Castelli Velo Vest review
A windproof and water resistant gilet that could quite easily become a key addition to your kit, thanks to its lightweight and packable nature
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All in all, a great go-to gilet that will get you through cool damp days in the saddle or when you need an additional windproof layer. At £60, there are cheaper gilets on the market, but which such versatility and good performance - calculating the cost per wear over a season will make this seem like a bargain
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Versatile
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Water resistant
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Lightweight
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Packable
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Slightly long at the front
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Constructed using Castelli’s ForceField micro ripstop, the Velo Vest claims to also prevent that waterlogged feeling post-downpour.
Testing on a changeable day, it kept me feeling drier in the torso than a standard gilet along with doing a good job of keeping the chill off after a passing shower. The shoulders and back fit exceptionally well, thanks to the three-panelled design and stretchy mesh side panels, and the super-low tail does a great job at keeping road spray at bay.
The front could be two or three inches shorter, as it has excess fabric folds in a riding position. Weighing just 64g it's barely noticeable when on.
>>> Cycling gilets: a buyer’s guide
It comes with its own built-in stuff sack and the flyweight fabric makes it small enough to pack into even the smallest of jersey pockets.
This is an ideal kit addition for changeable days, or mountain days when you need an extra windproof layer for a long descent.
The extra detailing of practical reflective rear logo is a nice touch, although for the UK market it would ideally be right, rather than the current left side, prominent.
With five colours on offer there's an option to match most kit.
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Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.
Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.
For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas.
She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.
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