Castelli

Had higher hopes than what I got. For starters, I expected a glove that had "arenberg" in title to have thicker padding. I have a pair of corsa rosso road fingerless gloves and the padding between to two is a bit similar. I had bought these with the purpose of using them cool weather gravel. To that effect my dainty hands were not quite as comfortable as I hoped. Another shortcoming is the snot strip. It's suede rather than fleece and thus not very good. The grip is decent but they made no effort to add touch screen compatibility. Considering how bike computers are heading in that direction whether we like it or not this would make it tough to adjust things let alone check your phone without taking off your gloves. I'll give these gloves credit for being gloves and better than nothing for shoulder season. I'm hoping as they break in the sharpness in the fabric between the thumb and first finger will soften.

Got this to replace my old Mortirolo jacket which was getting worn even before being damaged in a crash. Unlike the old one, this doesn't have side vents for cases when temps warm up during the day, but improved breathability should somewhat compensate for that. Felt good riding in low 40s, with a second base layer should be fine for upper 30s. Normally I wear Medium in Castelli, but prefer tailored/race fit - since this is regular fit I was on the fence, but still went with M for layering and worried about being short. It has long cut and sleeves and stretchy fabric so I should've probably gotten Small, but decided to keep M as it's OK for winter. 5'9"+, ~145lb.

Castelli has become my go-to brand for cycling gear due to the solid quality for the price. I bought these shorts to replace 2-1/2 year old Castelli Entrata Shorts which I primarily ride all winter 4-5 days a week for an hour vigorously on stationary bikes indoors in a warm windless environment or during hot humid days outdoors when moisture management is essential. These are definitely an upgrade in materials vs the Entrata version, and when on sale at BTD, were essentially the same price. As others have stated, Castelli runs a bit small vs other brands. Size up one size to gain a similar fit. Size L works well for a 6'1" 175-180 lb rider.

I put in a lot of spring and fall miles and a vest is a must-have item, some days for the full ride and some days only until it warms up. This vest is very well constructed and uses top quality materials. The front is highly windproof while the back breathes very well. It's well fitted and long enough to layer well over a jersey. I was most surprised that even with the windproof front panel, it's still very packable and easy to roll up and store in a jersey pocket if the temperatures rise during the ride. It's not an inexpensive piece, but it's well-made and worth the extra money. I expect this vest will last a very long time.