(00:00) Welcome
(02:10) Gabba RoS 2
(03:59) Gabba changes for 2024
(04:34) Difference between the Gabba and Perfetto Wind jersey
(07:10) Perfetto RoS Products
(12:46) Perfetto Gloves
(16:50) Perfetto Shoe-cover
(18:27) Nano Flex 3G Warmers
(19:33) Nano Flex Pro Race Bibshort
(24:51) Gabba Limited Pro-edition
(26:57) How to restore the water repellency on DWR fabrics
(29:14) How to wash a cycling kit to last longer
(30:16) What causes hand numbness
(34:35) Soudal Quick-Step
(37:51) STRAVA Keep It Up Challenge
(39:32) Ending

SOREN JENSEN
I live in Scotland and I ride everywhere from the coast to the highlands, road, gravel and mud. Scotland has typical four seasons in a day, so making the right choice to protect your hands and feet is essential.

ALVIN NORDELL
For sure, yeah, it's never fun to have to stop a ride early or suffer through a ride because you've got cold hands and feet and then, you know, if you put on one of our Flanders long sleeve base layers under it, I mean, really you can get to below freezing with the same jacket. So it's got a huge versatility.

SOREN JENSEN
We actually launched a limited pro edition, I think it was only 100 pieces, delivered in this stealth black looking box, including a high quality Sharpie pen to black out, well, the Castelli logos. There's a question here from Nicki from Germany. She's asking about how to wash the Gabba and Perfetto RoS Jackets.

ALVIN NORDELL
And so, yeah, you get that little bit of aero advantage and a little bit more comfort.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, because that aero advantage is something we have seen in the winter. Welcome to the Castelli Podcast, the show where we delve into the world of Castelli. I'm your host, Søren Jensen, Castelli Marketing Manager and on my left we have Alvin Nordell, Castelli's Product and Race Division Manager. First I'd like to thank all our listeners and everyone who has shared their Gabba stories with us on Instagram and Facebook. Your engagement and feedback means the world to us. So we have decided to double up the price to 8 Gabba RoS 2 jackets in the giveaway. So if you have any cycling mates who still haven't listened to last week's episode and shared their Gabba story on a pinned Instagram, Facebook and Strava Club Forum post, share the link with them and make sure to rate us and follow the show where you get your podcasts. With last week's Gabba episode, we also received a lot of questions from our listeners about the current Gabba jacket and what products to pair for the perfect fall weather kit. Alvin, welcome to the show. Before we dive into questions from our listeners, why don't you give us a quick run through of today's fifth generation Gabba RoS 2 jacket.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, thanks for having me, Soren. I'm really excited to be here today and to talk about the Gabba. It's one of my favorite pieces that we have. And yeah, I'll jump in a little bit about what makes it such a great product. Throughout the entire piece, we use the GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric. And on the front, we use a slightly heavier 205 weight version because that's where you know where you're getting most of the wind. Well, that's where the rain's hitting you hard when you're going forward on the bike. And then on the back we use a slightly lighter 203 version of the GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric. And that's just for a little extra breathability, you know, so it's a little bit lighter. So you get a huge variation of temperature out of the piece. So you know if you pair it with just a lightweight base layer it's great. And then you know if you put on one of our Flanders long-sleeve base layers under it, I mean really you can get to below freezing with the same jacket. So it's got a huge versatility. And then with that GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric, you know, it keeps out all the wind. It protects you from the rain really well, but then also breathes really well too. So that's why you can wear, you know, anywhere from an hour on the bike up to five hours on the bike. And it's also one of the reasons why it's a favorite of our pros. And then, you know, it's those little details on it too that make it extra special, like where we tape the seams on the shoulders because when you're going forward on the bike you know the rain starts hitting you hard and the first place it really hits you is on the shoulders so we tape the shoulders there to make sure no rain you know makes its way in because if you can stay dry and warm on the bike you know you can stay out for hours and hours and hours and especially for our pro riders that's super important and you know even for me that's important because you know some days in the winter I just don't want to stay in on the trainer anymore so you just kind of bundle up go out and if you have a Perfetto on you got that peace of mind.

SOREN JENSEN
Oh yeah correctly it's an amazing product also super lightweight. Let's dive into the first question here from Albert Branchat Galbany. He's asking if there'll be any changes to the current fifth generation Gabba for 2024?

ALVIN NORDELL
For 2024 you know we don't have any updates to the garment itself. We do have quite a few colors coming in. I think we have nine colors in the Gabba Perfetto jacket right now, plus we make a version of it in our limited gravel collection. So there's up to 12 different color options throughout the line. So that's really the biggest update, is we'll have lots of colors to really match your kit.

