Has anybody tried already a Castelli Gabba jersey??

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liam7020
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by liam7020

Reviving this thread to ask a question about washing these Gabba jerseys. I bought one a couple of months ago and, although I had originally intended to buy black, the new light blue colour appealed because it matches my club colours. Now with the first road race of the season looming this weekend, and heavy rain forecast, I'm wondering how well the light coloured fabric will wash up after being immersed in dirty wheel splashes for a couple of hours. Anybody any experiences of washing the coloured Gabbas? Cheers.
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wrenegade
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by wrenegade

I ride with my "Dive Blue" Gabba 2 long sleeve on my CX bike all the time. It gets filthy and washes just fine. It's a fantastic jersey. I unfortunately went down on it last summer and tore up one of the elbows a little bit but luckily they haven't stretched or torn any further.

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liam7020
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by liam7020

Cheers, thanks for that info. If it cleans up nicely after cross riding a little road race splash shouldn't be a problem! Thanks again.
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carmelobymelo
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by carmelobymelo

Hey, today I washed my castelli gabba jacket for the first time with no detergent, conditioner etc. and now my jacket absorbs water. In care info I read that it should happen after ~50 washes and I am quite disappointed... . Do you guys know how to get water repellency back without using 3rd party products so early? I tried ironing (with towel) for a couple of minutes but with no results.

glepore
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by glepore

Throw it in the dryer on medium heat. if that doesn't work, try the Nikwax. Its why I avoid washing dwr stuff. If so, I use techwash. Its stupid expensive but works.

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ ... r-dwr.html
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carmelobymelo
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by carmelobymelo

glepore wrote:Throw it in the dryer on medium heat. if that doesn't work, try the Nikwax. Its why I avoid washing dwr stuff. If so, I use techwash. Its stupid expensive but works.

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ ... r-dwr.html


Thanks for the article, I do not have dryer so I can only heat it with iron. Maybe I will try to do it a bit longer. I don't think that after first wash I should reapply dwr but in case nothing works I will use nikwax stuff.

Rush
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by Rush

I ALWAYS wash my Gabba with Nikwax Techwash. Every 3rd-4th wash I then add in the TX Direct DWR treatment afterwards.

I don't wash it after every ride, because it's always worn with a baselayer.

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Liggero
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by Liggero

Rush wrote:I ALWAYS wash my Gabba with Nikwax Techwash. Every 3rd-4th wash I then add in the TX Direct DWR treatment afterwards.

I don't wash it after every ride, because it's always worn with a baselayer.


I wash it in a similar way, but with techwash for gore tex membranes. The water repelent feature has never ever been like new again, unfortunately, kind of a gimmick.
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Frankie - B
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by Frankie - B

@Liggero, If you use any type of reproofing product, I personally like Grangers (available at Bever you need to apply heat from a tumble dryer or a blow dryer to reactivate the DWR treatment. The heat wil do the trick.
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uraqt
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by uraqt

Anybody try the Rapha version at twice the cost?.. I would guess its going to be hard to wash that finish out.

Nefarious86
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by Nefarious86

uraqt wrote:Anybody try the Rapha version at twice the cost?.. I would guess its going to be hard to wash that finish out.

Link? ^^

Think its time to pull the trigger on one of these, I'm 187cm and weigh between 80 and 90kg. Thinking XL and a couple of pairs of L arm warmers.
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Rondje
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by Rondje

Depending on the weather you want to use it for, might be worth to check out Castelli's new Perfetto light short sleeve jersey. Supposed to be a Gabba for warmer but still foul weather. Only seemed to have a pretty high neck for a warmer weather jersey.

LionelB
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by LionelB

Rondje wrote:Depending on the weather you want to use it for, might be worth to check out Castelli's new Perfetto light short sleeve jersey. Supposed to be a Gabba for warmer but still foul weather. Only seemed to have a pretty high neck for a warmer weather jersey.

Anybody riding the perfetto light yet and can compare it with the gabba ? I have 2 gabba and love them but for spring and fall they are too warm.

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geedawg
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by geedawg

Don't have a Perfetto yet, but have handled one in person. Cut just like the Gabba, but the Windstopper material is definitely thinner. Also, instead of Windstopper all around, the whole back is a thinner Nanoflex material (ie like the Nanoflex armwarmers). However, the Nanoflex back is also thinner than the armwarmers. So yes, I would say that the Perfetto would be good for another 5-10F warmer weather than the Gabba.

Another good option that I've found, if you want the option of shedding a layer, is the Sportful Fiandre Light No Rain Top. Pretty much a windvest with arms. The front and arms are made of Windshield material, and the back is a jersey-thin breathable material that has a DWR treatment. Very packable. And definitely way lighter than a Perfetto, which you would keep on the entire ride. Neither are going to be waterproof, but the Perfetto may be more so, and if soaked thru, will probably keep you warmer than the Sportful. But I've found myself wearing the Sportful a whole bunch in the shoulder seasons.

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geedawg
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by geedawg

Forgot this in the earlier post, but yes, I also have the Rapha version. Very similar to the Gabba, but to the touch the exterior feels more plastic and the material is thinner. Works pretty much on par with the Gabba. Fit is racier though in the Rapha, which I appreciate. But also no zipper vents like in the long sleeve Gabba, which I use all the time. Unless you want to be matchy-matchy with your other Rapha kit, I would stick with the Gabba given how low of prices you can find on them sometimes.

Also have some of the ALE / Giordana wet weather kit (ie the Klimatik / G-Shield lines, respectively). The jerseys are pretty much just like your regular thermal jerseys, except thick and with a DWR treatment that "stiffens" up the fabric a bit. I've seen Quickstep wear their team version of it a lot in recent races. These are NOT windproof pieces and do NOT have a membrane. They are as water resistant as Castelli's Nanoflex warmers. Which is to say, they will soak thru a lot faster, IMHO, than a Gabba. But they are also much more breathable. So if you are like me, and tend to run hot, these may be better garments for you in the wet.

In any case, for all of these pieces, I would not ride them by themselves in truly wet weather for more than 2-3 hours. More than that, and the garments that will have been soaked thru an hour or 2 into the ride start getting cold. If it's already pouring out, I will take proper waterproof, like Castelli's Tempesta jacket (and the Tempesta knickers aren't as dorky as you think! they are great).

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