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Castelli Espresso jacket review

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$349.99

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Castelli Espresso jacket

BikeRadar verdict

4.5 out of 5 stars

"High performance, great fit and versatilty is ideal for the colder weather"

6 comments
Tue 13 Nov 2007, 5:10 pm GMTBy

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Excellent performance, fit and function for the winter. The Espresso jacket combines the windproof, breathable barrier of a GoreTex Winstopper membrane with a stretch fit, anatomic cut that's ideal for the competitive road rider.

The Espresso jacket is perfectly weighted. Neither suffocating you with warmth nor restricting body movement. It sits comfortably against your body and the stretch Windstopper fabric moves easily. More importantly the jacket is extremely comfy and with some selective base layer choice it's easy to adapt the jacket to a broad range of weather conditions. For example we wore it from mild 12 ºC conditions to ice cold and windy -1ºC days and the jacket felt equally comfortable.

The DWR coating of the face fabric beads and shed's water very well. Although not waterproof the fabric will keep you dry through light showers. Dampness only working it's way though the seams in heavy downpours. Even if you get wet underneath it's rarely a problem as the Windstopper membrane blocks out the windchill and the lightly brushed inner fleece keeps you warm.

Windstopper fabrics are fast becoming the material of choice for the cold wet conditions. More breathable than waterproof shells internal temperature is also easier to regulate. They're a versatile choice through winter and you don't get much better than Castelli's Espresso jacket. With its high grade Gore-Tex Winstopper fabric and impressive list of features the Espresso is a quality, high performance choice.

The cut is specific for the bike - long at the back, short at the front. The arms are anatomically cut and don't hang or restrict movement when stretched out on the bars. The stretch of the Windstoppper fabric moves naturally with your body and doesn't restrict movement.

Contoured collar

The scooped, cut out at the rear of the neck ensures the collar closes comfortably in and around the neck to block out drafts. The reinforced zip baffle features a classy bit of webbing with subtle features like the scorpion logo'ed the silicone hem and wrist grippers

Chest vents

If things get hot, meshed lined vent zips lie to the side of the chest. They're easy to open and close whilst in the saddle. The only minor criticism we'd have is that they're a bit hard to work around the straps of a backpack. You can hardly blame Castelli for this design oversight but it's worth taking into account if you carry a pack on a regular basis.

MP3 pocket

There's a useful MP3 pocket big enough for your iShuffle or Nano. The pocket can be accessed either through the front flap or via the zipped pocket on the inside. The neck also features a guide for the headphone lead.

Main zip

The main zip is baffled and features a good zip garage at the top to prevent the zipper from rubbing against the neck. The baffle is also reinforced with a line of webbing to improve wear and neatly finished off with reflective Castelli tape.

Cuff detail

The cuffs also get zips. This make putting on and taking the jacket off over gloves easier. It also means you can open the zips for a bit of extra ventilation.

Pocket detail

Two rear pockets feature natty zip pull. These can be removed if you don't like the look. Despite the usual looks the pullers worked really well and help in locating the pockets. There's also a flap covered zip pocket between the two side pockets. As with the cuff the waist is treated with silicone grippers to keep the back in place. Sticky silicone scorpions also line the outside of the hem to help keep a shell in place.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 6 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 6 of 6 comments

  • i wore mine the first time today, it was 4 degrees, what a fantastic jacket well worth the money

  • This is a superb jacket when it comes to qualtiy of materials and design. I purchased a xxxl (that's triple XL, the largest size) knowing that Castelli (Rossa Corsa) sizes are small. This should fit someone that is 6'3, I am 6'1 and am left almost showing more mid-riff than Britney.

    On the bike the fit is good, but the scooped back only just covers your backside, this could do with being 3-4 inches longer. Everything else is great Castelli need to sort out the sizing for the Rossa Corsa line of cycle wear, as for most people sizing will be tight. I would say if you are over 5' 10-11 think carefully about purchasing this jacket.

  • Been wearing mine most of the last month. What a great jacket, it looks good, the detailing is great but most of all it just feels good across a wide range of tempeartures. The coating is suprisingly good in fairly sustained rain too.

    The fit is typical Italian, and i agree rather short in the back. Don't buy if you have a rather long body, and size up one or even two sizes if you are buying without trying. I am only just a L in Gore bikewear kit but needed an XL in this!

  • Love this jacket. Been wearing this with just a short sleeve jersey underneath and found it lovely and warm for commuting and training in this 0-2c winter mornings/evenings. The zip on the cuffs ensure a snug fitting which is ideal for gauntlet style gloves to slip over and the collar tucks up nice and close to the helmet bracket.

    The only downside of this jacket is it's Italian fit, which (I'm alright Jack) is great for me, but I can imagine it won't suit a lot of people. If you like the fit, then you'll also love the Castelli Radiation jacket for those sub-zero rides.

    Castelli has improved their clothing over the recent years with better durability and functionality and fit, giving Assos a run for their money!

  • Had mine a few months now and I must say, the fit is fantaastic, the comfort is second to none, the look is awesome, and the quality tip top. Very impressed with this, and even out and about in temperatures of -5 all I had on was a Baslelayer underneath and it was fine

  • Really great jacket. The fit is great for me. I am 5' 11" 180lbs with a 41" chest. I purchased an XL and it fits prefect. I agree with the review above in that if you have a long torso, look elsewhere, but if you have a normal size torso you should be fine. The pit zips are great for hills, you can air out when necessary. Rear pockets are easy to open with the strap. Jacket is windproof and warm during cold weather (30 degrees). The only thing is that the strap loops on the back of the jacket have a tendency to rip if you pull hard. I had mine sewn back on when it ripped and it's all good now. Overall, a very sleek and euro-style jacket.

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Specification

Name:
Espresso jacket
Built by:
Castelli
Price:
$349.99

Additional Features:
Gore-Tex Windstopper Stretch X-Panther fabric
Clothing Sizes Available:
L, M, XL, XXL, XXXL
Available Colours:
Black, Grey, Red

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