SOREN JENSEN
So go and check out all the color options on Castellicycling.com. Then we have Valentino from Italy asking, what's the main difference between the Gabba and Perfetto RoS 2 Wind Jersey? 

ALVIN NORDELL
So the biggest difference is the weight. So the Gabba has that GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® 205 fabric on the front and the 203 on the back. So it's a little heavier. And then the Perfetto RoS 2 wind jersey, we use the lighter weight GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® on the front and then on the back we use our Nano Flex stretch woven fabric. And that still has a DWR treatment on it and it's the same fabric we use on our Nano Flex warmers as well. So that still sheds the rain but just overall the piece is a little bit lighter weight. So you know if you're in a place you know like in the southern part of the US or Spain or you know one of those places where it doesn't get super cold you know it's one of those great pieces to you know still still protect you from the elements while making sure you don't overheat.

SOREN JENSEN
Maybe just specify a little bit the temperature range of the Gabba versus the Perfetto Outwest 2 Wind Jersey.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah so the Gabba, you know, it's a short sleeve race piece, you know, fall weather performance piece. So if you pair it with our Nano Flex arm warmers, you know, you get a pretty big temperature range out of it. You know, you can get into those, you know, single digit degrees days. And then with the Perfetto RoS 2 Wind Jersey, you know, that one's gonna, isn't gonna be as warm, but that's, that's it's intended to give you that bigger temperature range. So you can get up into 15, 20 degrees depending on the day.

SOREN JENSEN
And it's almost as light as a jersey. I even find myself often in the mid-season taking the wind jersey instead of a regular jersey with a vest on top and just pair it with a seamless arm warmers because it's lightweight, gives you the full wind protection and breathes really well.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, or it's even one of those great pieces for those big events, for those big fondos where, yeah, geez, I remember I started the Maratona and it was super cold at the start and so I used my Perfetto Wind Jersey that day because I wanted a little extra protection with the with the sleeves but then it's so lightweight, you know, it packs up into a pocket. So once I got to the top of Pordoi, I made sure to take it off and then yeah I just stayed in my pocket the rest of the day but I had that peace of mind in case I needed it. Yeah and always that great versatile piece too.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah I know it is a fantastic product. Alvin talking about the Perfetto family, let's take a quick run-through of the line of Perfetto products that we have because we do have a few items.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah we've got quite the the family of Perfetto product. That iconic piece is that Gabba you know that short sleeve fall weather piece and then from there we go to a long sleeve Perfetto jacket. So that's going to have that same GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric throughout the entire piece. It's just like the Gabba, but with long sleeves. So that's our Perfetto RoS 2 jacket. And then we have a convertible version. So for those people who want to get a little extra bang for their buck, or live in a place where there's a lot of variability in temperature, the convertible is just like the Perfetto long sleeve jacket, but you can zip the sleeves on and off. It's got a nice zipper in there, you know, we make sure to protect you from the zipper so it doesn't rub on your skin or anything. And it's got a little flap that folds over so it looks really clean, you can't even tell you're wearing a convertible piece. And you can just put the sleeves in your pocket because that fabric packs down to pretty much nothing, so you know, you just throw those sleeves in your pocket and then if it starts to get cold again or if the temperature or the weather changes you can just put the sleeves back on. So you get a huge temperature range and a lot of variability of the convertible.

SOREN JENSEN
We've got to pause you for a second here Alvin. Yeah, because there you have basically two products in one. You have the Perfetto Long Sleeve and the Gabba in one garment. And I'm just browsing now or scrolling through some of the comments on our Strava Club Forum post and there's actually an interesting one here from Louis Campbell from Scotland. He says, my favorite is the Perfetto Convertible jacket. Live in Scotland and I ride everywhere from the coast to the highlands, road, gravel and mud. Scotland has typical four seasons in a day. So to have a Gabba Convertible when leaving home, unzipping your sleeves when the temperatures rise, it's just amazing. And the last bit here, or if it starts to rain, just zip back on the sleeves and you've got a full weatherproof long-sleeve jacket. Also a great option for evening rides and cold mornings. Perfect for spring, autumn sportives and cyclocross training rides and more. I like this comment here from Tom Lewis. I mean, it's everything that you just said, but I can imagine that in those climates, especially in the North of Europe, where you have things like changing weather conditions, it's a perfect product for that.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, he's totally right. I mean, that's the perfect application for the Perfetto convertible jacket. It's perfect. So after the convertible jacket, we have that Perfetto RoS 2 wind jersey we were talking about. So again, that perfect piece for those little bit warmer days where you want that little bit of extra protection. Or like for my Maratona, the one I take just so I can have that little extra warmth that you get from not having a vest or instead of a vest, but still packs down really tight. And then we've moved that same GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric into our gloves. So we do a Perfetto light glove, our Perfetto glove, and then our Perfetto Max. And it's funny with the Perfetto glove. It's one of those where if I have a buddy and he's like, hey which glove? And before he can even finish his sentence I say Perfetto. And he goes, what? Yeah. Perfetto glove. That's the one you want. And yeah sure enough you know a couple weeks later they come back and they're like, Alvin, you're right, Perfetto glove is exactly what I needed it to be.

