Sportful Fiandre Extreme Neoshell or Castelli Pave?

luv2ride

Possibly looking to replace my hardshell and I'm interested in the Sportful Fiandre Extreme Neoshell, or the Castelli Pave. Have previously got on well with Event fabric (the Pave looks to be a development of that), and heard good things about the Neoshell fabric in the Fiandre Extreme. Have had less impressive experiences with Goretex Active shell (although perhaps down to a particular jacket).

May come down to fit, and I take a medium in Castelli Gabba, Thermosuit and various other Sportful Fiandre softshell pieces. However, being softshells those are all pretty stretchy and I hear neither the Pave or the Fiandre Extreme are! I'm 38" chest and (currently) 34" waist, although normally 33" at ideal summer weight

Any owners of either jackets care to comment on fit, and experience of breathability (the Holy Grail, I know...)?

As a further point of reference I remember returning a Sportful Survival Active shell jacket in medium as felt it was 'just' too tight under the arms, but the large was too flappy. I wonder if the Neoshell is the same?

cheers

rowlers

I have a NeoShell, but only have one wet ride in it... However it performed superbly!
No rain got through, I was warm toasty and comfortable. I was out 3 hours in the rain at 6degrees. I only had a long sleeve compression baselayer (Aldi!). I was never too hot, so for me it breathes extremely well...
The fit is neater than the Castelli Alpha Jersey (both XL - I'm 42'' Chest). The is plenty of stretch, it feels a little tight across my chest, but as soon as you're in the bike, in position, the fit is perfect for me...
Only niggles for me is there is no zip "garage", but to be honest it really doesn't matter, I never noticed until I got home and checked and the cuffs on the arm warmers are extremely tight. so if you have big hands you'll struggle to get them over...
If you need any more info just ask...

noodleman

I'm on my third neoshell. First one was a small (my usual size) but was ridiculously small so replaced with a medium. The second one lasted two rides before i sent it back because of burst stitches on the sleeves and both the rear pocket taped seams coming un-glued. The replacement jacket arrived yesterday. I got a lift to work with my bike in the car for a long ride home today. I put my phone in the rear pocket and on arrival at work reached in to remove it and the seam has come un-glued on this one too :shock:
I'm in two minds whether to keep it as the wet weather and cold temperature performance is brilliant. As for the built quality, it seems a bit shit to say the least. Also the cuffs as mentioned are very tight even on my girly little wrists.

akastana

Weatherproofing on the Fiandre Extreme is properly excellent, as is breathability. Fit is, well... fitted, so if you are a certain shape it will be perfect. Haven't personally had any durability issues on my one, just lots of dry comfortable miles!

noodleman

Maybe i'll have to send mine back yet again then. After my second one failing in the same way as the first i presumed it must be a common problem with the pockets. I'm still suprised i had to size up though. I'm only 5'8 and 62kg and always fitted into a small but not a chance with this (more to do with the arm cuffs than the rest of it). My pockets simply pull apart when any amount of pressure is put on them. No sign whatsoever of this on yours akastana?

rowlers

Hmm, will have to keep an eye on the pocket issue, I did notice that the pocket are really high up the back to, which maybe doesn't help getting stuff out of them...

akastana

noodleman - nope, no sign of it on mine, nor any issues with stitching. Got it back in October and it still looks like new. I'm 5'10 & 61kg and went for Medium (most other sportful tops I have are small) Since the pockets are taped rather than stitched I guess wedging a winter glove in there at a funny angle with some force could potentially do some damage but tbh the tape on mine seems rock solid, maybe just a bad batch?

luv2ride

Right, large Fiandre Extreme Neoshell ordered. Wiggle price matched BikeInn, but only anthracite available at the lower price. Would've preferred the fire/anthracite colourway, but figure I'll be wearing my flouro yellow helmet, gloves and shoe covers in low light so hopefully still visible enough. Will look carefully at the pocket construction, and feedback after it arrives...should have ordered it yesterday as not sure it'll be here in time for the weekend now, and seems the weather would be perfect for it!

teebs_123

Luv2ride wrote:

Right, large Fiandre Extreme Neoshell ordered. Wiggle price matched BikeInn, but only anthracite available at the lower price. Would've preferred the fire/anthracite colourway, but figure I'll be wearing my flouro yellow helmet, gloves and shoe covers in low light so hopefully still visible enough. Will look carefully at the pocket construction, and feedback after it arrives...should have ordered it yesterday as not sure it'll be here in time for the weekend now, and seems the weather would be perfect for it!

Great choice, I've had mine for 2 months and some really crappy weather and it's been superb. No pocket issues so far.

