Le Col PRO B5 Winter Jacket Mizuro Blue

Owned and operated by Welsh professional cyclist Yanto Barker, Le Col is a clothing company who's ethos is simple: high quality, technical product suitable for everyone. Yanto is accutely aware of what makes a good cycling garment and this is evident when you take a close look at the products in the range. There is an undeniable focus on comfort, function and style.

Using the range of technical fabrics currently available, Le Col have set about producing the best possible clothing for the job of cycling, and whilst they recognise that there is never absolute perfection, they do believe in the perfect balance when the purpose is clear.  

Le Col, rather than having a huge range of products, have spent their time optimising particular pieces so as to be funcional, comfortable and durable. They firmly believe that a well considered and designed piece of clothing will perform exceptionally well whether you ride gently for half an hour or punish yourself on week long stage races.

We love a well thought out product and that is exactly what the B5 Winter Jacket is. A revision of the succesful B3, the Mizuro Blue B5 has seen some minor tweaks to styling but retains all the features that were so sought after last season.

As cyclists we are often torn between the stylish and the practical and this is even more apparent during the gloomy winter months where light levels are flat and safety on the roads is an issue. If we're honest, not all of us want to be clad in Hi-Visibility kit that would not be out of place air-side at Heathrow; often we sacrifice our safety for a fashion statement.

Handy then that Le Col have taken this problem, wrestled it to the ground and come out victorious.

Technically the jacket is highly accomplished. The rear panel is constructed from Aqua Zero Roubaix fabric that is both water resistant, insulating and breathable. The front panels and the upper arms are constructed from a windproof, waterproof but breathable fabric to provide a great fit and offer protection from the elements whilst venting out both excess heat and sweat in order to keep you comfortable. The fleece lining is comfortable and warm for the really bitter days.

The B5 Winter jacket has some incredible safety features and employs small but well placed dabs of blue detail to keep you safe in the winter. The most obvious position is the blue cuffs which will make your signalling much more evident. The addition of a soft, fleecy panel for this season lets you deal with your cold nose without rasping at your skin. The top and bottom of the full zip closure also features blue zip covers and these are tied into the jacket with the use of blue coloured stitching throughout as well as the blue-stitched Le Col logo on the chest, sleeve and rear. The high fleece collar is also coloured in keeping with the style of the jacket and will keep the most bitter conditions out.

On top of theMizuro blue features and to further enhance the safety, the B5 jacket has large panels of highly reflective material on both forearms (for signalling and front visibility) and in a 2 panel wrap on the back of the jacket . As well as being highly visible in headlights the material is also windproof, water resistant, breathable  and stretchable.

With all that said the Le Col B5, like the B3 before it is a stunning looking jacket. Between us we have a lot of cycling kit and plenty to see us through this winter, but to a man, we all want one of these. The fit is perfect. Not restrictive but a close tailored cut and not baggy so as to flap around in the wind. All the usual Le Col detailing is here with the central reflective strip on the capacious 3 rear pockets and the addition of a fourth waterproof zip up pocket is genius.

We love it and you will too.