SOREN JENSEN
There's actually a question here, see on the list here from a person asking about all the Perfetto accessories, how to pair with the Gabba. But let's just finish up maybe the Perfetto lineup products. We started with the Gabba, the convertible, we've got the Perfetto long sleeve.​​​​​​​

ALVIN NORDELL
Perfetto long sleeve, Perfetto wind jersey, Perfetto vest has that lighter weight Gore-Tex fabric on the front and then we use our Nano Flex stretch woven on the back so it gives you a really good close to body fit with that stretch woven fabric so nothing's flapping around but then you get all that same wind protection and and some water protection from that Gore-Tex fabric on the front and it's so lightweight that one packs down really really easily.

SOREN JENSEN
That's a great product and you got those are the two rear pockets we have on the back of the vest?

ALVIN NORDELL
Yes, two rear pockets they're very roomy so you can fit quite a bit in those. Yeah so you never have to worry about if you can if you can bring enough with you because those two pockets fit quite a bit. Plus that stretchy fabric allows for some extra storage. So yeah if it's gonna be a long day on the bike you can definitely fit all the food you're gonna need in there. If you're gonna start with some gloves on you can put those in there and not worry about running out of space.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah and that's one of the cool things. I mean then you basically start out with five pockets because you got three in your jersey underneath, two pockets in your vest. And as the professionals, but there was actually the pro riders that asked for this option of having the rear pockets on the vest. So when they had to return back to the car with the arm warmers or gloves, etc. they could just stuff warmers and gloves into the rear pockets and just bring back the vest from the different riders, but also keeping all the the glove within the same, you know riders vest so everything didn't get mixed up in the car.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, exactly. And too, sometimes when you do have layers on like that, you've got gloves on, so it's easier to use a bigger pocket. When you have gloves on, it just makes it easier to grab things, you know, make sure you're in the right pocket. Yeah, it just makes it a lot easier to use if you've got more room there. 

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah. Moving on to the next question from Mike Johnson from the UK, coming back to what you just said about the Perfetto Essentials or the Perfetto Gloves and we got shoe-covers, we got so much more here. But he's basically asking what to pair with the Gabba for the perfect wet cold weather kit. And of course, let's just start with the accessories, gloves and shoe covers and then we can move into shorts and tights later. But as we know, during the winter season, having the appropriate gloves or shoe covers can make all the difference in your rides. When your hands or feet start feeling cold, it can create both physical and mental barriers to performing at your peak, whether you're getting in the base miles and commuting to work or heading out for a pre-work spin in the unavoidable wet, cold or windy conditions. So making the right choice to protect your hands and feet is essential.

ALVIN NORDELL
For sure, yeah. It's never fun to have to stop a ride early or suffer through a ride because you've got cold hands and feet. Nothing worse than that. Definitely had a few of those days and yeah before Perfetto existed I definitely wished it was around that probably would keep me on my bike a lot longer, when I was first starting. ​​​​​​​

SOREN JENSEN
I was thinking the Perfetto they're not bulky gloves and we started out with just one glove the Perfetto Out West but then we extended the line of gloves to three maybe you just take it through the different gloves starting with the lightweight glove and then all the way up to the Max.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah so really the heart of the collection is going to be that Perfetto glove, you know, that one that's perfect for 90% of your rides. And then for those places where it's a little bit warmer or maybe you're going out for a hard ride and you don't need quite as much protection on your hands, we've got the Perfetto Light. So, that one's just a little bit lighter weight but still offers great water protection and wind protection. And then for those of you out there who are going to be out there in the cold and getting those long miles in when you just can't avoid any cold or bad weather we've got the Perfetto Max and that one's got our most amount of insulation, it still has that GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric to keep out the wind and protect you from the rain but it's just got that extra insulation to it so those really cold days when you're getting towards zero and below and you just want to be out there on the bike that's that's the perfect glove to go to.

