Castelli Feroce Midweight Base Layer

The thing about Castelli's Feroce long sleeve base layer is that it's not a long sleeve base layer.

Um...

'Don't think of it as a long sleeve base layer. Think of it as a short sleeve base layer with arm warmers attached,' say Castelli.

Well, that partly explains things but they're still messing with my mind here.

'It's made to be used with a short sleeve jersey by making the sleeves in our heaviest weight seamless construction. The body is medium weight, and we use a lighter weight fabric under the straps of your bib shorts. You get perfect temperature equilibrium. And when things heat up? Just push the sleeves up since the ultra stretchy construction makes it easy and comfortable.'

Ah, it all becomes clear. They've used different weaves and densities of fabric to take account of your other clothing. Interesting idea; does it work?

The body section of the Feroce is highly textured. The areas underneath where the straps go are a fairly loose knit, the ribbed sides provide loads of stretch and the remaining areas at the front and down the middle of the back are a plain weave. There are no seams down the body to bother you and the neck is close fitting without being tight so there's no space for cold air to slink in there.

As Castelli promise, the sleeves are a heavier weight. They're not way, way thicker than the body, but enough to notice; enough for me to try wearing the Feroce underneath a short sleeve jersey before reading the blurb and finding out that that was the whole idea. Like the body, the sleeves are mega stretchy so you're guaranteed a close fit without a restrictive feel. Snug, not tight.

The Feroce works really well for autumn use - and presumably for spring use too. The fabric is a mix of polyester (74%), polypropylene (20%) and elastane (6%) and it feels good against your skin. You know how some fabrics immediately feel warm when you touch them and some stay cold for ages? Wool: warm. Shiny nylon: cold. This is one of the warmer ones, and the fact that it's so stretchy means it's always in contact with your skin so it can wick your sweat away consistently. It does an excellent job on that front, and it dries out fast so you don't get cold five minutes after tackling the first big hill of the day.

I've been wearing this under various different jerseys in the sort of temperatures where I'd usually wear a base layer, jersey and arm warmers, and it has been really comfortable. Castelli reckon the temperature range is 10-18C. That's about right - low to mid-teens for me, although we're all slightly different. You can push the sleeves up your arms easily enough if you want some extra cooling, and they won't be baggy when you pull them back down.

Once the mercury drops to the point that you need a gilet on top of your jersey, the Feroce isn't so suitable. I found that when I had a gilet on as well, there was too much of a difference between the temperature of my arms and the temperature of my body, so it was time to rethink my strategy.

Despite what Castelli say about it not being a long sleeve base layer, I've been using it as exactly that on nippy mornings and evenings. My hands nearly always suffer first in the cold, then it works up my arms, so having a bit of extra insulation there isn't a bad thing.

My only problem with the Feroce is the price. You could buy a short sleeve base layer for £40 -a very good one -and Castelli's own water-resistant NanoFlex arm warmers for £30. That's a total of £70 and you'd have a versatile combo. Although the Feroce is an excellent top, £80 is a whole lot of cash.

Verdict

Excellent long sleeve top for wearing under a short sleeve jersey, but it's expensive