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castelli nanoflex v sportful norain

by rjfrussell
Fri, Sep 25, 2015 08:42
9

Are they the same fabric under different brand names?
Or are there any differences? If so, what, and, in particular, which is the more waterproof/ resistant?

many thanks

John

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9 comments

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JonD | 8 years ago
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What's the seam like on the no-rain leg warmers ? - I've the castellis, and whilst fine in other respects it often takes some shuffling around to get the seam comfy behind the knee (and usually I only manage it on one at a time).

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Swami Dave replied to JonD | 8 years ago
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JonD wrote:

What's the seam like on the no-rain leg warmers ? - I've the castellis, and whilst fine in other respects it often takes some shuffling around to get the seam comfy behind the knee (and usually I only manage it on one at a time).

Never had a problem with the seems on the norain legwarmers or the kneewarmers (which I tend not to wear as I'm not a massive fan of the Valverde look).

I prefer norain to nanoflex as the waterproofing is a bit better, there are no massive NANOFLEX logos and there are reflective tabs and prints on the Sportful ones.

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Scoob_84 | 8 years ago
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I have both the gabba and sportful bodyfit jacket. Both are very similar, but the sportful material is thicker and slightly more waterproof. You visibly see way more droplets of water beading on the surface than you would on the gabba. Both cracking bits of kit, but the castelli material is probably slightly more suited to more milder conditions or cycling flat out, and the sportful material is more suitable for proper winter riding.

http://www.probikekit.co.uk/sports-clothing/sportful-bodyfit-men-s-pro-w...

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Nixster replied to Scoob_84 | 8 years ago
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Scoob_84 wrote:

I have both the gabba and sportful bodyfit jacket. Both are very similar, but the sportful material is thicker and slightly more waterproof. You visibly see way more droplets of water beading on the surface than you would on the gabba. Both cracking bits of kit, but the castelli material is probably slightly more suited to more milder conditions or cycling flat out, and the sportful material is more suitable for proper winter riding.

I've got the Sportful bodyfit one and it got me through last winter with a craft baselayer under it. I was contemplating a gabba as it comes in some more visible colours and thought it might be a bit more breathable for the autumn/spring. Do you think there's enough difference between them to make it worthwhile having both?

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Scoob_84 replied to Nixster | 8 years ago
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Nixster wrote:
Scoob_84 wrote:

I have both the gabba and sportful bodyfit jacket. Both are very similar, but the sportful material is thicker and slightly more waterproof. You visibly see way more droplets of water beading on the surface than you would on the gabba. Both cracking bits of kit, but the castelli material is probably slightly more suited to more milder conditions or cycling flat out, and the sportful material is more suitable for proper winter riding.

I've got the Sportful bodyfit one and it got me through last winter with a craft baselayer under it. I was contemplating a gabba as it comes in some more visible colours and thought it might be a bit more breathable for the autumn/spring. Do you think there's enough difference between them to make it worthwhile having both?

Arguably you should get more use out of the gabba as its more suited for two seasons of the year (sping and autumn) with its short sleeves, where as the long sleeve norain jersey is perfect (in my eyes) for winter, but even though its very breathable, i still overheat in the milder conditions between showers.

But ultimately its down to your style of riding and it is a bit of a luxury if you own both. I save an awful lot of money by cycling to work so can easily justify the costs, although i bought both in a sale.

If i didn't already own a gabba, i'd probably consider the alternatives out there

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Sportful/Fiandre-Light-NoRain-Short-Sle...

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crikey | 8 years ago
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Try 'reproofing gabba' as a search term in your favourite search engine.

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rjfrussell | 8 years ago
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following on from that, is there any reason why these sorts of fabrics can't be "topped up" in terms of waterproofing with scotchguard spray, or the like, esp as they start to age?

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Zermattjohn | 8 years ago
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In my experience they're almost identical when you're wearing them. They're "sister" companies so no doubt very similar manufacturing processes. I've had a Gabba and a No Rain Jersey and they're both good at what they do. Sportful is a cheaper option, but no worse for that. One tip if you buy either - dont use fabric softener when you wash the kit, destroys the water resistance.

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sethpistol | 8 years ago
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It's pretty much the same, nanotech fibres woven on surface of material. I've had both, they both work to the same level, slight difference in the way the product is constructed, especially when it comes to tights & shorts. Both work better than anything else out there.

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