Until last year, Castelli had the do-it-all jack-of-all-trades, the Gabba jersey. But as of 2024, the Gabba was reinvented as the ultimate aero waterproof with the release of the Castelli Gabba R; designed solely for use in poor weather conditions it no longer has any insulation. This left something of a void when it came to a versatile all-rounder, with the the Perfetto RoS jacket more suited to cold weather training than racing. And so Castelli devised something new.
Construction
(Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)
This started with the Ristretto fabric in the Espresso Air Jacket, and has seen the Polartec AirCore technology implemented into much of the brand’s top end AW25 range. The Do.Di.Ci is named because the adapted Ristretto fabric used is apparently 12 times (dodici means 12 in Italian) more breathable than GoreTex Windstopper fabric, and twice as breathable as the version of Ristretto used in the Espresso Air Jacket. It doesn’t feature any water resistant elements, but is windproof with minimal insulation, designed for higher paced riding, and making it a little different than many of the best winter cycling jackets.
The Do.Di.Ci itself looks like a standard long sleeve jersey. The neck is raised for protection from the elements, while the sleeves are nicely long enough to cover the wrists. There are three large rear cargo pockets, while the rear hem features a reflective strip.
Sizes come in XS-3XL while there are four colour options for men and two for women.
The ride
Castelli appears to have updated its fit with the Do.Di.Ci jacket, with the sleeves extending down further compared to its other jackets and jerseys. This means your wrists are well covered while leaving enough give in the fabric to bunch them up slightly to allow for a touch more cooling.
The main body of the jacket maintains Castelli’s race focussed fit which is tight, but not constrictive, with a medium coming in true to size. In the pursuit of making this a more race day focussed item for cooler weather, the raised neck has a slight cut out on the rear so as to avoid fabric bunching when riding in a more bent over position. It manages this though without placing the rear pockets up to high so they are very easily accessible when riding. The front also avoids bunching thanks to a higher cut.
(Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)
First and foremost, the design brief was breathability and air permeability. It’s an interesting focus for a cooler weather piece of kit, but there is a good reason for it. When exercising hard, we generate a good amount of heat, about 3-4 times as much as the energy we generate to move ourselves forwards. This heat means sweat, which means moisture. If this sits in the fabric, it causes more evaporative heat loss and greater temperature transfer. This results in a loss of warmth; something I’ve experienced when doing harder winter rides is generating a lot of heat and sweat, then finding that when I’m coasting downhill or stopping at junctions, I cool down very rapidly.
(Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)
This is where the Do.Di.Ci is a real star. I will say that I run hot, so I often find I use kit at lower temperatures than it is recommended. Castelli recommends 8-15˚C for this jacket, which actually I would say is about right, possibly a little broader. The real test I found for this jacket was a mixed route in about 10˚C where I was climbing up steep inclines at low speed for high effort low air chill, and then descending in tree covered fast roads where windchill was high and effort low. I changed nothing about the jacket, keeping it zipped, and I kept a consistent and good temperature throughout. There was also no build-up of moisture on the jacket, with the moisture transfer working brilliantly.
(Image credit: Future / Andy Carr)
Admittedly, this jacket is not the best for much colder weather, but equally you can just layer with a more substantial baselayer. The key is that the Do.Di.Ci has been designed for use in dry weather. If it rains, it will get colder, and honestly that’s a trade-off I can accept. This has not been designed for the rain, it is designed for dry but cool conditions, and it can tackle these at an impressive range of temperatures.
(Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)
My only complaint is that I don’t think Castelli has leaned into the speed element of this jacket enough. It is more of a jersey than a jacket in terms of construction and feel, and whereas the Gabba R was found to be impressively fast and aerodynamic, the Do.Di.Ci misses out here. Given the arms are not an area for massive heat generation, I feel the Ristretto fabric could have been replaced with perhaps a thicker aero ribbed material similar to what is on the Castelli Aero Race 8S jersey, but not as thin. This would then make the Do.Di.Ci a genuine cool weather race day item, whereas at present for races I would opt for an aero jersey with arm warmers and base layer.
That said, it’s breathable enough that when working at a high pace such as a race, even in the rain it would be effective from temperatures of around 5-15˚C I imagine, especially UK races where the pace never really tends to drop so you won’t have a chance to get cold.
Value & conclusion
At £250 / $280 the Do.Di.Ci is cheaper than the new Castelli Perfetto 3 which is £280 / $320, and the Rapha Shadow Jersey which is far more wet weather focussed but £275 / $365.
The Do.Di.Ci is far more comparable to long sleeve jerseys than jackets, and although others might have a less effective temperature range that doesn’t span such a broad range, they can be tailored with base layer choices and gilets. The Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Que is the same price but features a two-way zip, great breathability, and is more weather proofed. However the race fit is admittedly not quite as good.
Equally, Sportful has the new Fiandre Shift jacket for £210 / $250 with Polartec AirCore and a two-way zip. And if you want an aero long-sleeved jersey, Rule28 makes a specific one for just £150.
It does mean that the Do.Di.Ci is certainly a premium item, and might not represent the best value for money. It is superb at what it does, but it needs a little more of an aero focus potentially to be the outright best at what it does.
(Image credit: Future / Andy Turner)
The Castelli Do.Di.Ci jacket is genuinely a superb kit item for cooler dry conditions where the start of the ride may be single figure temperatures and the end of it might be mid to high teens. The breathability and moisture transfer is exceptional, keeping you at a consistent temperature throughout your rides. My only gripe is that at this price, it is not the best value, but the refined fit and performance are undoubtedly great.
To be the perfect though for fast paced rides or or races, it needs a bit more specific aerodynamic focus on the sleeves. Then it would be the ideal performance item for cool weather high speed riding. At present, it’s not 100% there yet. But in these mixed autumn temperatures, it remains one of my go-to items, which says a lot about the performance.
