Review: Castelli Superleggera Bibshort
During a typical New York summer with sweltering temperatures and suffocating humidity, our team slack lit up with discussions around what kit people were wearing to try and remain cool on the bike. Luckily for us Castelli had been working on a lightweight bibshort that was made of material completely different to any other that we had used before. Rather than use a typical lycra, Castelli developed a new woven fabric. The result on paper was a bibshort that is almost 50g lighter than “normal” and also absorbs less sweat, perfect for summer so we had to try it out.
All photos thanks to @photorhetoric
CASTELLI SUPERLEGGERA BIBS REVIEW: Initial Impressions and First-Rides
Scott
When Matt first handed me the Superleggera I could tell that they were unlike any other bibshort I had used in the past. The material was completely new to me and almost felt like a very thin ‘boardshort’ type material. I was pretty eager to try it out.
I put the bibs to test on a few long days heading out along the classic 9W route in the sweltering summer sun. The first thing I noticed when I actually put them on was the fit was a bit tighter than usual, not in a bad way, just that the material seemed to hug my legs differently. The chamois is the Progetto X2 Air Seamless, having not used Castelli bibs before I was impressed by the comfort level the chamois provided, I didn’t notice it all while riding which in my mind is exactly what a chamois should do. Going back to the material, I definitely felt cooler wearing the Superleggera compared to our old team bibs that I had been using. The new material stayed true to claims of not absorbing sweat, these bibs felt as light at the end of a long hard summer ride as they did at the start.
Corey
I took a handoff of a pair of the Superleggera bibs from Lisa at our recent trail cleanup day and immediately noticed how light the package felt; despite having been transported in the dog hair covered Vandivortmobile, they were the cleanest and nicest thing I picked up in NJ that day.
When I made it home and took them out of the package, three things stood out to me: 1) these felt like the lightest bibs I had ever held by a wide margin, 2) the material felt vastly different from anything I’ve ever worn on a bike, and 3) they seemed smaller than any other medium bibs I’ve ever had (so much so that I worried if I’d even be able to wear them). Hung on a hanger next to another set or bibs, they appear shorter as even the straps are of thinner construction than anything I’m used to. A quick try on that day, however, allayed my fears about the fit. Yes, they were a snug fit and required a slower application that other bibs (think: two fingers under the cuff to straighten them out and preserve the crispness of well-earned tanlines), but they did stretch enough to fit in a compressive but non-constricting manner.
A few rides in the shorts over the tail-end of the summer and into the beginning of fall has been a non-event, which is good when testing something so intimate. The chamois has proven comfortable in all the right places and the thinness of the material seems to be ideally suited to some of the humid weather we’ve faced lately in the NYC area. I was concerned that the thin material might face some challenges with durability, but I haven’t noticed any issues thus far. With warm weather tailing off, these may no longer be ideal for outdoor rides, but I think they will also work well as an option for the trainer season to come.
CASTELLI SUPERLEGGERA BIBS REVIEW: ADD2CART?
Scott
If you want summer bibs - these are it. Extremely lightweight, non-sweat absorbing and a premium chamois make for an excellent pair of summer bib shorts. A fair word of warning though, these bibs are relatively expensive at $230. I say relatively because that’s just the way it goes with speciality cycling products, new technologies tend to be on the more expensive side. Having said all that, I had no issues with durability putting these bibs through the wringer during a particularly hot and humid New York summer. I just wouldn’t wear them in a crit given Castelli themselves recommend you keep it rubber side up when wearing these bibs.
Corey
If you’re looking for lightweight bibs for hot and humid weather, these would be a strong contender to add to your wardrobe. There’s no ignoring the elephant in the room here that is the price, but as someone whose taint has been nestled lovingly inside many a bib over the years, I can honestly say the lack of issue in that area may alone make these bibs worth the consideration. I’m also looking forward to seeing how well they hold up when pulling double-duty as a trainer short this winter (well…as much as anyone truly looks forward to riding a trainer) and hoping to avoid the necessity of the unglamorous mid-Zwift sweat-soaked bib swap.
Disclosure: Castelli is one of TBD’s partners and they sent us these bibs for review, but we wouldn’t recommend a product if we wouldn’t happily pay full retail for it.
About the Castelli Superleggera Bibshort
From the Castelli Website:
LIGHT, COOL AND STRAIGHT OUT OF THE FUTURE
We've been pushing the envelope on lightweight shorts since 2011 but have butted up against the limits of compromising durability for ever lighter weight. We needed to step back and find a better way.
We examined what the short really needs to do: it needs to hold the seat pad securely in place while otherwise adding as little weight or fabric as absolutely necessary (without being transparent, obviously), and it needs to last a season of hard use. So we engineered a brand-new fabric using a woven rather than a knit that shaves 30% in weight for the same level of support and non-transparency. Then we worked with the world's leading mill to construct a gradient fabric that becomes increasingly lighter the farther down the leg it extends, with the last part weighing a mere 90 g/m2 compared to normal short fabric, which weighs around 220 g/m2.
This fabric, while being insanely light, maintains a decent durability along with excellent abrasion resistance, at least against the saddle. We don't guarantee it against unplanned slides across the asphalt, so please keep the rubber side down!
Note that while the short saves a mere 48 grams while dry, this means it also absorbs around 30% less moisture when you're sweating. So when you're sweating your way up the Alpe d'Huez you're actually saving closer to 150 grams.
This short doesn't compromise on comfort. We use our top Progetto X2 Air Seamless seat pad, the spectacular striped mesh bibs from the Free Aero Race 4 Bibshort and a flat stretch woven leg gripper to keep everything in place.
WHAT IT IS
For our lightest-ever road short, we use the first seamless graduated-ventilation stretch woven fabric to make a short that's both impossibly light and cool yet supportive for the longest rides.
I am a New York City based cyclist formally from Melbourne. Races of less than an hour are my jam and I’m @wheresscott on the gram. You’ll find me taking photos to escape the accountant life and running through winter to escape the cold.