SOREN JENSEN
Just looking at the website you can select up to three products and then you can also compare them so you can see the different attributes here. So if you're looking at the Max Glove, we're talking from below zero to plus eight, ten degrees Celsius. And then we're looking at the Perfecto Outwear Glove, four to about 12 degrees. And then with the light gloves, like just taking off the gel from your hands from like like 6, 8 degrees till 14, 15 depending also on the weather condition if it's raining or light rain or whatever it is.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah really for when you'd want to have you know go from a no gloves or short finger gloves just to put a little something on your hands to keep them warmer. Correct.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah and then we have a pretty cool system on the palm of the glove apart from having the silicon dots to aid grip but we also have the Castelli damping system. Maybe you want to dive a little bit into that.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, so the Castelli damping system, you know, came about from just some long hours on the bike a few years ago. You know, just when you're out for a long time, sometimes you start to feel it in the palm of your hand. And we created that damping system just to absorb some of that shock to make sure you don't get numb hands or numb fingers for long days out on the bike. You'll actually see that in a lot of our summer gloves too. So we've used that same system that we created, Castelli Damping System, and we've used it on our whole line of gloves. It's really just that extra comfort. Because if you have good chamois and good gloves, those contact points with the bike can really make or break a ride. So we focus on making sure where you're touching the bike, that you're also comfortable, not just comfortable from the element.

SOREN JENSEN
Correct. We're talking about the contact points. You already mentioned two of them now, like the chamois and the hands. Now we can go into the feet here in a second also with the shoe covers but just to wrap up what Alvin just said with the Stirling damping system offer increased padding at a strategically placed position in order to reduce the hand fatigue and provide long-lasting comfort and relieves excessive pressure on the media nerves that run along the palm of your hands. We have received a lot of very positive feedback and definitely those are one of the things that I really like about our gloves and I'm happy we also bought it into winter gloves which usually are never really padded because they're already padded with extra thermal padding instead of really thinking about the damping.

ALVIN NORDELL
You know, with winter gloves, you always think about that insulation but having just that little bit of extra on the palm just to keep your hands from fatiguing, you know, it just helps keep you more comfortable and more comfort, better rides.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, exactly. So let's jump into shoe covers then. We already mentioned it briefly. So we got the Perfetto shoe cover.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, so between making sure that your upper body and your arms are nice and warm, your hands are nice and warm and protected from the elements, your feet is another one of those spots where if they start getting wet and cold, it can really ruin a ride. So we've used that same GORE-TEX INFINIUM™ WINDSTOPPER® fabric in a shoe cover. So it helps shed water, you know, keeps that wind blocker fabric so no wind goes through and helps keep your feet nice warm and dry so you can stay on the bike for a long time. It's got a good long cuff so it really helps any spray that's coming up from the wheels if you're going out after a rainstorm or even if you're still in the rain. And then that nice long comfortable zip with a little bit of backing on it just to make sure it doesn't rub or create any irritation on your ankle or on your calf. And then you know we've contoured the bottom of the foot so it's easy to get your cleat in and out and then leave a little opening for the for your heel so if you know if you're walking around after the ride or at the coffee shop you're not going to tear up your nice Perfetto shoe covers. So lots of little details there that just help make them a great shoe cover with great fabric, you know, that turn them into one of those pieces, kind of like the glove when somebody asks, well, which shoe cover should I get? Perfetto, you'll be happy.

SOREN JENSEN
So what else have you guys, if you go on the website, you will find 14 different kinds of shoe covers covering everything from the cold that you find in Alaska and Canada in winter time to the south of Europe or south of California. There's a little bit for everyone but also for the guys riding around in Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. You know in those wet and humid winter conditions with a lot of wheels splash. While we talk about accessories, what about the Nano Flex 3G arm warmers or warmers in general to pair with the Gabba? 

