Im needing one of these to complete the wardrobe. i like the look of both and have tried the gabba on but have not seen / tried the fiandre WS jersey to compare. anyone have some pearls of wisdom they can share on the differences?

I don’t think Sportful do an equivalent to the Gabba. They do their No Rain kit which is nice, but I don’t think they do it in a jersey, just the jackets. Are you referring to this jacket?

The Gabba is a tight fitting race top made of a shower resistant soft-shell material. It really is a nice bit of clothing for shorter Spring/Autum blasts. IMO it’s too tight to get a thick base underneath to make it right for winter riding. Also original Gabba was meant to be short sleeve and worn with arm warmers, makes for a very versatile combination.

I’ve also got this Sportful Fiandria No Rain jacket. It’s lovely too but it’s not like the Gabba. Similar soft-shell material but much more of a jacket.

Still haven’t worn my Gabba, bloody weather…

thats the one, sportful ws jersey, reviews say its similar to the gabba in that it not waterproof but resistant aiming to keep you warm and damp!. I know what you mean about the gabba, i could just get a compression baselayer under it but nothing else

Stolen Goat?

Well, they claim it’s a jacket and not a jersey, but it does look pretty similar to a long sleeve Gabba. I’d assume it’s designed to be worn over a jersey and base so probably cut accordingly. Looks pretty good. Price looks about the same as the Gabba. Could always send it back if you prefer the Gabba I guess. Tend to think of the Gabba as more a spring/autumn thing though with the short sleeves and arm warmers.

Am liking the Sportful kit this winter. Recently got this jersey. Polartec Alpha stuff looks and feels a bit weird at first but it’s bloody brilliant. Out for a couple of hours in it over lunch today in 1C temps with just a long sleeve merino base underneath. Didn’t overheat doing a hard 20 min effort, and was nice and warm for the rest of the ride at z2. Cope well when i got caught out in showers, wind and hail the other day too despite not claiming to be shower proof.

Sportful also released the Fiandre light no rain jersey this winter.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sportful-fiandre-light-no-rain-top/

I have a short sleeve Gabba and love it, but I haven’t tried the no rain jersey’s so can’t compare the two.
I do have the Sportful no rain and Castelli nano flex bibs, arm and leg warmers and the Castelli version of all of them is better than the Sportful version (other than the fit of the shorts for me) but not by much at all.

Also I have seen some good discounts on the new Castelli Alpha recently as well so that is at least worth a look.

The alpha is ace.

Plus one for the Alpha L/S Wind jersey best bit of kit I ever bought tbh. I got told that sportful is owned by castelli

Sportful and Castelli are sister companies and use the same factory from what I have read. They don’t just put a different badge the same kit though

I have a few Sportful items, including some norain stuff, but the fabric isn’t close to being in the same league as the Gabba.

Sportful and Castelli are sister companies and use the same factory from what I have read. They don’t just put a different badge the same kit though

Perhaps true… to a degree. I’ve got clothing from both Castelli and Sportful and they’re made in various (European) countries.

yep, like the look of the alpha but i already have similar assos kit coming out of my ears….like to flexibility of using my nanoflex arms with a S/S top…any other contenders for the S/S gabba crown?

I think Gore make something. No idea what it is like though. Trek/Bontrager are reported to have something coming but if and when that happens I have no clue.
Everyone is different in terms of how much they feel the cold etc. but a Gabba and some nano flex arm warmers work well for me when it is wet and cold, I have a Gore soft shell for the extra cold days. I find that as you start approaching 10 degrees C the Gabba is too much and I over heat very quickly, but a short sleeve Gabba will fit in a rear pocket without too much bother in a pinch

There’s actually 4 different FIANDRE jackets/jerseys/tops

The Fiandre NoRain jacket is the heaviest of them – for brutal/cold/wet conditions – full Windstopper with NoRain treatment, should be able to fit a jersey underneath as well as a baselayer.
The Fiandre Light WS Jacket – is mostly Windstopper but much lighter, same level of water/wind protection but not as warm, fits really well, more like a jersey
The Fiandre Light Wind Jersey has Windstopper front and arms with thermal no rain back, this one is like a long sleeve jersey and is really really comfy, not quite as water resistant as the two above but will keep you well protected.
Fiandre Light NoRain Top – this is more of a windproof shell layer, super light, windproof and water resistant, no pockets so best used over the top of a jersey, close fit too so pretty aero, in spring a short sleeve version will be in the shops too.

if you want to see some reviews check out Road.cc, RCUK, Cycling Weekly etc. all rate them pretty highly!

My favourite is the Wind Jersey or if its really grim out then the WS Light Jacket with a thermal jersey underneath.

Sportful and Castelli are both part of Manifattura Valcsimon but the all the staff including design, manufacturing etc are separate so you get different products.

just seen this weeks cycling weekly are doing exactly the article i wanted to read…Gabba contenders.. check it out folks if you, like me, are looking for this type of jersey

Also, I think the Gabba-a-like jersey that Quickstep were using last season is the Vernarc Zero Aqua PRR

Just ordered the Sportful Fiandra NoRain jacket, useful post, cheers. I went for an XL and an XXL and will return one to CRC. 5ft 10 medium build and I have a Sportful Gruppetto thermal jersey in XL which is race fit with a thin base layer, so not sure on sizing of this one

got the Gabba for road riding and it’s the single best piece of clothing in my wardrobe which makes me smile every time I wear it. Have worn it down to -5 with a mesh (summer) base layer, and up to 16 or 17 degrees with the same set up, no problems in either. Very easy to moderate temperature with the zip – undo it 1 inch and you’ll feel cool air all over your chest. Pockets are good but don’t stretch massively. It’s just so versatile, I don’t need to check if it’s like to rain and pack a rain jacket, or if it’s going to drop in temperature, I just wear the same thing, every ride, and I know I will be perfectly warm.

Worth every penny and with hindsight I’d have paid twice as much.

Gabba LS jersey is £116 @ hargrove cycles in various sizes and colours