I've worn in -3c to + 6c and it's coped with everything (same base layer each time)

luv2ride

That's good to know Teebs_123. Only issue is how many bits of kit this is likely to make redundant! May need to get brutal with a clear out, assuming the large is the right size for me. Might be stuck with returning it if too big though, as just seen Bike Inn have put it back up to £220...not sure Wiggle would exchange for a different size given it was bought on a price match :?

apreading

I picked one up in Red XL from Probikekit for £180

Lovely bit of kit but not sure it is big enough. If I didnt need to wear a base layer underneath the size would be really snug but probably just about OK, but not sure it will accomodate a thick enough base layer for when its really cold and not sure if it will be too warm for when that isnt necessary. If I could get an XXL, I might give that a go but I cant find one anywhere.

I really dont need one though, I already have:

• Castelli Mortirolo Due
• LS Gabba Transformer
• SS Gabba
• Alpha Jersey
• Sporful Fiandre Norain Light Top
• Gore Phantom (that I never use as its too hot for me)

And I keep thinking about a Parentini Mossa...!

noodleman

Second pocket come un-stuck after today's ride. Really not sure if I can be arsed to send it back again and have the same thing happen. Maybe I'll just learn to live with one big pocket instead of 3 small ones.

apreading

Is it just the divider between the pockets that comes unstuck? I dont tent to use pockets on my jerseys, so this wouldnt bother me, but its too expensive to bother with if anything important becomes unstuck.

scott_w1987

apreading wrote:

And I keep thinking about a Parentini Mossa...!

123 Euros from Nencinisport, can't say no to that! Not a huge amount of colours or sizes left...

noodleman

apreading wrote:

Is it just the divider between the pockets that comes unstuck? I dont tent to use pockets on my jerseys, so this wouldnt bother me, but its too expensive to bother with if anything important becomes unstuck.

Yes. Just the divider. Not hugely important but a bit annoying when you want to keep gels and tools seperate.

luv2ride

noodleman wrote:

apreading wrote:

Is it just the divider between the pockets that comes unstuck? I dont tent to use pockets on my jerseys, so this wouldnt bother me, but its too expensive to bother with if anything important becomes unstuck.

Yes. Just the divider. Not hugely important but a bit annoying when you want to keep gels and tools seperate.

The point is it just shouldn't happen on a jacket with a RRP comfortably north of £200, so I do feel sorry for those have had this happen. Have to say my Gabba has proved to be pretty bombproof so the Fiandre Extreme will have a lot to live up to, in addition to 'just' being waterproof and breathable. Thankfully I paid a lot less than the RRP, but the product still shouldn't fail. I'll be looking at those pockets when it turns up! Reason I went through Wiggle was hassle-free returns if not up to scratch. Given some of the experiences on here, even if it proves to be the wrong size for me I may not feel too sore about sending it back (at least I will have seen what all the fuss was about).

That Mossa is looking increasingly interesting :?

luv2ride

So the jacket arrived today (go Wiggle, only ordered Thursday evening with their free delivery option :shock: ).

First impressions: pretty close fitting, not mega tight, but slightly loose behind armpit due to external seams. Initially felt long at the front and the tall neck seemed quite loose (I went for large as that was the only size BikeInn had left at sale price, so got Wiggle to price match that. I'm 5'8"+, 38" chest and 34" waist with a little weight to lose for the summer).

Compared to my LS Gabba (m) and Sportful Fiandre No Rain softshell (m), the fit of the large Fiandre Extreme is very similar to both, and in reality the zip length is also practically the same, maybe only 1cm longer at the front. The Neoshell does have some stretch but nothing like as stretchy as the Gabba). Surprisingly, I found it fits a lot closer than the Active Shell jacket I'd bought this to potentially replace. Also, the "loose" neck actually seems to be particularly clever design, as in the riding position it kind of stretches and scrunches down to provide a nice cosy seal all around.

I think due to its lightweight construction and close fit I'm automatically regarding it as more of a weatherproof jersey (similar to my Gabba), rather than a hardshell jacket which maybe tend to be a little looser to account for various layers and body types as they typically have less stretchy material. So the Neoshell feels like it has a boot in both camps. Currently, my heart thinks medium might be better, but head says it most likely would be too small...and also probably I really wanted the fire/anthracite colour (only black/anthracite was left)! As previous posters have said, it will fit certain body shapes brilliantly, but many may be between ideal sizes.

