Sinn

It is cold in Socal right now. And I am tired of totally freezing my ass off on long descents on rainy/snowy days when I do my long climbing rides at Palomar or Glendora/Mt. Baldy. So I am finally going to buy a jacket. Which of these two do you, who have experience with these, recommend?

The Espresso:

https://www.castelli-us.com/pc-1038-2...so-jacket.aspx

Or the Volo:

https://www.castelli-us.com/pc-1044-2...al-jacket.aspx

N.B. The coldest I ride in is 25-40F with rain and or snow (for those that rode Boulevard this year, think that kind of weather).

I am thinking the the Espresso is the way to go, since I will usually use it just to keep from shivering on cold descents and unzipp it/take it off on ascents. And the full wind cover of the Espresso will help me retain body heat as I descend and my heartrate drops to 50%. But do you think that this would be too much and the Volo would provide enough heat retention?

johnny99

25-40F is not that cold. You need a jacket with good breathability, especially when climbing. Sorry, I have no experience with those jackets.

Or, just use a light shell jacket that you can take off and put in your pocket when climbing.

tkehler

I have the Volo. I like it. In case of very cold weather -- on descents I mean -- I have a super light windbreaker I sometimes put on over it, but honestly, most of the time I just use the Volo.

I bought the yellow and black one for visibility and it really works. I like the other color combos, myself, but they aren't as visible.

[edit: yellow is the color we notice easiest/quickest, apparently.]

Sinn

I know that it is not that cold, but, when it is also wet, it is cold enough to make me shiver violently when wearing the following:

shortsleeve base layer
Two shortsleeve jerseys
Waterproof rain vest
Wool armwarmers
Leggings
bibs
Wool leg warmers

Sinn

On second thought, I think that I like the Castelli Quantum:

https://www.castelli-us.com/ps-1042-1...on-jacket.aspx

It seems like it is really versatile.

Sinn

What is "very cold" for you? Does this include rain?

tkehler

I just bought this -- bonktown or chainlove -- a little while back but haven't used it yet.

https://www.castelli-us.com/pm-1020-5...nd-jersey.aspx

You know about Castelli sizing right? I'm 6 one and 183 lbs and I have to order Castelli stuff in XXL.

Sinn

Well, I'll probably get this one, if you testify that it worked well in the cold AND wet. The breathability is important, but I can always just take it off on ascents. I just want something that will help me to retain enough body heat on my descents to turn right back around and climb 5 or more miles back up without shivering my ass off!

bryceepoo

I have a Volo... to be honest it doesn't do it for me anything below freezing. It's a great jacket, especially for descending or the like, but it's not the warmest jacket out there. I have a Giordana Silverline (for reference) that I use if it's below freezing that seems to keep me much warmer even though I think it's about the same grade of jacket. The material is thicker and seems to cut the cold just a little more. The Volo is cozy though and nice and soft inside, and the cut is much more 'race' cut.

I've never been wet with either of them, so I can't speak to that at all.

lukasz

I have the Espresso. Can easily do 25 degrees and wind with just a wool jersey underneath, and I feel like it breathes well too. It is a great jacket, but I don't know how the Gore windstopper stuff would react to rain. The cut of the jacket is fantastic as are the strategically placed vents and grippers.

PBK was really letting these jackets go for cheap, but there aren't many left now. I got mine on ebay a few months ago... you can go by the sizing on the Castelli site to determine what you need - in this case chest size would be most important.

I've been looking out for a nice shell for rain in the clear Assos style (hopefully not Assos price) to be used in the spring/summer and maybe over this jacket if it were cold enough and really pouring. I am interested to hear if anyone has had experience with this Windstopper stuff in the rain.