First Impressions

Was poking around in one of my favorite local sporting goods retailers the other day. And in their cycling section, I ran across the Castelli Race Day Track Jacket. Deep black with red accents and Castelli’s trademark scorpion logo on the left chest. Not something you’d probably wear cycling, but very cool nonetheless. I picked it up for around $60.

Features

Castelli pioneered a range of cycling clothing innovations including lycra shorts and the use of die sublimation in cycling jerseys – two things that make road racing the spectacle it is today. The Race Day Track Jacket sits as part of the company’s casual clothing line. It’s meant to be warm but not at all windproof, waterproof or engineered in any way for breathability.

Features are just right for travel and in between rides. Castelli makes the Race Day Track Jacket out of a cotton and poly blend. The interior is a very comfortable nubby French terry cloth. The collar stands upright and is lined with a red stripe, allowing the Race Day Track Jacket to cut a pretty rakish profile. The waistband sports the same red stripe and ribbing.

Specs
Fabric: 65% Cotton / 35% Polyester, 320 G/M2 pre-shrunk French terry
Weight: 1.5 lb

On the exterior, Castelli places to shallow handwarmer pockets. Nothing special there. The interior has no built in pockets although it would be very easy to create them by stitching down the reverse side of the handwarmers. Note to Castelli: take just a few extra minutes on each jacket and make those extra stitches. You’ll take an already cool jacket to a whole new level of utility.

Fit

As you’d expect with any piece of cycling wear, Castelli designed the Race Day Track Jacket to be form fitting. The company cuts the body narrowly, same with the sleeves. The Castelli sizing chart calls for the men’s large to fit a size 39 jacket and that fit me just right (I normally wear a men’s medium). The zipper – in true international style – has a left pull vs. the right-hand pull that is typical of most U.S. manufactured jackets.

Final Verdict

The Castelli Race Day Track Jacket delivers style and comfort. Not true cycling wear, but stylish, warm and a perfect complement to a casual wardrobe. Put it on in between races and rides and you won’t regret it. Price is also right at around $60 or less.

Thanks for reading another outdoor gear review from GearGuide.