I was out on the roadie at the weekend and froze early in the ride and sweltered at the end. The whole Gabba thing has passed me by, but I’m wondering if that’s the jersey that would sort my woes?

And are arm warmers really warm enough?

Please educate me (and suggest cheaper than Castelli alternatives).

A gabba jersey isn’t really the go to jersey for rides that are dry, cold at the start then warm up. You’re better with a short sleeve jersey/arm warmers/gilet combo.

What did you wear on your ride that wasn’t warm enough then too warm?

Whether they’re warm enough would depend on the temps.

lots of threads on here already. Short sleeve can be bought on discount for around £80, which I think works well, versatile, with warmers. Base layer underneath else it feels claggy

So what is the Gabba use case?

I would use the gabba jersey on days when light showers are highly likely, if you’re looking for something for warmth on a dry day then there are cheaper options.

So what is the Gabba use case?

cool, preferably drizzly

I think you might want a waterproof gilet and some armwarmers as suggested above

Merino sportwool for dry.

It can be cold for the first minute before setting off, then gets a bit too hot five minutes in as you warm up, then a few minutes later seems to magically equalise and be just the right temperature as your temperature fluctuates

I have a DHB Windslam one I use for commuting. Windproof and a bit waterproof on the front.
About £40. Works very well

A gabba jersey isn’t really the go to jersey for rides that are dry, cold at the start then warm up. You’re better with a short sleeve jersey/arm warmers/gilet combo.

agree, and on such a ride I’d likely opt for the ‘Gabba light’ AKA , Perfetto, with arm warmers. I have long and short sleeved Gabba’s and since getting a Perfetto I haven’t worn the SS Gabba at all.

The perfetto (gabba light) is an awesome jersey.. The windproof water resistant front just really helps keep out the wind chill. Have been wearing mine with 3/4 bibs and arm warmers (no base layer) for the last month.
Have a long sleeve gabba that I wear most of the winter unless it gets really cold.

Both fantastic jerseys.

What’s the difference between the Gabba and Perfetto Iain. Just slightly lighter weight, so more of a summer drizzly day jersey?

You want one of these…
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/endura-fs260-pro-jetstream-iii-jersey-ss16/rp-prod91322

Works great with a baselayer underneath for cold, dry rides.

Gary_M – Member
What’s the difference between the Gabba and Perfetto Iain. Just slightly lighter weight, so more of a summer drizzly day jersey?

It has same front panels, but sides and back are more open and stretchier material, also a bit less water resistant. If I was riding home tonight, which I’m not, the Perfetto with arm warmers would be ideal, whereas I would sweat a bit going up the hill in a Gabba.

If I was riding home tonight, which I’m not,

I am, and I won’t be wearing a short sleeve jersey, it’s bloody freezing 🙂 Ice on the cycle path this morning. I’ll be wearing my rapha softshell.

^^^^ I popped out for a lunchtime swim and thought it had warmed up a chunk. Car also had ice at 0700 in EK …

BBC says it’s now 9 degrees, so heading to Cathkin for a spin later

I’ll maybe ditch the base layer :). Nice and dry, enjoy

The perfetto (gabba light) is an awesome jersey..

Perfetto gilet, not cheap but rolls up nice and small for your back pocket.

Early morning rides this time of year it stays on until things warm up, evening training bash it comes out when the temperature drops and I’m spinning home.

Used it all through winter as well with slightly heavier arm warmers, actually prefer it to my Gabba which only really comes out when the threat of rain is around and I’m taking my chances.

Excellent piece of kit, well worth the money.

I only used my Gabba twice: once on a 200k which was cold and breezy and drizzly, the other on a 500k which started drizzly and then turned sunny. For me, it performed badly in both cases: I spent the first shivering and the second cooking. If you were doing race pace rather than distance chewing, you could probably keep it warm in cold conditions, but if the day brightens up there’s less you can do.

I prefer a hard shell if it’s at all wet. So for me it’s base/jersey/arm warmers plus a Gore Xenon AS if it’s potentially wet. (Or an Oxygen AS if it’s looking consistently torrential.) Has always worked much better for me than the Gabba did, in all conditions. YMMV.

Don’t like the perfecto but gabba 2 and 3 are very good.
I’ve not used them in super wet weather but in changeable or as a wind blocker I think it’s great.

Where I live conditions change fast. It would be nice to take three different jerseys with me in each trip but the gabba 2 is all I need most if the time.

