If you frequently make the excuse that you don’t ride outside in the winter—or for that matter any time during the fall or spring—because you don’t have the right jacket to keep you warm, you can now easily change that with the Castelli Mortirolo 4 jacket. On sale at thecyclist.ca for $184.99, the jacket uses Gore Windstopper X-Fast fabric to keep out the wind and water so you can ride no matter the temperature outside.
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Training outside when it’s cold can be tricky. Wear too much and you’ll overheat and that will leave you susceptible to getting cold because then you are damp. Don’t wear enough at you’ll be cold from the start and having trouble warming up. The Castelli Mortirolo 4, which usually retails for $279.99, can help combat the cold and snow but ventilation zippers and a lighter fabric on the back make it so it’ll vent easier as well.
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A key to dressing for cold weather riding is layers topped by a good outer jacket. You don’t want something too bulky or you won’t be as comfortable on the bike. The Mortirolo 4 weighs 395 g and gives riders a solid outer layer regardless of the weather. Using wool and performance base layers it’s then easy to fine tune for the riding conditions you are about to face. Afterall, a ride in -10 C requires a different strategy than 10 C with light rain. The thing about the Mortirolo is that it should keep you protect in both conditions with the right layering making it perfect as your do everything winter jacket.
Other features of the Mortirolo 4 that make it more versatile are the two zippers on the front of the jacket to allow you to open them up to get cool air following into the jacket if you are really hammering and need more ventilation but don’t want to expose your neck or chest.
Of course, if you go lighter on the layers the jacket also can serve in conditions much toastier than in the negative temperatures. It’s named after the mighty Italian climb after all and regardless of the conditions it’s likely you’ll work up a sweat on the climbs sustained steep gradients.
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The jacket has three back pockets to store your snacks or extra gear. A silicon waist gripper ensures the jacket doesn’t ride up and reflective strips keep you visible in the low light conditions often faced when out training in the fall, winter and early spring.
Check out thecyclist.ca for more Castelli gear.
