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Once a year I head down to Mexico to race the infamous Tecate Enduro. The event is always the first weekend of December which means temperatures vary between 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Before leaving this year, Kris handed me a pair of 100% Brisker gloves and said they may come in handy at this race. They sure did! The Brisker is 100%’s glove targeted at cold weather riding while not being super bulky like a snow glove. On top of the glove is a padded, insulated soft top which creates a slight barrier between the top of your hand and the elements. The palms of the Brisker are a single layer Clarion material and the inside is a “moisture wicking” micro fiber which is very comfortable. The wrists use a hook and loop adjustable strap to keep a tight seal from the elements as well as using Tech Threads which are supposed to let the rider be able to use touch screen devices without having to take the gloves off.
Sure enough, when the morning of the race came upon us, it was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and my start time was at 7:43am. I got dressed and went straight for the Brisker’s and headed to the line. I’m an XL when it comes to gloves and when I went to put the gloves on I didn’t think they were going to fit at first. Once I got my fat hands past the cuff, they went right in, fit really well, and the material inside the glove was very comfortable on this cold Mexico morning. The hook and loop strap stayed in place and never came un-done. The Brisker did an excellent job of blocking the cold weather from the tops of my hands, but I did have handguards on which helped, although I never felt a cold breeze through the gloves. The padded top, while doing a great job of protecting me from the cold, didn’t do such a great job of protecting my delicate fingers from bushes (I know they aren’t armor gloves). There were multiple times that I was slapped by a bush through the padding and it still gave me quite the sting. Once it started to warm up (55 degrees), I noticed that the palms didn’t do the best job of getting rid of sweat. When I would take the gloves on/off between special tests, the inside of the gloves stayed damp from my sweat. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as bad if temps stayed in the 40’s, but as the temps went up, the perspiration got slightly worse. The Tech Threads are good for pressing on smart phone screens, but when it comes to swiping (either for Tinder on the trail or just to open your phone) the gloves aren’t very effective. Overall, I think these gloves are the best cold weather gloves I’ve ever used to date and I have tried a few recently. A lot of the gloves on the market are too thick and feel very bulky when using the bikes controls. The Brisker however just feels like a normal glove with some added padding to the top of the glove with extra warmth. I’d definitely recommend these gloves for cold trail rides, or even cold mornings at the track. The looks of the Brisker doesn’t scream “COLD WEATHER GLOVES” as it looks “cool” enough for moto dudes. If you have any questions about the 100% Brisker gloves or anything else at Keefer Inc. Testing feel free to send me an email at Michael@keeferinctesting.com. -Michael Allen