I use a Lusso Aqua Repel jacket at the moment, same principal as the Gabba, even when it’s dry but I really feel the cold if I’m starting out early. I just wear a Brynje Super Thermo mesh Shirt under it which is basically just a high tech string vest and probably one of the best bits of clothing I’ve ever bought for cycling. With the jacket done up it really traps heat well but undo the zip and it cools down very quickly.

This is just for the road bike, never suffer as much with the cold off road due I guess to the fact that I’m moving around a lot more and working my upper body as well.

For cold and drey then a light weight windproof that you can put in your pocket will be better. Gabba esque jerseys are good for (cool) damp conditions.

I have a short sleeve fiandre thing for sale. (M) £40, details in classified thread that can be found in my post history ;). It was ok for its use. A bit more protection than a gillet for racing. Thing is I found my arms and hands got cold as I suffer from this and needed more than arm warmers in these conditions.

I only used my Gabba twice: once on a 200k which was cold and breezy and drizzly…

I’m not surprised it didn’t hold up in 6 hours, to be fair I don’t think they’re designed for that.

For spring days when it can be very chilly first thing in the morning but very warm later in the day, the most effective bit of kit is an ultra lightweight windproof of pertex or similar. It’s warmer than a gilet, and paired up with arm warmers, knee warmers and thin gloves – all of which can be shoved in your back pockets as it warms up – it can cope with a wider range of temperatures than any single garment like the Gabba.

I’m not surprised it didn’t hold up in 6 hours, to be fair I don’t think they’re designed for that.

Yeah, I think they’re designed for racing in cold drizzle. My experience was that without burning fuel at race pace, I couldn’t seem to find any conditions where it did work. Not sure what output the OP is planning 🙂

(Oddly, I find soft shells work quite well on the MTB; but not on road.)

PS I wish a winter 200 was 6 hours. 33km/h? That’s nearly 2k above my best pace over 50k 😉

perfetto didn’t have pockets, IIRR – pretty sure that’s why I sent one back (didn’t want a thick gilet; wanted a thin water-res jersey)

sure the perfetto has pockets.

Just saw this

http://www.tweekscycles.com/clearance/clearance-clothing/endura-equipe-classics-jersey?awc=6411_1493230401_b3c34e42b49adeeaff2b247c3e793565&utm_source=Affiliate_Window&utm_medium=Linking+via+Landing+Pages&utm_campaign=158016

short sleeve gabba with nanoflex arm-warmers will do almost anything from 12 degrees down. wet or dry. Love mine

My Gabba has been my go to jersey for the last month or so. I wear a Funkier string vest style base layer and DHB Aeron arm warmers with it. Might need to undo the zip a bit on the climbs but otherwise it’s been great in anything from 15ish to 5ish degrees, dry to drizzly but I’ve not had heavy rain yet.

For the last 2 winters I have worn my Stolen Goat Orkaan short sleeve (similar to a Gabba) almost exclusively from October until April. Combined with arm warmers it has been all I have needed except on the coldest days when I have put something underneath.

This is only on a 1 hour each way commute and going hard, but for that kind of riding it has been perfect. It is definitely the best road top I have ever had through a winter.

Short sleeved windstopper top, arm warmers and a windshell for the start. derobe as you go.

scaredypants – Member
perfetto didn’t have pockets, IIRR

jonba – Member

sure the perfetto has pockets[/quote]
Okay, I lied 😳 must’ve been something else about it – size maybe (ended up with a nalini thing that I quite like, anyway)

Plus one for spring autumn

perfetto (gabba light)

Normal gabba way to hot unless you cycle in cold and wet.

perfetto (gabba light)

Has pockets

The old gilet, the Fawesome, didn’t have pockets. It has been updated to a Perfetto gilet, which does have them. I bought a Fawesome in the sales in the autumn. It stretches over a jersey with lightly loaded pockets fine, though getting stuff out of them on the move is beyond me.

Suggest you check out Galibier.

There’s a Sintesi version on sportspursuit, seemed ok for the money and was made of Gore windstopper.

As always with their site though, double check prices before buying. I saw some Attiq clothing which was marked down quite a lot but when you looked at the manufacturer’s website in Poland it’s list price was 20 to 30% cheaper than the SP sale price.

+1 for Stolen Goat Orkaan SS and arm warmers. Use mine down to freezing, but on the cold days use a Bioracer Spitfire jacket.
Both options with differing base layers depending on how hard I decide to ride that day.
Lots of reflectives on them too.