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When it comes to the original Gabba, it's so effective as the king of weather resistant race jerseys that the only conundrum we had in purchasing one was whether to pick up a long or short sleeve model. The convertible option eliminated that dilemma, and the Men's Perfetto Convertible Jacket updates that versatility with improvements in areas that frankly we didn't think could be improved. The Convertible Perfetto is, basically, a Gabba plus, beginning with the same race fit, weather resistant features that made the Gabba so damned impressive and pushing those properties to further extremes. The king is dead long live the king. Of all the things Castelli changed, we're happy to report that it stuck to the zip off sleeve model pioneered in the Gabba Convertible Jacket. The ability to remove the sleeves effectively makes the Perfetto Convertible a three season jacket. Castelli claims it can handle temperatures ranging from 43 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit, but with smart layering and the sleeves on, it extends easily into the 30s. On the in between days of late fall and early spring, the sleeves stow easily in one of the rear pockets, ready for action when needed. The zippered joint also extends over the shoulder in a raglan cut, keeping the zipper off of your skin and providing generous overlap with the jersey's short sleeves for increased protection. The sleeve construction remains virtually unchanged, but Castelli did do some serious tinkering to the Perfetto with the biggest change manifesting in an improvement to the Windstopper X Lite Plus fabric's water repellent finish. The change addresses a relatively minor complaint that many of us have with the Gabba namely, it does tend to get a bit stifling during race efforts and interval sessions. That's not an issue that most other inclement weather gear needs to address, because most other inclement weather gear isn't cut for racing. Since the Gabba is, we were able to push it to its limits in the most demanding si..
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