Castelli 2013/14 Women's Elemento Cycling Jacket B13554

A BIT OF FRESH AIR MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. We use the best winter membrane fabrics on the market but still find ourselves wanting more breathability. Thats why we invented 7xAIR. We start with a fully wind and waterproof external layer and then quilt it to a fleece inner layer using the trapunto technique. This results in an extremely stretchy wind resistant fabric, but the stitch holes give just the right amount of air permeability. The result is a continuous exchange of air on the inside of the garment that carries away moisture much better than fully sealed fabrics. We built this into a jacket thats great for long rides when moisture management is a must, but it works equally well for the one hour lunchtime ride that you manage to sneak into your busy day since its extremely warm and only needs a base layer underneath and its ready to go. There must be a downside, right We definitely wouldnt take this out on a rain day, since rain will come through the quilting stitching, though the fabric is DWR treated and will shed light spray.