{"id":550870,"date":"2026-03-19T16:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/550870\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T16:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:06:12","slug":"castelli-espresso-gilet-review-cyclist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/550870\/","title":{"rendered":"Castelli Espresso gilet review | Cyclist"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Castelli Espresso Vest is top of the Italian brand\u2019s non-race spec gilets, with pricier options including name brand fabrics and, in some cases, extra insulation. <\/p>\n

At 108g in size M, it\u2019s fairly low in weight. It\u2019s also easily pocketable and, unlike many gilets designed to be removed and carried, comes with three rear pockets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Castelli Espresso gilet features<\/p>\n

\"\"Chris Teagles<\/p>\n

The front panels of the Castelli Espresso Vest are made of almost-windproof, stretchy woven fabric that keeps the bulk of the wind off. At the rear, the fabric is lighter and more stretchy. In fact, Castelli says it\u2019s the same as used for its Espresso summer jersey<\/a>, so it offers the wicking performance you\u2019d expect and Castelli claims it\u2019s aero too.<\/p>\n

Castelli includes a two-way zip, although without a storm flap behind it, except at the collar to prevent irritation of your chin. The top puller has a sizable cord loop to make it easy to use.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chris Teagles<\/p>\n

The three pockets are a good size for the usual ride extras<\/a>. Although they\u2019re made of the same lightweight, stretchy fabric as the rest of the rear of the gilet, I didn\u2019t find them prone to pocket sag or bouncing even when laden up.<\/p>\n

Size-wise, there are seven options from XS to 3XL for men and five from XS to XL for women and there are seven colours for men and five for women too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wearing the Castelli Espresso gilet<\/p>\n

\"\"Chris Teagles<\/p>\n

With plenty of stretch both front and rear, the Espresso Vest sits close without being restrictive. This helps to trap air and avoids any tendency to windflap, even on fast descents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Along with a high collar, the wind-resistant front panels provide a level of warmth that\u2019s greater than the lightweight construction would suggest.<\/p>\n

I found the size M a good fit for me. I\u2019m usually a size M for cycling kit, so it was good to find that Castelli\u2019s gilet <\/a>was consistent. The brand\u2019s reputation for \u2018Italian fit\u2019 seems to be a thing of the past and I\u2019ve found its other clothing I\u2019ve tested more recently to be true to size too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little drop to the tail, so the Espresso Vest provides limited protection from wheelspray. Reflectives are limited to a small tab at the bottom of the central pocket, so on-road low-light visibility isn\u2019t that great.<\/p>\n

\"\"Chris Teagles<\/p>\n

It\u2019s handy having pockets in a lower weight gilet, making it much easier to reach stuff when riding than hoicking up the lower hem to access jersey pockets, as is the norm. If you do decide to double up and use your jersey pockets too, the stretch in the gilet doesn\u2019t make this uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

Despite the extra features, the Espresso Vest is competitively light and it packs away small enough to comfortably fit in a jersey pocket if not needed.<\/p>\n

Castelli Espresso gilet review verdict<\/p>\n

The Espresso gilet offers a good level of protection for a packable gilet and plenty of stretch. It\u2019s comfortable to wear, the pockets are useful and it packs away small enough to carry when it\u2019s not needed. It would be nice to have more reflectives though.<\/p>\n

Castelli Espresso gilet details<\/p>\n

Price: \u00a3130 <\/p>\n

Weight: 108g (size M)<\/p>\n

Sizes: XS – 3XL men\u2019s, XXS – XL women\u2019s<\/p>\n

Colours: 7 men\u2019s, 5 women\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Castelli Espresso Vest is top of the Italian brand\u2019s non-race spec gilets, with pricier options including name…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":550871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,784,85],"class_list":["post-550870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cycling","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=550870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/550870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/550871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=550870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=550870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=550870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}