Pockets and overall construction seem very good. Just intrigued now as to how it performs in action! Probably won't chance it today though as the 45mph gusts don't look particularly inviting despite this arriving early...

noodleman

Contacted sportful via messenger and they told me although rare, there has been a couple of other reports of the pocket problem. They reckon there's a bad batch so I'm giving mine one more outing tomorrow and then sending it back yet again.
Think I'll ask wiggle to give the pockets some grief before posting the next one out.

teebs_123

The pockets on mine have just come undone also. Back to Wiggle it's going...

noodleman

Seems like it's not just me then! This will be the fourth return for me. As some people say, it's not as if the sleeves are falling off but on a jacket of this price it's not acceptable.

teebs_123

noodleman wrote:

Seems like it's not just me then! This will be the fourth return for me. As some people say, it's not as if the sleeves are falling off but on a jacket of this price it's not acceptable.

Wiggle have agreed to a refund, so I've ordered a Castelli Senza from Castelli Cafe for £140. I don't have any confidence that a replacement would be any better... :roll:

apreading

All these duff ones seem to have come from Wiggle. Are they all the black one too? If so then that could back up the claim of it being a dodgy batch. Doesnt prove it, mind...

noodleman

Mine is a black one, as were all the others. Also came from wiggle. Really bloody annoying because I don't want a red one and today's ride proved what a great jacket it is performance wise but I think I'll send it back and give it one more chance.
Sportful have asked me to pm them again if I have any more problems. Don't want a gabba and can't really think of any other jacket I'd want instead but if the next one is the same I'll admit defeat :-(

luv2ride

noodleman wrote:

Mine is a black one, as were all the others. Also came from wiggle. Really bloody annoying because I don't want a red one and today's ride proved what a great jacket it is performance wise but I think I'll send it back and give it one more chance.
Sportful have asked me to pm them again if I have any more problems. Don't want a gabba and can't really think of any other jacket I'd want instead but if the next one is the same I'll admit defeat :-(

Pockets fine on mine (so far) but it's another black one from Wiggleso maybe only time will tell. After first ride out today it wasn't the Great Leap Forward I was expecting over my Goretex Active Shell if I'm honest. Temp was around 6 degrees but with windchill and two prolonged showers (2nd felt like hail!). Felt the chill on my arms, so certainly didn't overheat (this with a long sleeve winter base layer), but was very damp over the shoulders when I took the jacket off. Also stopped to chat to some MTB'ers who just came though a flooded road, and cooled down quite quickly. Overall, slightly disappointed with the promised breathability, unless of course I have a leaky one! Also wondering whether a tighter fitting medium would aid the breathability (I.e. material stretched taught over the body/base layer), as mine is slightly flappy behind the shoulder? More likely my expectations are unreasonably high after reading more marketing hype again :?

PK1

No waterproof shells out there are breathable for me. I was drenched in sweat using my Neoshell today and I was well below max effort for most of the ride. However it is better than anything else I've used ( Event / GoreTex )

noodleman

PK1 wrote:

No waterproof shells out there are breathable for me. I was drenched in sweat using my Neoshell today and I was well below max effort for most of the ride. However it is better than anything else I've used ( Event / GoreTex )

Does seem interesting how people have such different experiences of clothing. Mine was great today on a 55 mile ride with 3000ft of hard climbing. No sweat build up and no water ingress despite some heavy downpours. Just a shame they seem to be put together by five year old's using pritt-stick

Sanjay

Mine did well yesterday when I was working very hard for 55 miles and did about 2700ft of climbing. I got rained on for about an hour and stayed dry. Some sweat underneath, on my back and shoulders, but this seemed reasonable for a high tempo ride.

I haven't had the problem with the rear pockets coming away....yet! I'll keep a close eye on them though.

PK1

you guys can't be trying hard enough :-)

akastana

Be interesting to know what people are wearing under their Fiandre Extreme jackets - I've got a feeling that some baselayers and jerseys can pretty much kill the breathability of anything - those slinky high lycra content ones especially - I've been bone dry wearing mine with BodyFit baselayers (the winter version) and the BodyFit thermal jersey when it was a cold day...

noodleman

Skins compression top under mine. Been warm down to -1 and not overly sweaty up to 10°c

luv2ride

Aldi compression long sleeve winter base here.

I think part of the breathability issue for me is the interior "waffle" lining, great for trapping air for insulation, but I guess able to soak up a degree of perspiration before it works its way out of the Polartec shell? Tried mine on again and not a great fit over the shoulders (bit baggy behind them), plus the silicon hem gripper doesn't hold tight against my bib tights when in riding position. Forming the view it's 0.5 size bigger than ideal, but reckon a medium would be too small...