OUR GUIDE TO CASTELLI BIB TIGHTS
By Stan Portus – 21 December 2019
In the colder months keeping your legs protected is essential. We have written a guide explaining what to consider when choosing a pair of bib tights, and have selected some of our favourites from Castelli to keep you riding this winter.
As winter begins to set in bib tights become an essential piece of kit to protect you against cold and harsh weather conditions. Icy wind, rain, snow, sleet – you name it, Castelli’s wide range of options will have you covered whatever conditions you brave over the coming months.
When the mercury falls, layering is an excellent way of controlling your upper body temperature, putting on and taking off layers depending on the effort of your riding or the large temperature fluctuations that are possible when you’re out all day.
However, when it comes to legs things aren’t so simple: what you have on is what you tend to wear for the duration of your ride, so making sure you’ve got a pair of bib tights that fit well and will keep your temperature regulated is crucial for ensuring you stay comfortable and get the most out of your winter riding.
It used to be fairly common to don a pair of unpadded tights over normal padded cycling shorts. This rudimentary method would keep the cold out, but the extra layers could lead to rubbing and ultimately discomfort on the bike.
All the Castelli bib tights featured here have built in seat-pads – either the pro level Progetto X2 Air Seamless Pad or Kiss Air 2 – leading to a better contact between you and the saddle and reducing the risk of chaffing. These pads utilise the same pro-proven technologies as Castelli’s bib short range – so if you already have a favourite in your summer kit, that’s a great place to start. Investing in a couple of pairs will allow you to ride regularly and reduce the likelihood of saddle sores that comes from riding in kit you’ve already sweated into!
The number of panels used to construct bib tights also affects comfort and feel. The more panels a pair of bib tights has, the more comfortable they tend to be, as the fabric needn’t stretch in so many directions and can fit your body better.
Whether you simply need a thin layer to give skin coverage, more insulation or even windproof or water repellence, Castelli uses a range of fabrics and technologies across its bib tights that means you can keep on riding when the weather takes a turn for the worst, safe in the knowledge that your legs will be protected from the wind and rain.
We’ve put together a run-down of some of our favourite Castelli bib tights that will help you ride right through winter and into spring.
Castelli Sorpasso RoS Bibtight: The Castelli favourite
The Sorpasso RoS Bibtight from Castelli is made for long ride in the widest range of conditions.
The tight features the ultra-stretchy, warm and water repellent Nano Flex 3G fabric. The fabric uses the third generation of Castelli’s nanotechnology fabric treatment that adds a high level of water repellency without affecting breathability, stretch or warmth. The fabric also offers a compressive fit that moves with you for all-day comfort.
On the thighs and rear of the tights there are panels of Nano Flex Xtra Dry fabric to provide a bit more wind protection and warmth, as well as protection from any road spray.
It’s not only about the fabrics. Anatomical patterning gives a bend at the knee and the hip, while seamless bib straps lie flat and hold the tights and seat pad perfectly in place so you can concentrate on your efforts. Multiple reflective panels keep you visible and YKK® Camlock® zippers at the ankles make for easy on and lock and a secure closure.
The Bibtight uses Castelli’s Progetto X2 seat pad. This pad features two isolated layers that work in tandem with your body and saddle to eliminate friction while still offering substantial cushioning where it’s needed most.
Castelli Sorpasso RoS Wind Bibtight: The ultimate protection
This is the tight for you if the cold isn’t something that stops you from riding, ever.
The Sorpasso RoS Wind Bibtight takes the standard Sorpasso Bibtight but adapts it for the most extreme cold weather riding. Castelli has added GORE-TEX® INIFINIUM™ fleece-backed panels to the upper front of the tight as well as the thigh area to prevent windchill and keep muscles at an ideal temperature. Many wind tights sacrifice fit, comfort, or breathability for wind protection, but the two-way stretch of this fabric combined with careful patterning makes for minimal compromise and maximum comfort.
