Castelli Gabba

MikeBrew

larmurf wrote:

I am 41.5 and XL is a snug/tight fit about right I would say. But as regards warmth/wind resistance I honestly can't see what all the praise/fuss is about as I don't it rate it much if any better than <£20 Chinese jerseys in those respects ..!!

I think then maybe you misunderstand what the Gabba is for. It's for people who want to ride hard in cold weather without getting too hot. It's wind resistance is fantastic, and it pretty waterproof also. The warmth is meant to be generated by the rider's body.
If you want to pootle about in cold wet weather, you will need something more thermal. I have two short sleeved Gabbas and, with Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers, find them fantastic for the weather as it is at the moment...

xixang

MikeBrew wrote:

larmurf wrote:

I am 41.5 and XL is a snug/tight fit about right I would say. But as regards warmth/wind resistance I honestly can't see what all the praise/fuss is about as I don't it rate it much if any better than <£20 Chinese jerseys in those respects ..!!

I think then maybe you misunderstand what the Gabba is for. It's for people who want to ride hard in cold weather without getting too hot. It's wind resistance is fantastic, and it pretty waterproof also. The warmth is meant to be generated by the rider's body.
If you want to pootle about in cold wet weather, you will need something more thermal. I have two short sleeved Gabbas and, with Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers, find them fantastic for the weather as it is at the moment...

Hmm. I had a gabba and used it on local chainy, so fast riding - 1.5hrs at 23mph average. Never found it particularly waterproof (read not at all) or warm. Mostly I froze and was wet. Replaced with alpha and much happier

pblakeney

Strange. I used mine when it was new at sub zero at @ 16 mph average through a snow storm with only a l/s base layer underneath and was warm and dry except my face. Fakes?

larmurf

PBlakeney wrote:

Strange. I used mine when it was new at sub zero at @ 16 mph average through a snow storm with only a l/s base layer underneath and was warm and dry except my face. Fakes?

Tweeks Cycles - I wouldn't have thought so ..??

redvision

xixang wrote:

Hmm. I had a gabba and used it on local chainy, so fast riding - 1.5hrs at 23mph average. Never found it particularly waterproof (read not at all) or warm. Mostly I froze and was wet. Replaced with alpha and much happier

Its not designed to be completely waterproof, although does a pretty good job of being so. If riding hard it should keep you warm though.

Are you washing yours as per castelli instructions? You need to make sure you use something like nikwax to maintain/rejuvenate the water resistance. 10 mins in the tumble dryer on low is also recommended.

pblakeney

redvision wrote:

xixang wrote:

Hmm. I had a gabba and used it on local chainy, so fast riding - 1.5hrs at 23mph average. Never found it particularly waterproof (read not at all) or warm. Mostly I froze and was wet. Replaced with alpha and much happier

Its not designed to be completely waterproof, although does a pretty good job of being so. If riding hard it should keep you warm though.

Are you washing yours as per castelli instructions? You need to make sure you use something like nikwax to maintain/rejuvenate the water resistance. 10 mins in the tumble dryer on low is also recommended.

Seemingly arguing with my earlier post, and showing that I am not a fan boy...Once it (or any other jacket) looses it's repellency it's gone for good. Time for a new jacket if you want to stay dry.

ugo.santalucia

larmurf wrote:

stevie63 wrote:

I have a Gabba long sleeve, I am a 40" chest and I went for large. It is snug but does up. Don't forget the Gabba material is stretchy.

I am 41.5 and XL is a snug/tight fit about right I would say. But as regards warmth/wind resistance I honestly can't see what all the praise/fuss is about as I don't it rate it much if any better than <£20 Chinese jerseys in those respects ..!!

You pay for the logo and a better fit... most cheap jackets don't fit as well when you are tucked down. That said, the fit is good only if you have a lean build, otherwise it's probably worse than a cheapo (which might be your case).

Other than that, the fabric available to Castelli is available to anybody else... since the days of Gore coming out with their -Tex there's hardly anything new and revolutionary and more importantly exclusive to one brand.