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah so the Nano Flex 3G warmers are the perfect combination with the Gabba because the Gabba is short sleeve and so if you are going out when it's a little chillier you know you can put on the Nano Flex 3G arm warmers you know with our Nano Flex technology you know help shed the water so it's got that DWR treatment on it plus we use a mechanical treatment when we actually make the fabric that helps just keep that water shedding off off off yeah so that's a perfect complement to the Gabba short sleeve but if you know if you have a Perfetto jacket and you need a pair of leg warmers or knee warmers to match with the jacket, you have Nano Flex 3G leg warmers and knee warmers. So we use that same Nano Flex fabric with the DWR treatment and that mechanical treatment to keep the water off on the legs. So it's actually kind of fun when you're riding along and maybe you ride through a puddle or something and you see the water splash and it just beads up and rolls off. You're like, that's cool. Yeah, that is cool. So for those tech geeks out there just watching, watching yourself get wet and watching the water fly off is pretty cool. So those Nano Flex products are the perfect complement to the Gabba and Perfetto products. And then we actually make a Nano Flex Pro bib short. So it's a thermal bib short made with that same Nano Flex 3G fabric. And these are pretty cool because we cut them a little bit longer so they go down to about your knee because you know when it's cold out you want as much protection as you as you can get so you got that extra nice fleecy warm on the inside that that watershed on the outside and then if you pair that with a pair of you know either the knee warmers or the leg warmers you know always a personal preference there yeah yeah you get a really great you know winter training or a whole day a kit that can get you through your ride.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, but that's also funny because both the Nano Flex 3G or the Nano Flex warmers and the Nano Flex Pro Race Bibshort, originally named the Omloop, were all products that were created by the pros. Just like the Gabba where we sat down with the pros and listened to their needs and the ideas that all came up in like 2010, 11, also the ideas of the Nano Flex arm warmers and shorts and I remember I think it was Jeremy Hunt with the Cervelo Test Team and he was riding the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with normal Free Aero Race bib shorts but with knee warmers cut it just to the top of the knee cap just to get a little bit of extra warmth and this is where everything started when we looked at him after the race I looked at the race photos we were reaching out to him and asking what are you wearing yeah exactly and this is where everything started for the Nano Flex Pro Race bib short. And that's where the idea came from.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, so having all that, that little extra protection in one piece cuts down on some of the bulk, but then also having, you know, that thermal fabric throughout the entire short just keeps you a little bit warmer. And even our riders on Soudal now, they wear that short a lot, a lot, a lot in the spring and fall. Just a little bit extra warmth when they're out on the bike. And yeah, you definitely see it quite a bit in the spring classics. They wear that short a lot.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I even wear it most of the time during spring riding. Here around in the Dolomites where we live, this is the first one I just pull out because it's just nice and comfy. This Nano Flex material is fleece lined. It's so soft against the skin that this might go too short really.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, it's gonna, you know, that little bit of warmth that feels great. And then just having that little bit, that little peace of mind knowing that it's gonna shed that water. Just mix it with that, that great piece for going out.

SOREN JENSEN
That water repellent coating is helping to keep all the water out and also the strategically placed seams and everything, I love that piece. And there's also a really good note here also for the arm and leg and knee warmers is that the upper elastic band is a 15 millimeter thick strip of black material with five millimeter of Castelli's silicone logos on the inner and outer surface to help the warmers stay put. But also great if you are in a race situation and you have to put back on your warmers because the weather is changing. It's easy also for the professional cyclists to just pull them on and just over the sleeve jersey because it will still stay put.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, exactly. And you see a lot of times with the pros, they'll even start a race if they think it's going to go off pretty quick. Correct, yeah. They'll start with the warmers on over their jersey so it's easier to pull off. Yeah and speaking of some of those details that make the Nano Flex warmer so nice, the seaming on there is something we should talk about too. It's not just one piece of fabric, we use two different pieces of fabric and the seams actually go around and move with your joint. So there's no seam that goes either like you know like right behind the knee on the leg warmers or right across the elbow on the arm warmers, it actually contours to the arm and it goes on either side so that way you don't get any extra rubbing or you know, any abrasion from the seaming on the warmers. And you know, that's always something that I never appreciated when you have that one seam running down the back of your leg and you come back and it's kind of raw and you feel it in the shower afterwards. But with the Nano Flex 3G warmers, you never feel that because that, and the framing with the placement and that flat lock stitch too. Yeah. It's super comfortable and cuts down on any chance of irritation.

SOREN JENSEN
Correct. So just to wrap up then the perfect kit to match with the Gabba or the Perfetto products. We talked about everything from the Nano Flex Pro Race bib shorts. We have all the fantastic accessories from gloves and shoe covers, warmers and then last but not least the Tutto Nano Bibtight which is also a fantastic product still with the Nano Flex water repellent treatment and also fleece you warm. So I think here you've got the perfect kit here right?

