It’s been a quiet time for the postie who’s not been knocking at the doors of off-road HQ this Christmas. Nevertheless, we still have a new gravel bike in from Scott, some women’s Castelli kit to ride it in and some brand new ION winter gear too. 

ION Scrub Amp WMN Jacket

This jacket wasn’t in the ION lineup last year, we tested the men’s version instead though. We were keen to get our hands on the snazzy updated women’s version in the Pink Isover colour – whatever that is! The three-layer waterproof jacket should prove pretty handy in the coming cold months. 

Dec cool things ION-1.jpg
Dec cool things ION-1 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

 

ION Softshell Shelter Pants

Also in from ION are the updated Shelter Pants, we tested these last year and were really impressed, finding them to be a durable winter softshell best for cold and frosty days on the bike. Let’s see if the 2019 version lives up to its predecessor’s high standards!

Dec cool things ION-2.jpg
Dec cool things ION-2 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

Scott Contessa Speedster Gravel 25

The Scott Contessa Speedster Gravel 25 kicks off our bike testing for 2019. It’s a women’s specific gravel and adventure bike, a ‘do it all’ gravel basher with geometry that mimics the men’s bike and for just over 1k, won’t rinse your pocket. We took a full first look here. 

Scott Contessa Speedster Gravel 25 First Look-13.jpg
Scott Contessa Speedster Gravel 25 First Look-13 (Image Credit: Rachael Gurney)

Castelli Trasparente 3 Women’s Jersey

First up is a winter windstopper jersey from Castelli. The Trasparente uses GORE X-Lite stretch Windstopper® fabric for the front panels and forearms and over the tops of the shoulders. It looks smooth, sleek and pretty functional, we like the understated colourway too. 

Cool things Castelli-3.jpg
Cool things Castelli-3 (Image Credit: Rachael Gurney)

Castelli Mitica Women’s Jacket

More cold weather goodies follow with the Mitica Jacket, using a Mid-weight Gore® Windstopper® X-Mid fabric to keep out the wind, this is a tad heavier than the Trasparente above but is supposed to still feel like a jersey to wear. 
 
Cool things Castelli-2.jpg
Cool things Castelli-2 (Image Credit: Rachael Gurney)

 

Castelli Idro Women’s Jacket 

This thin and light jacket looks perfect for sticking in a back pocket for emergency use. It’s made from GORE-TEX® SHAKEDRY™ 2-layer ultralight waterproof breathable fabric for a breathable waterproof.

Cool things Castelli-1.jpg
Cool things Castelli-1 (Image Credit: Rachael Gurney)

You might also like: