Castelli's small is too big for me? I think so :( (Alpha jersey)

ben-----

I bought what appears to be the last Castelli Alpha jersey at £87.49 from Evans (as pointed to by Daniel B in the bargains thread - thanks for that).

(It was odd because in red it appeared to be available in all sizes, in black just small. I bought the small black and went back to the page a short while later and none of them were available, black or red - suggests that the red ones weren't available at all. Odd, anyway I'm rambling, that's not what this question is about…)

I think it's too big for me, not sure, and don't know whether to keep it or not. I want to keep it but if it's too big it'd be silly. My chest is 34"/86cm about I think, waist 29"/74cm or maybe a tadge more. Castelli's small, chest is 92cm and waist 80cm.

I'm not a midget (although maybe you'd disagree from above measurements, I don't think I'm *that* small - 5ft7) and Castelli's sizes are generally thought of to be on the really small/tight side I think, and yet they don't do small enough sizes for me! Their small isn't small enough. And they don't do XS (Sportful do though).

The jersey has some slack. I've taken a couple of photos to try and show how much. One's the slack round the torso, the other's round the top arm. I'm pulling it tight round me but not stretching it at all, then trying to show the amount of slack.





If it's too big, so has slack, it'll not be so warm right? In which case… It's too big isn't it? Unbelievable that Castelli's small is too big I reckon.

bendertherobot

Can't really tell from those photos, can you do a full body one? This isn't some perverse attempt at checking you out by the way

Thick Mike

Hot wash and tumble dry!

super_davo

Are you wearing a base layer? That can make a difference. My Alpha definitely works best with a long sleeve, with a merino one I can wear it down to freezing
And also, try it on the bike - if there are folds on the front take it back and get something from the Fiandre range in XS.
Mine is in S too; it feels tight round the waist standing up, but perfect on the bike (and that would suggest yours is too big).

ben-----

No it doesn't feel tight at all apart from slightly at the waist. No I'm not wearing a base layer, but I doubt that'll make that much difference size wise though. Haven't tried it on the bike. That's a good point. But the slack's going to be there, as shown in the first piccies, regardless of on the bike or not.

kajjal

It looks about a size too big. Which is a shame if you get a good price.

ben-----

Yup, and it's even more of a shame because there is no smaller at full or discount price.

So I am a midget!

Midlands Grimpeur

You are a similar size to me albeit you are a couple of inches taller. With long sleeve jerseys they always tend to come up larger than short sleeve IME, particularly around the arms. The fit looks okay to me, you could have worn an XS but it would still likely have been too big in the arms, and having it slightly bigger won't compromise on warmth. At the price don't think you have lost out in anyway.

bendertherobot

It's not perfect but not far off IMO, back in particular looks correct. It's up to you but I don't think it's too far off to play on your mind.

super_davo

bendertherobot wrote:

It's not perfect but not far off IMO, back in particular looks correct. It's up to you but I don't think it's too far off to play on your mind.

That's what I think too, you could definitely go smaller if they made it but its not miles off. I'm very similar dimensions to you - same height, waist and only slightly broader shoulders - and the S fits me like a glove. I think the arms will look much better on the bike, when you're reaching over it will take up most of the slack. And a base layer will make a difference - not a lot in terms of size but it will also help the fabric slide into the right position. I don't think I could use mine without one - the unlined arms would not feel right.

bendertherobot

The main issue (or lack of) is that it doesn't look like it will bulge when tucked on the bike, and that's how it should be. Looks good on the wrists etc. The only place it looks suspect is the elbows but otherwise I think it's ok.

cougie

Castelli sizing is very wonky. I don't bother with them any more. But that does look like a size too big.

thepeginator

It probably is bigger than it's *supposed* to be (i.e. race fit) but I don't think you'd have any problems wearing this on the bike at all, the main area where you've got extra material looks to be in the length of the sleeves which isn't a huge issue.

philclubman

I like, but don't love my Alpha Jersey. I'm the same size as you and have the same issue. I'm wondering about the Rapha or Assos equivalent.

The piece of Castelli kit I do love is the Trasparente jersey. That does fit perfectly. It's not particularly water resistant like the Alpha, but I wore it today at around 3 /4 degrees with a long sleeve base and buff around the neck. Perfect for interval sessions. Maybe worth a try.

ben-----

OK, great, thanks for the comments. 'Tis a bit big but not too big. Not sure if I'll keep it or not – I'll give it a bit of time to decide.

Yup, I've had my eye on the Trasparente jersey for a while. Does look quite good.

Thanks.

Spartacus1981

Eat some pies.

robbo2011

Looks to be a huge amount of overlap between the Alpha Jersey and the Transparente. Not sure why one would need both.

OP: The fit on you looks fine. The windstopper on the Alpha is not that stretchy, so I am not sure you would want a skin tight fit anyway. Get out there and enjoy it!

diamonddog

I am a similar size to you and struggle with getting kit to fit but I have some DHB kit including the ASV Roubaix Black Edition in XS and it is a superb fit and excellent quality. All their other jerseys I have are equal in quality to the Santini, Gore etc that I have and are a better fit for me.

grenw

Trasparente is a great jersey but it's no Alpha when it comes to temperature - it's not as insulating as a LS Gabba and the arms are not windproof.

I tend to wear it at around 10-12 degrees with a LS base layer underneath or lower with a merino. Granted I maybe don't run as warm as some on here tend to but for me it's nowhere near being a winter jersey. Autumn/Spring for me and once it's colder (like yesterday at 3.5 degrees) I move into my Alpha jacket.

philclubman

GrenW wrote:

Trasparente is a great jersey but it's no Alpha when it comes to temperature - it's not as insulating as a LS Gabba and the arms are not windproof.

I tend to wear it at around 10-12 degrees with a LS base layer underneath or lower with a merino. Granted I maybe don't run as warm as some on here tend to but for me it's nowhere near being a winter jersey. Autumn/Spring for me and once it's colder (like yesterday at 3.5 degrees) I move into my Alpha jacket.

We all run differently temperature wise. If I had an Alpha Jacket, I'd end up using it a small handful of days in the year whereas the Trasparente with a base layer sees me down to low single figures if I'm training.

ben----- wrote:

OK, great, thanks for the comments. 'Tis a bit big but not too big. Not sure if I'll keep it or not – I'll give it a bit of time to decide.

Yup, I've had my eye on the Trasparente jersey for a while. Does look quite good.

Thanks.

Maybe keep the Alpha jersey for wet rides. The windstopper is pretty good at keeping the rain off and breathes much better than a hard shell.

Anyone tried the Rapha Pro Team Training Jacket? Might be a good shout?