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah you know if it's one of those days where it's gonna stay cold the entire time the Tutto Nano Bibtight is that is again you know it's got that Nano Flex 3G fabric throughout so it's just nice and warm. You've got the water repellency from the DWR treatment and the mechanical treatment you know it's our great kiss chamois so it's just super comfortable for long days out. And you know since it's a rain bib tight we try to cut down on the seaming on it so there's less of a chance for the water to work its way into the seams. Then with less seams comes more comfort because there's less of a chance of any rubbing. And then that nice mesh stretchy bib top which just makes it you know you can spend hours and hours in the saddle. And actually that's that's one of those pieces where some of our pro riders they've had a special request so we've had to make them a couple special pairs of the Nano Flex bib tights, the two-tone Nano bib tights for their winter training. They love the shorts so much, they love the warmers, they just wanted a full one-piece. So every now and again, you'll catch a glimpse of them about training in those.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, no, fantastic product. Okay, next one up. I think this is a bit more marketing related, so I might answer this one. This is Barry from the US. He's asking, is it true that Castelli launched a limited Gabba edition including a black marker pen available to the pros and public? Yes Barry it is absolutely correct, with half the peloton in blacked out Gabba jackets at the 2013 Milan San Remo and as a part of our 2014 spring marketing campaign we actually launched a limited pro edition, I think it was only 100 pieces, delivered in this stealth black looking box including a high quality sharpie pen to black out. Well, the case is fairly low but it's better that they had a good quality black marker pen for that job. I think we've all seen the photos there on social media and you can probably Google it. And one of the cool things also, like the small touches we made on that box I remember was on the inside we had printed or included some of the real quotes from the professional cyclists and what they said about the Gabba. But I'm sure if you guys Google it, it's Black Pro Edition Gabba, you'll see what I'm talking about. I'll see if I can also find someone, drop a link maybe in the podcast notes. But that was pretty cool. I know we have one in the marketing office still in the archive. So there's 99 out there in the market. I don't know about you, Alvin, if you managed to get your hands on one box before it was sold out.

ALVIN NORDELL
Man, that was one of those where I was living in the US at the time and like a time change by the time I woke up and saw it, they were already gone. So that's probably one of my bigger regrets is not getting my hands on one of the pro issues Gabbas. But it's really cool to see those out there and when I saw that, I had a good laugh. But yeah, honestly, I mean, one of my favorite games still is playing spot the Gabba in the Pro Peloton, where you look for those black Gabbas with the blackout scorpions. And yeah, especially when it starts raining, you usually see quite a few.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, when the weather turns bad, yeah, you see quite a few, but also still some of the e-throw jackets.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yes, you see those quite a bit now too.

SOREN JENSEN
So okay, next question is from Charles Ryder from Canada. He's asking how to reactivate the water repellency on the Patheto products or Gabba if it loses a bit of the water repellency.

ALVIN NORDELL
No, that's a great question if it loses a bit of the water-repellency? product you know that DWR treatment is going to get onto the dirt and it's not going to get onto the garment. But yeah so first you're going to want to throw it into the washing machine and make sure it's nice and clean and then you know the best thing would be to use a spray as a spray treatment like a nick wax or something like that. You can get that at a lot of outdoor retailers too. Alright. You know just spray it onto the entire garment and then actually we usually don't recommend this but throw it into the dryer for, you know, maybe 10-15 minutes, not too high of a setting. And that actually helps the DWR really bond back onto the jet. Reactivates it. Yeah, it reactivates it. So yeah, wash it, spray it, throw it into the dryer for 10-15 minutes. And then once it's fully dry, you should be back to 100%, back like a brand new water repellent.

SOREN JENSEN
I mean, most of the time we think about if you need to wash your shorts after every ride or tights because of all that bacterial buildup you have in the chamois and maybe just get dirty by the wheel spray. But the same comes to the jacket. A lot of times we just tend to forget, I think. A lot of people didn't wash the jacket after three or four rides if it's not too dirty, but it's still sweaty and you still have all the pores from the membrane that are getting blocked. So make sure to wash your jacket more often. I think when you spray it using a nick wax, the best thing is also to hang it on a hanger. So you have it hanging and then you spray it from the front and back and all over.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, so really just make sure it's nice and flat so you get that spray on there nice and evenly and you know if there's a wrinkle or something, you know, you don't miss any spots because you want to have one spot where the water is getting through that would be rad.

SOREN JENSEN
So only do that from the outside, not on the inside.

