Castilli Gabba Long Sleeve

leegreenhough

Well the crappy weather is here again and i am considering getting a gabba jacket. i know its expensive but im a firm believer in you get what you pay for. Three questions, i am a 43 inch chest and 36 waist any idea on sizes please, im guessing XXL? Also is the Gabba as good as everyone says and is there an alternative thats just as good? Last question is wheres the best place and price to get one?. Sorry about all the questions but its a lot of money and i want to get it right.

dowtcha

Giordana do a version but for some strange reason only can find it on sale in the U.S. They call it g shield and sportul version i think is the Sportful Fiandre No-Rain Jacket. I have been using mine nearly every ride since I got it, I went for the ss version with arm warmers. It is great for light rain and showers but heavy rain will soak through. The water resistance coating wears off with washing but can reproof with nikwax if you can be bothered. I got mine from wiggle with a discount. I got a large and nearly sent it back for been too small but now think its a perfect fit, I have a 40 chest. Some one that's a similar size may be better able to help you with the sizing. Temp wise not sure how low you can go wearing it, a guess would be about 5 or 6 degrees with a heavy base layer. I paid 123 sterling for it.

tomisitt

Castelli come up pretty small, so XXL should be about right. Given that half the peloton were wearing them on the Milan-Sanremo, I guess the Gabba is pretty good. Wiggle are doing them for £162.

nick1c

I tried on a ss xxl gabba at Sigma Sports the other day & it was a good 2" too small in the chest (I am 43-44", 34" waist). XXXL's are, I believe, hard to come by. If possible I would try before you buy.

dowtcha

It is made of a very stretchy material and the fit is meant to be tight. Best to try it on when wearing bib/base layer.I am a large with nearly a 40 chest so going up 3 sizes seems a bit much, I think a xxl would be more than enough. See this thread, he is bigger than you and went for a xxl
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12942156

Monty Dog

Castellis have exclusive access to the Gore fabric used for the Gabba, so it's likely that anything else will use a inferior fabric - particularly one that doesn't breathe as well. Second season using a Gabba - it's good for riding in filthy conditions but not for heavy rain IME.

dowtcha

Just checked sportful website and states they use gore windstopper 4 way stretch with fleece backing. I think some one said that Castelli own sportful or have a share. Giordana version is a stretchy fabric with fleece backing with windblock but no its not windstopper. Is the Giordana worse or better I don't know I have not used one. I think The OP was looking for a cheaper version, I did the same but bought a gabba in the end. All are similarly priced.

dork_knight

I purchased an XL SS Gabba this week from Wiggle and I have a 44" Chest and 35" Waist.

The fit is great and I took it out for its first outing today.... now I popped out the back garden before setting off and found it to be a little cold (I only had a Castelli SS Winter Base Layer Underneath) so I popped on a SS Jersey.

Still a good fit with those layers taking in to account it's an XL and a 44" Chest.

I found it a bit chilly today even with those layers, Garmin Connect tells me:
Temperature
Avg Temperature: 7.8 °C
Min Temperature: 5.0 °C
Max Temperature: 14.0 °C

10℃
Feels like 7℃
18 mph W wind
Humidity 71%

I think that in a slightly warmer and perhaps less windy situation it would be great, even though I thought layering up would be Ok... not so.

Should have grabbed my Gore Windproof instead, but we live and learn and then know the best conditions to use the gear in as people react to different conditions and temperatures differently.

Had one down pour with hail and rain and it just shrugged it off

leegreenhough

cheers for all the help, ive got one reserved in Leisure Lakes at XL and ill see how that goes. Im toying with getting a Gore jacket instead but i need it to be breathable but warm thats why i liked the Gabba because the zips helped breathability, any advise would be good.

carrock

Dowtcha wrote:

It is made of a very stretchy material and the fit is meant to be tight. Best to try it on when wearing bib/base layer.I am a large with nearly a 40 chest so going up 3 sizes seems a bit much, I think a xxl would be more than enough. See this thread, he is bigger than you and went for a xxl
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40042&t=12942156

Yes 46 chest 36 waist and 16 stone at 6ft XXL fits fine.

djhermer

leegreenhough wrote:

cheers for all the help, ive got one reserved in Leisure Lakes at XL and ill see how that goes. Im toying with getting a Gore jacket instead but i need it to be breathable but warm thats why i liked the Gabba because the zips helped breathability, any advise would be good.