No detail is spared with the Sorpassso RoS Wind Bibtight. An anatomical cut to the hips and knees increases comfort. Lie flat bibstraps make for a hassle free fit on the upper body while holding everything in place. YKK® Camlock® zippers at the ankle make for secure closing. Large reflective panels on the ankles provide moving reflectivity, for the low light conditions you’ll probably find yourself riding in while wearing these tights.
Castelli Velocissimo 4 Bibtight: Luxurious comfort
Sometimes warmth and comfort are all you need from a winter garment and the Velocissomo 4 Bibtights were developed by Castelli with this in mind. Made from thick, brushed fleece throughout the Velocissimos are exceedingly comfortable while allowing total freedom of movement.
The Velocissimos are an unfaltering set of bibtights that will quickly become an essential in your winter wardrobe, while keeping you looking good too: the subtle detailing leads to an understated aesthetic that sets the Velocissimos apart.
Castelli Nano Flex Pro 2 RoS Bibtight: Wet weather tights
Part of Castelli’s RoS (Rain or Shine) line, the Nano Flex Pro 2 bib tights are for riding in the wettest conditions.
These bib tights are made from Nano Flex Xtra Dry – an all-new fabric has a tight weave double layer construction with a water repellent treatment. Although it isn’t totally waterproof Xtra Dry is currently the best wet weather fabric for leg wear available.
The brilliant thing about these pro-level bib tights is that – like the rest of Castelli’s RoS range – they are designed for the wet but aren’t compromised in the dry, remaining highly breathable and perfect for the notoriously fickle British weather.
Reflective panels on the lower leg aid visibility at night, and the Progetto X2 pad completes these top-of-the-line tights.
Castelli Tutto Nano Bibtights: Super soft, incredibly warm
Made from the super soft and incredibly warm Nano Flex 3G fabric throughout, the Tutto Nano Bibtights are exceedingly comfortable. The fabric’s loft has been designed to trap a thin layer of air against your leg to keep your temperature regulated through the autumn and winter.
The Tutto Nanos feature Castelli’s third-generation durable water repellent (DWR) treatment too. Light rain beads off the tights, keeping you dry when those unexpected showers strike.
YKK Camlock zippers on the ankle make for easy closure. When the zipper is angled upwards it locks securely in place preventing any unwanted unzipping. The ankle of the Tutto Nanos is also designed to be closed over your overshoes, stopping excess water making its way into your lovely Sidi cycling shoes.
Castelli Entrata Wind Bibtight: A winter workhorse
A workhorse tight that will carry you through the depths of winter. The Entrata Wind Bibtight brings Castelli’s countless hours of research and development into a tight that focusses on the most effective way to keep you warm and dry in the coldest conditions.
The tight is made from AirFlex Thermo fabric on the front panels for maximum stretch and total protection from the wind, helping you stay warm even when the temperature drops below zero. The back on the tight is in Castelli’s Nano Flex 3G fabric. The same fabric Castelli uses for its foul weather warmers, the fabric provides excellent warmth and splash resistance, keeping you drier for longer. Flat-lock seaming eliminates any points of abrasion, that can quickly become a nuisance in the cold.
Castelli’s Kiss Air2 seat pad offers just the right amount of padding whilst maintaining great moisture management properties. Favoured by many of the pros, it is slightly less voluminous than the Progetto X2.
Castelli Light Winter 2: for milder conditions
Fortunately, the winter isn’t always bitterly cold or rainy. It can be hard to remember when the weather gets bad but some of the best days out on a bike can be in the crisp winter sun or misty pink skied mornings, especially when such days signal the changing of the seasons and warmer months ahead.
The Light Winter 2 Bibtights are ideal for such occasions. Made for less frosty winter days, these tights offer maximum breathability and a highly lightweight construction.
If you’re used to riding hard and fast with your body generating lots of heat, you may find these tights are right for you even when it is a bit colder. The bib tights have been built to the specification of Team Ineos riders and the cut is inspired by Castelli’s Free Aero Race Bib Shorts making the Light Winter Bibtights incredibly comfortable and suitable for performance at the highest level.
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