ALVIN NORDELL

Yeah, yeah, you don't need to, otherwise your sweat's gonna get all water repellent.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, so while we're at it, actually there's a question here from Niki from Germany. She's asking about how to wash the Gabba order for filter products. But I think it's just cycling clothing in general. If you have some tips here you can share.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, for washing, really cycling clothing in general, and especially ones with a membrane where you don't want to clog the pores. You want to use a nice non-harsh detergent you know for your cycling clothes. It's a little better to use a powder. You know Gore actually recommends using a liquid for their fabrics. You know a low water temperature 30-40 degrees in the wash. And then if you can you know it's always best to line dry it just so the dryer doesn't damage any of the membranes or on your cycling shorts does anything to the lycra. So yeah, wash with a nice non-harsh detergent and then line dry are the two best things to do. And then also make sure you do it fairly regularly so your clothes stay nice and fresh. And if you can, also make sure you never, after a ride, don't leave stuff on the floor for a day or two. The sooner you can wash it the better.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah no correct. Next question is from Andy Thompson from Australia. He's asking if I usually get hand numbness after two plus hours of riding. I'm using the endurance summer gloves that also include the Castelli damping system. If you're okay Alvin I'm just gonna give you a shot on this because it's something that I worked on myself a lot especially through the the younger years of my career racing elite level but also been going through a lot of bike fits of course but talking about contact points here I don't think it has so much to do with the product itself but it could have some other reasons for this but to me what I see too much weight on your hands over longer durations it all comes down to having the correct bar height and not being too far forward flexed or too upright. If you're too upright, there's too much weight on your saddle. And if you're too forward flexed, there's too much weight on your hands.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, I was just saying exactly. If you don't have the right bike fit, yeah, and you're putting too much weight on those hands, that can really affect, yeah, your ride quality and your experience. 

SOREN JENSEN
Exactly. I got hammered you know so many times when I was under 23 about going to the gym during the season because back then cyclists would only go to the gym in the off-season and you never hit the gym in summer. Oh never. And you know one of my weak spots and it was also a weak spot of most cyclists is you know training the core. Exactly. When you're bent over you got this 45 degrees torso angle where you're splitting or distributing the weight correctly. Remember your core is responsible to maintain that balance and keep the pressure off your hands. So that definitely also helps. Core strength is crucial to hand numbness, hand pressure to be able to extend the spine. Core strength for cyclists is so fundamental, I would say. I mean, I definitely learned my lesson over the years.

ALVIN NORDELL
Funny you would never think that your core has anything to do with your hands fatiguing or going numb. But yeah if you can support your weight really well and with a good bike fit your hands and your feet should be nice and happy for that ride. ​​​​​​​

SOREN JENSEN
One thing is also the handlebars. Depends if you're on alloy handlebars because alloy handlebars just don't absorb road vibrations like carbon bars do. So that's also another detail. Plus also the carbon bars can be shaped to fit the hand support much better than on alloy bars that I usually round.

ALVIN NORDELL
Exactly and it's funny, one of the things that's really made my rides more comfortable and it's not just from watching you know Remco with his shifters pointed in. But you know I do it's funny I just you know you always want to try something and so I tried that one day I pointed my shifters in a little bit and I found that I was so much more comfortable on the bike just because it was a much more natural wrist position and it was kind of distributing the weight on my hands a little bit better. And so yeah you get that little bit of aero advantage and a little bit more comfort. ​​​​​​​

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah because that aero vent is something we have seen in the wind tunnel that it is actually faster or similar to when you're down in the drops.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah I mean always the more narrow. Narrow is aero for the most part. So if you can get more narrow on the road bike, yeah you can save those extra watts.

SOREN JENSEN
And keep your hands or your arms as parallel as possible, correct?

ALVIN NORDELL
Yep, and get those elbows in.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, exactly. And then there's also the double bar wrap, that's also another thing?

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, for that a little bit extra comfort, you know, a little bit extra grip on the bar. Some people just like having a wider bar to grab on to, you know, it's kind of like tennis players sometimes will double wrap their tennis racquet, just have that better grip on the racquet. But for sure, I mean, I don't think you can find a bike at Roubaix or Flanders, for example, that doesn't have a double wrap, just absorbs some of that extra, that extra vibration. Yeah, so between having a bar that you know, helps helps keep you comfortable absorbing some vibration, some extra, extra handlebar tape on the on the bar to, you know, to absorb that vibration. So it doesn't go from the road to your hands always helps. 

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, correct. Yeah. So Andy, all those things can help minimize the pressure. It's a combination of core and back strength, bar height, bar material, bar wrap and the perfect glove and the glove padding. But it sounds like you already found yourself a good option there. So before wrapping up this episode, we have one last question here coming from Lars from Norway who is asking about what the riders of Soudal Quick-Step, what they're saying about the Perfetto and Gabba products.