I have both Gabba long and Alpha jacket... the Gabba is nothing special, as you say... it's very aerodynamic and it keeps you reasonably warm on short hard rides... not so on longer rides, unless the temperature is above 8 degrees (more if it's wet). The Alpha jacket on the other hand is very warm, thanks to the double layer design... I have yet to experience being cold in it

hsiaolc

ugo.santalucia wrote:

larmurf wrote:

stevie63 wrote:

I have a Gabba long sleeve, I am a 40" chest and I went for large. It is snug but does up. Don't forget the Gabba material is stretchy.

I am 41.5 and XL is a snug/tight fit about right I would say. But as regards warmth/wind resistance I honestly can't see what all the praise/fuss is about as I don't it rate it much if any better than <£20 Chinese jerseys in those respects ..!!

You pay for the logo and a better fit... most cheap jackets don't fit as well when you are tucked down. That said, the fit is good only if you have a lean build, otherwise it's probably worse than a cheapo (which might be your case).

Other than that, the fabric available to Castelli is available to anybody else... since the days of Gore coming out with their -Tex there's hardly anything new and revolutionary and more importantly exclusive to one brand.

I have both Gabba long and Alpha jacket... the Gabba is nothing special, as you say... it's very aerodynamic and it keeps you reasonably warm on short hard rides... not so on longer rides, unless the temperature is above 8 degrees (more if it's wet). The Alpha jacket on the other hand is very warm, thanks to the double layer design... I have yet to experience being cold in it

So why wear gabba if nothing special. Just go wear some cheapo then. Because you are wearing top of the range and so it's nothing to you. But I ensure you there is a huge difference between jerseys and material used.

ugo.santalucia

hsiaolc wrote:

So why wear gabba if nothing special. Just go wear some cheapo then.

Great rhetoric... incidentally the same used by UKIP... "if you don't like UK, go back to your country"

I bought into the all forum excitement about the Gabba... it's a nice jacket, it fits well, good windproof, decent waterproof when new... I got it at a decent price... wouldn't pay full RRP for it as I don't think it's better than the DHB equivalent.

It's waterproof when new, but after a couple of washings it needs reproofing... it is a nice piece of kit, but it's not a game changer, like the label wants you to believe (you are getting an unfair advantage)

MikeBrew

xixang wrote:

MikeBrew wrote:

larmurf wrote:

I am 41.5 and XL is a snug/tight fit about right I would say. But as regards warmth/wind resistance I honestly can't see what all the praise/fuss is about as I don't it rate it much if any better than <£20 Chinese jerseys in those respects ..!!

I think then maybe you misunderstand what the Gabba is for. It's for people who want to ride hard in cold weather without getting too hot. It's wind resistance is fantastic, and it pretty waterproof also. The warmth is meant to be generated by the rider's body.
If you want to pootle about in cold wet weather, you will need something more thermal. I have two short sleeved Gabbas and, with Castelli Nanoflex arm warmers, find them fantastic for the weather as it is at the moment...

Hmm. I had a gabba and used it on local chainy, so fast riding - 1.5hrs at 23mph average. Never found it particularly waterproof (read not at all) or warm. Mostly I froze and was wet. Replaced with alpha and much happier

Yes it can get chilly sitting on wheels for too long....A few longer turns on the front would sort that for you though

xixang

redvision wrote:

xixang wrote:

Hmm. I had a gabba and used it on local chainy, so fast riding - 1.5hrs at 23mph average. Never found it particularly waterproof (read not at all) or warm. Mostly I froze and was wet. Replaced with alpha and much happier

Its not designed to be completely waterproof, although does a pretty good job of being so. If riding hard it should keep you warm though.

Are you washing yours as per castelli instructions? You need to make sure you use something like nikwax to maintain/rejuvenate the water resistance. 10 mins in the tumble dryer on low is also recommended.

found it poor from straight out of the packaging. First time on was a damp day and an ideal tesy (so I thought) but with the drizzle I was wet and cold within an hour. i didn't expect it to keep the rain out indefinitely but did expect it to resist for longer and then at least keep me warm. I did wonder whether there had been a bad batch or had I expected too much. Either way I'm much happier with the 2 alphas and my PT jacket and that's what matters

And yes it was genuine - bought from wiggle or ribble. Can't remember which.