40" chest. Went for XL. Bit looser on the arms, but perfect elsewhere - will probably fit 2 baselayers beneath when required. Yesterday was the coldest conditions i'd used mine in. About 7 degrees when i set off. I had a long sleeve merino baselayer on underneath. It cuts the wind brillianty - was very windy yesterday. I don't know how it will hold up in sub zero temperatures. Probably ok if you're doing a hard ride, but wouldn't want to be on a recovery or long ride in sub zero in it. As for waterproof-ness, it's great in drizzle and short showers. My unscientific suggestion based on experience of different conditions would be that anything heavier than a light shower and for anything prolonged and you'll need a pukka waterproof (the Castelli Muur is brilliant).

As for breathability / wicking, it's excellent. The vents are good for breathability. The wicking qualities are superb - i always find my phone and pump etc. which are kept in the back pockets are wet with sweat at the end of a hard ride as the jacket has wicked it away into the pocket. Not ideal from a phone preservation viewpoint, but great from a comfort one...

Monty Dog

To confirm earlier post that Sportful also own the Castelli brand.

racingcondor

I tried on the sportful the other day and found it roomier around the shoulders. The Gabba is typical of Castelli race level kit in that it's a very slim cut.

Personally I'd go with the short sleeved version and arm warmers. I don't find that my lower arms need the same protection as my core on cool / showery days and in very cold / heavy rain the Gabba (while excellent at what it does) won't be enough anyway.

goonz

I think someone mentioned they bought a version by Capo which is cheaper and in their opinion excellent.

ScreaminWargasm

Just ordered the long sleeve Gabba myself. I am a size 40 chest and went for a size Large. Hope it fits as most Castelli stuff is on the small side.

Looking forward to testing it out though

carrock

They are staggeringly good pieces of kit. Being a "large " build I tended to work up a sweat, especially chasing my much lighter wife up hills. The GABBA is the only jersey/jacket I have owned that keeps me dry and warm without the boil in the bag effect.

If they were £300 each would still be worth it.

thegreatdivide

Monty Dog wrote:

Castellis have exclusive access to the Gore fabric used for the Gabba, so it's likely that anything else will use a inferior fabric - particularly one that doesn't breathe as well. Second season using a Gabba - it's good for riding in filthy conditions but not for heavy rain IME.

'It's likely...' - so no actual experience then Monty?

Gore make Windstopper X Lite Plus, while Sitip make AquaZero as used by Santini, Vermarc and Giordana - AquaZero is no better or worse than the Gabba, it just gets less press time. Vermarc had their black jersey out at pretty much the same time as the Gabba but again, due the Castelli's marketing the Vermarc went under the radar.

http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/boulde ... g/vermarc/

FWIW I've worn my full G-Shield 'suit' after getting caught out in torrential rain and it worked admirably. None of these brands garments are marketed as being waterproof but mine did a really good job of shedding water and it kept me warm.

dowtcha

I was going to pick up a g shield myself but could only find a couple of retailers in the states, strange it was not picked up by more retailers in Europe. I forgot I tried on Santini version a couple of weeks ago in a LBS, fit is a bit looser and only long sleeved version.

cougie

I think the short sleeve with their water repellent arm warmers would be a more versatile option.

I've the same - but not used it in Winter - I think its best for wet Spring and Autumn rides. It's not a proper winter jacket IMO.

richiegwy

I bought the gabba with removable arms. Haven't got to try it out yet but looking forward to it