them over the Briskers.
Tech specs: 100% Brisker gloves
- Price: $34.50 / £29.99 / €34.50 / AU$44.95 / CA$45.00
- Materials: Back: 82% Polyamide (Nylon), 18% Elastane (Spandex) / Palm: 60% Polyamide (Nylon), 40% Polyurethane
- Colors: Black, Camo (tested), Fluro Yellow, Fluro Pink, Turquoise, Orange, Heather Gray
- Available sizes: S to 2XL, Youth S to Y-XL
