CASTELLI SQUADRA STRETCH jacket, fluorescent yellow

This is a modern interpretation of the Windshell jacket, the one you carry in your pocket for a long descent or put on for the first hour of a ride until the day warms up. This jacket used to be simple – a nylon outer layer – but its lack of stretch meant it had to be cut looser to fit all body shapes, on and off the bike.

That’s why Castelli rethought what kind of jacket cyclists need and how it should be made. They added panels on the sides and sleeves made from a highly stretchy, tightly knitted fabric, giving the jacket a modern, close-fitting cut for aerodynamic improvements on any terrain. It also retains more warmth than a jacket that flaps around. It remains very compact, so it can be packed into the minimum space in a jersey pocket. The stretch panels are treated for water repellency, which helps in light drizzle, but this is not intended to be a proper rain jacket.