Galibier Colombiere Pro Jacket

The Galibier Colombière Pro Jacket works well on and off the bike, with or without the hood, and it’s reversible. It’s a handy and versatile garment at a very sensible price – although it isn’t waterproof.

> Buy now: Galibier Colombière Pro Jacket for £79.22 from Galibier

Billed as ‘an evolved lightweight version’ of Galibier’s standard insulated jacket, the Colombière Pro features 50g of insulation per square metre – a notch down on the 80g used in the basic (amateur?) version. This is, however, 100 per cent recycled material, up from 50 per cent, so full marks for that.

Despite that, the Pro isn’t massively lighter. The Galibier website and the road.cc scales don’t agree on the exact weights of either jacket, but they do agree on the difference between them – only about 20g.

It is light, though, and it compacts well too. You couldn’t get it into a jersey pocket, but in much the same way that you squish a sleeping bag into its compression sack thing, it can be crammed into a surprisingly small gap in an otherwise jam-packed rucksack.

In terms of an appropriate temperature range, Galibier makes reference to ‘braving temperatures below freezing’, but I think your other layers would have to be picking up a good deal of the slack in that scenario.

I found it nice and warm on the bike with the temperature in single digits, but you’re generating a bit of heat when riding and this is a jacket intended for broader use. Walking the kids down to school in the same sort of conditions felt like its limit.

Sizeable Roubaix fabric panels down the sides and on the insides of the arm do, however, ensure good breathability. They provide a very useful bit of stretch as well. It’s hard to say how much that springiness contributes to how the garment feels, but it really is extra comfortable. (I’m actually wearing it now, as I type – a position in which most jackets would feel quite restrictive.)

Either side of the insulation, you get a lightweight woven nylon inner/outer. As the jacket’s reversible, both these layers are treated with a durable water-repellent finish.

I found that light rain ran off pretty nicely, but persistent rain will begin working its way through. Plus, it is just a coating, so it’ll unavoidably lose its integrity over time (‘durable’ is a relative term). There are plenty of options out there for retreating it yourself, though.

It’ll be a matter of personal preference whether reversibility is much of a selling point to you. The orange side might make you feel more visible on the road, but it’s set up as the secondary option – it lacks the reflective strips on the rear or accessible external pockets.

Grey-side-out, your hands will gravitate into the two lower pockets at the school gates and you can zip stuff into them at other times. There’s also a phone pocket on the chest, which again has a zip.

The hood is, as mentioned at the outset, removable. It zips on and off very easily.

And while we’re on zips, the main one passes my main cycling test of being very easy to operate one-handed.

The Colombière Pro is cut longer at the rear as well, so I felt well covered even on my road bike.

Value

These sorts of insulated jackets tend to be more expensive than the Galibier Colombière Pro without necessarily offering the same versatility.

The Altura All Roads Men’s Packable Insulated 1/2 Zip Jacket packs away small, but it costs £110 and lacks a hood.

The Stolen Goat Adventure Down Jacket offers down insulation and removable sleeves, but for £180, and again with no hood.

The Endura Hummvee Reversible FlipJak matches the Galibier for reversibility and does have a hood, but it’s not removable, and the jacket costs £149.99. (Oli reviewed a previous version way back in 2015, when it was just £99.99.)

We recently tested Universal Colours’ Packable Insulated Jacket. At £170, this one’s towards the premium end of the winter jacket market, but it’s short in the body and the pockets lack zips.

That leaves us with the Galibier Colombière Pro’s greatest rival, which is… the Galibier Colombière. It does much the same stuff, with a bit more insulation and another 20g of weight, but it’s about a tenner cheaper at £68.22.

For more options, check out our guide to the best winter cycling jackets.

Conclusion

The Galibier Colombière Pro Jacket does cost more than its sibling, but not massively so. While the weight difference is unlikely to swing many people, if you prefer the look of the Pro, it’s not a price difference likely to put you off. Taking a broader view of the market, the Pro is a bargain compared with the rest of its competition. It’s really comfortable and a great thing to throw on whenever you’re popping out, whether you’re taking your bike or not.

> Buy now: Galibier Colombière Pro Jacket for £79.22 from Galibier

Verdict

Hugely comfortable insulated jacket that works equally well on and off the bike

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