ALVIN NORDELL
You know when you ask them "what are some of their favorite pieces?" The answer is always the Perfetto Jacket, because keeps smell and keeps them dry longer; they love it. I think one of the most telling things is that in the early part of the season there were spanish races. There was the Catalunia and it was this year where it was rainy the entire week which you know for Spain is pretty strange. And the guys were racing in their Perfetto RoS 2 wind jerseys quite a bit, and I even saw a couple of Gabbas. And I got a note after one of the one of the one of the races from one of the riders, and he was like man I finished the race today and I was totally dry on the inside and you can tell some of the other guys were just out there suffering. So that was awesome. Thanks Castelli. That was pretty cool. So I mean, you know, they use these pieces in racing, they use it for training and, you know, it just helps them get to the finish line, hopefully with their hands in the air.

SOREN JENSEN
Nice, nice. Yeah, we like to hear that. But also the riders feedback goes through the team, which is also what the team prefers, but we also have a lot of riders that are just reaching out to us through messengers and emails directly because this is the right time for them to communicate this product feedback or ideas that they have.

ALVIN NORDELL
But also one of the things we do to make sure that we're always innovating and making our product better is a few times a year as part of my job, you know, I go to the classics and I sit down with the entire classic squad and so there'll be nine of us and me and maybe a couple of sports directors who have lots of experience and we just we just chat kit. We talk about, we go through all the products, we talk about what could be better, what could, what they really like, new ideas. So yeah, we just sit down for an hour and just talk about Gabbas and shorts and gloves. And so every season, you know, I usually see a couple new products pop up because of that. You know, sometimes they're groundbreaking like the Gabba and other times, you know, it's like two new products that are coming, our Aero Race shoe cover and our Diluvio One glove. Like those were just two products that came out of a meeting with the classic squad. Or other, you know, I've had other times where I've met with the guys who ride the Grand Tours and, you know, they're always a little bit more focused on Aero and lightweight stuff. So, you know, we spend a lot of time talking about the climber's jersey and making that faster, or, you know, making, you know, what we could do to, you know, make something more comfortable. Or, you know, just that little extra that they need to do well in a grand tour. So, that's pretty cool. So, we're always getting rider feedback, and it's one-on-one feedback, you know, in those little groups. And sometimes they say crazy stuff that, like, that would never work, but other times you get those little nuggets.

SOREN JENSEN
Yeah, I know, exactly. So, I was just thinking about that, how to start it, but yeah, that happens often. So, this is awesome. Well, Alvin, I told you this would be 15 minutes of your time today, but now we have been on for almost 40 minutes, so let's call it a wrap and we can both head back to our office. Actually, it's almost noon now.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, I don't want to have lunch now, sorry. I'm totally going to miss my lunch ride.

SOREN JENSEN
So let's wrap this up please. So let me just say one last thing here. I just want to mention before we wrap up this episode. This is on a side note, not to do with Perfetto or Gabba, but you can use the Perfetto and Gabba riding through the Castelli Strava Challenge. So Castelli had just launched starting next week on October 9th and finished on October 22nd. So if you're in Strava and haven't already signed up, Castelli is challenging you to ride 250 minutes, so a little over 4 hours in 2 weeks to earn an exclusive Keep it up challenge badge. And again, the challenge starts on Monday, October 9th and finishes on October 22nd. And there will be a chance to win 3 exclusive Castelli winter riding kits. So we're going to outfit you from top to toe, either in the Alpha or in the Perfetto. It's going to be a surprise. So whenever you're hitting the open roads, trails or powering through your indoor training sessions in October, sign up and see how you measure up against your fellow cyclists. And don't forget to join the Castelli Strava Club and share your thrilling rides tagging Castelli Cycling and hashtag Castelli Keep It Up on social for a chance to be featured in our stories over the next few weeks. I'll also drop a link to the Strava Challenge in the podcast notes. And then, Alvin, I would like to thank you again for taking the time to join me here today.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, always happy to chat about kit and product and what we do with the pros. It's a whole bunch of fun.

SOREN JENSEN
It is a whole bunch of fun, yeah.

ALVIN NORDELL
Yeah, sorry if I could probably say something. This is my fault for talking long, because I just love talking about those little details.

SOREN JENSEN
Oh, thanks for that, Alvin. Hopefully, it was also interesting to all the listeners out there. And if you actually have a question or topic you would like us to take up on a future episode, shoot us a line at podcast at castellicycling.com or hit us up on social media. And if you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. Talk to your friends about the Castelli Podcast. Give us a five-star rating on Spotify and Apple Podcast to help us be seen by other cyclists in the algorithm. And yeah, I think that's it for today's show. Thanks again everyone. And yeah, I think that's it for today's show. Thanks again everyone.

ALVIN NORDELL
Thanks, everybody. Ciao. Ciao.