Castelli

Superleggera Bib Short - Men's

Comparing My Castelli Bike Shorts

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

I own several pairs of Castelli shorts, and all of them are pretty expensive. I have to say, I love the Castelli fit and chamois padding, but there are some differences between this model and the next more advanced one. (I also have the Premio Model) On these, the chamois interior foam and padding takes a lot longer to dry compared to the Premio. Thankfully, both are comparably comfortable. I also find that the shoulder flat bib straps tend to bunch up initially when putting these on, versus the Premio straps that have a built in small red spreader patch that keeps this from happening. All in all these are super comfortable on longer rides, though they seem tight or small at first. I live in the US, am 6' tall and weigh around 185lbs, and the XL size of the Premio is small but more supportive, and 2XL sizes of the Superleggera fits me as well, but without as much compression.

Great material

It runs very small it is light weight and comfortable specially the rib.

Odd material but working out so far.

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

These do match the description from Castelli. The bibs are thin and light and are great for rides on really hot days. But being so light and thin, they do not seem like they would be supportive on longer rides. For my 35 to 45 mile rides they were fine, but I don't know if I would use these on a century. Out of the box, the material felt rather stiff with an almost crunchy feel. The interior area around legs had a rough texture which was a concern. But once on bike they were fine. The length is bit longer than usual. I'm 5'11" and on me they end pretty close to the top of the knees. Consequently, the leg openings looks like they should be tighter. I've only worn them a few times and the leg opening are developing an ever so slight ruffle around the edge. But somehow they don't manage to ride up when I'm pedaling. The straps are flat and are much easier to deal with than the Castelli Free Aero Race 4's, which are like ropes until you straighten them out. Sizing was typical for Castelli in that they run slightly small. The Progetto X2 Air Is one of the best out there. I took one star off because the leg length should shorter, or given the length, the opening should be tighter. If they stretch out over time, the leg grippers will not be able to hold them in place.