Galibier Colombiere Training Jacket

The Colombiere Defense jacket is part of Galibier's cold weather range and is designed to repel the wind on those long base mile training rides throughout the winter.

According to Galibier's website the Colombiere jacket takes its name from the "Alpine climb of which the last kilometres seem to be perpetually into a headwind". I can't confirm or deny having never ridden said climb but you can see their logic for a windproof jacket.

Some of the front facing panels and the arms are made from Shield Pro material which feels kind of like a softshell fabric. This is used as the main wind blocker on the body parts which are exposed as you are riding. It certainly does a good job of keeping the breeze out especially on those days with really icy winds that cut right through you. It'll stand up pretty well to the odd shower too with the ability to repel rain and drizzle for half an hour or so before the fabric is overwhelmed.

Galibier quote a useable range of 3-13°C which is bang on at the top end at least. The Colombiere does run warm and with just a mesh baselayer on I was sweating at 15°C. Going lower into freezing temperatures wasn't an issue with a thicker base underneath.

The rear panel uses a Super Roubaix material which is four-way stretch and is much more breathable than the Shield Pro, venting a lot of your body heat. When you stop on a cold day you can actually see heat vapour escaping from the panel. It uses the same material under the chest panels as well for the same effect.

The cut feels a little odd when you first put the Galibier on as the front is very short but this turned out to be the 'Diaphragm cut' which stops any bunching at the front and it is very comfortable when you are actually in the saddle. You get a decent height neck and extended cuffs to keep the drafts out and in terms of fit you can see the Galibier has had a lot of thought go into it. The sizing chart on the website seems pretty true as the medium tested is perfect for my 38-inch chest.

I'm not totally against black kit; I've got a fair bit myself but I do think an item of clothing that is most likely to be worn on grey days should have a bit of colour splashed about on it just to catch the eye of others. If you're wearing the Galibier in the dark though you will be very well lit up as there is a fair amount of reflective on show. All the Galibier logos front and rear are reflective plus there is a large mountain motif on the lower pocket which coupled with the pocket linings makes for good visibility.

You want easy access to pockets in the cold as you don't want to be stopping for too long and the three on the Defense jacket are pretty much spot on, a decent size to get in with gloves on and plenty deep enough. There is a zipped one for your valuables too.

The £77 tag seems pretty good value for money against some of the other smaller clothing companies on the market. You're getting a decent quality garment here with double stitching and materials that seem to be able to shrug off daily scuffs and scrapes. The fit is well thought out too with performance to match.

Overall it's a very warm training jacket that looks smart and is hardwearing. As I mentioned earlier a bit of colour wouldn't go amiss but that's the only real criticism with the Colombiere as it does everything Galibier set out to achieve.

Verdict

Very warm, well fitting, hardwearing training jacket; could do with a splash of colour.