Gabba time!
A few months ago I received an email from Mantel Bikeparts, they raved on the Castelli Gabba jacket I heard Tanja oozing about too. Neither of us needed much convincing, even though it’s terribly expensive, we went on ahead anyway.
The first cold but drive ride I was happily surprised. It fits well and is very comfortable, the fabric is very nice. The rumors say that the logo’s are fragile and come off easy. But after 3 months intensive use, they are still in tact. We opted for the convertible with detachable sleeves, giving you both a longsleeve and very nice short-sleeve jersey, perfect for most autumn rides. Just tinker a bit with your base-layer and you’re good to go…
Wind is no object to this baby, it’s a great wind-jacked. And like I said with the right base-layer (or using the Gabba as a mid-layer) you’ll fight off the cold too for most situations.
But rain you have to think about. If it’s a little damp, no problem. If it starts to pour or rain for longer periods, you’ll get wet. At first at the seams: a well fitted jersey like this one doesn’t have taped seams to allow it to stretch. And second also the rest gets saturated and you start to get wet. As long as you keep moving, it will keep you warm and protected from the wind. But if you’re dead set on going for a ride in pissing rain, you’re best of with a proper rain-jacked.
Final verdict:
- Perfect fit aerodynamic, no flappiness.
- Fully breathable & Windstopper® X-Llite Plus fabric
- Sleeves remove easy, putting them on require taking the jersey off
- Perfect on cold, windy and dry rides, or occasional shower (water-repellent finish)
- Excellent mid-layer for extreme cold and rain
- Not a rain coat!
