In Test – Single piece of fabric bibshort!
The Castelli Body Paint bibshorts are partially the result of feedback from the race team, and up close there’s no denying this is a high-end performance piece. They’re a warm weather garment with a very low cut front and a nice airy mesh in back between the straps.
The main body of the shorts is cut from a single piece of lycra, which is stretchy enough to conform to most bodies and eliminates the need for multi-panels and added seams that can chafe or unravel. It also makes for a smoother fit, which any aerodynamisist worth his weight in smoke trails will confirm creates less airflow turbulence and therefore less drag. (Which should make you faster).
The fabric is also different from most Lycras in that it’s made with monofilament fibers, which has quite a different feel. Castelli reports the big advantage is the yarns are made of a single fiber instead of multiple fibers, and the moisture absorption goes down significantly.
The chamois is seamless where it counts.
The chamois is different from most multi-density crotch savers I’ve seen. Instead of a bunch of raised ridges settling against your skin, the skin-side surface of the chamois is one smooth piece. The multi-density cushion of the chamois is on the other side of the foam – and created by carving away sections of a single block of uncompressed foam to create the different sections of cushion. While we’re used to seeing chamois foam that is stamped in a certain pattern to create variable densities, Castelli says their method makes a more comfy seat.
The chamois also features 3 gel inserts – two for the sit bones and 1 right behind your junk. They’re called a ‘viscous comfort zone’ and are so thin, I could not tell they were even there, which says a lot about how well they integrate with the pad. Placement of these ‘zones’ has been chosen to fit “90% of saddles” –and I’ll attest they worked fine for me on a San Marco Zoncolan.
These nicely integrated leg grippers are impressive.
This integrated and minimalist approach is continued in the leg bands, which eschew a fused, glued, or sewn in band to hold the legs in place. Instead, the Body Paint bibs feature a 2 inch wide gripper of 43% lycra that is seamlessly milled into the legband – very unobtrusive, but very functional (ie: it works well.)
The shoulder straps are satin-like in their feel.
The shoulder straps have a real ‘skinsuit’ feel in that they appear to be sewn without any seam at the edge. Very close inspection however, reveals that the 2 inch wide band of lycra has been ‘finished’ by Castelli’s mill in Italy. I’m told this was no easy task, but the end result is very thin and very smooth. The only issue I had was that in spite of my best efforts to keep ‘em flat, they did the same thing most straps do, and folded over when I was riding. Thus wasn’t really an issue over top of a base layer, and since we’re all shaped differently, I suspect they’ll find their own level on you too.
The fit and chamois felt great on my initial 1 hour test ride, and priced at US$249.99, they’re top tier for sure – I suspect Castelli will sell as many as they make.
More information:
Body Paint Bibshort, click here >>