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review
Jerseys - short sleeve
Castelli GPM Jersey Castelli GPM Jersey Castelli GPM Jersey
Castelli GPM Jersey

Castelli GPM Jersey

8
by Stu Kerton
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Jul 6, 2011

3
£64.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Impressive warm weather jersey ideal for sportives home or abroad and for climbing in heat
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
saddleback.co.uk
How we test

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Castelli's GPM jersey is a lightweight classic styled jersey but using very modern fabrics. Standing for Gran Premio delle Montagne (King of the mountains) the GPM is designed for long forays into the hills rather than the out and out racer. Made from 100% polyester with what Castelli call Prosecco treatment, this basically gives the fabric better evaporation rate by spreading moisture out over a larger surface area. This creates a high wicking top which coupled with the full zip keeps you cool and dry on even the hottest days we've seen lately.

Comfort is also high on the agenda, this top has been tested from 120 mile sportives to fast paced commutes and training rides without a single feeling of discomfort. The 3 deep pockets can carry a decent amount of kit, for the longer rides I was carrying a mobile, mp3 player, bars, gels, keys and C02 pump/cylinder and the shape of the jersey remained the same with no sag around the pockets.An elastic waist keeps the GPM jersey where it should be plus fitted cuffs keep things comfortable without being tight. Although not a full racer's jersey the fit is still, shall we say athletic, a close cut without being skin tight provides a sporty but flattering top. Alongside the 3 pockets a smaller side zipped pocket is ideal for a debit card or cash for mid ride munchies.

The quality is the usual Castelli high standard and at a rrp of £65 (you can get it cheaper online) its pretty good value for money. Coming in a range of 5 colours, a choice of navy, white, black, red and yellow there certainly is a shade to match your frame, bar-tape, saddle or helmet.

Verdict

Overall an impressive jersey with a good fit and good quality finish. Perfectly suited to warm spring/summer days its ideal for sportives home or abroad. A combination of lightweight, the high wicking fabric and the ability to fully unzip means your body temperature is easily controlled and its one of the driest jerseys I've worn.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Castelli GPM jersey

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Castelli are pitching this at the climbers with the king of the mountains moniker and that makes sense with the style of jersey they've created. For anyone on the clubrun or pushing themselves in a sportif the GPM is worth considering.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

'Prosecco' is the treatment mentioned above to create a high wicking fast drying garment and it works!!

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Previous experience of Castelli clothing should see the GPM lasting plenty of seasons

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The wicking properties shone through plus the all round comfort makes for a great jersey

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Wicking properties are top notch

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not a lot to be fair, the white does get grubby quickly but thats just nit picking

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 32  Height: 180cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Genesis Flyer  My best bike is: Ribble Gran Fondo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

Castelli GPM Jersey
Castelli
short sleeve jersey
Stu Kerton

Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.

With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.

He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.

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3 comments

Avatar
Fat_Birds | 13 years ago
0 likes

A very normal jersey, normal patterns, normal fabric... But 30% more expensive because of the history of the brand.

Poor choice road.cc!!

Avatar
stuke replied to Fat_Birds | 13 years ago
0 likes
Fat_Birds wrote:

A very normal jersey, normal patterns, normal fabric... But 30% more expensive because of the history of the brand.

Poor choice road.cc!!

I can't see the 'history of the brand' mentioned anywhere in the review so don't see how you can come to your above conclusion Fat-Birds.

The quality is good along with the fit and in my opinion it looks good irrespective of who makes it. I take it you are not a Castelli fan then after reading your other posts on here today 1

Avatar
Fat_Birds replied to stuke | 13 years ago
0 likes

Hi stuke! I loved Castelli since 1990. Ours was a long affaire, but my expectations are so high.

Maybe is a problem of concept ¿? I cannot understand a Top Bib with big logos or a castelli product with no technology in (just the italian flag). 3

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