Castelli Blog

Beyond the Peloton is a 14 episodes (really hoping for more) documentary shot by the film makers Joe Finkleman and Booker Sim in High Definition. The series follows the creation and journey of the first racing season for the newly formed Cervélo TestTeam.

I just finished watching all the fourteen episodes and was blown away. The films are all about insights and behind the scenes of creating a pro cycling team. I really liked seeing the before the race team meetings, deciding who goes in the breakaway, the strategies that were planned, coffee in the team bus etc. After watching it you get a sense you know the team riders better, and what gives them the extra advantage in races.

All the epsiodes are available for view or download: http://www.bartape.net/

Remarkably warm when used properly, grippy and fully wind- and waterproof, but non-breathable.

Castelli eschew the insulation-plus-shell construction of conventional winter cycling gloves fpr their Diluvio gloves, instead using a full neoprene shell similar to those used in wetsuits.

Stitches are solely external, interior seams are welded, nylon linings inside and out provide some abrasion resistance for cycling use, and the palm and finger area is covered in tiny rubber dots for grip.

Despite the minimal 3mm-thick material, the Diluvios are amazingly warm even in just-below-freezing temperatures – but only if you wear them properly. In diving, wetsuits are only warm because the body can maintain a heated layer of moisture right next to the skin and it’s no different here.

When we donned the Diluvios right before heading out on a cold day, no moisture built up and our hands stayed dry but they invariably froze. But if we put them on while our hands were still warm, they stayed that way and quickly thawed out again if we briefly had to pull the gloves off mid-ride for whatever reason.

The thin material and skintight fit makes for pretty decent bar feel – so much so that we even managed to type part of this review while wearing them!

The key to the Diluvios’ impressive warmth is also the source for our biggest complaint, though. Even Castelli readily admit that the neoprene is wholly unbreathable, so while your hands stay warm, they get clammy in a hurry. This also makes them very slow to dry after washing, since machine drying is a definite no-no.

Unfortunately, buyers shouldn’t consider the Diluvio to be a lifetime prospect. The keen white scorpion logos have already started to crack on our test gloves after just a few weeks of use, some of the rubber dots on the palm have already come off, and there’s no snot wipe.

Like all neoprene, the tiny bubbles infused into the rubber that lend the material its convenient properties will also eventually outgas after a couple of years.

Okay, so the Diluvios won’t last forever and your hands get pretty sweaty in them – but they’re great on race day and man, are they toasty.

More information on Bikeradar.com, click here >>
Castelli product page, click here >>

Ted King (Cervélo TestTeam) on Saturday’s VIP ride at Dempsey Challenge.

Week in and week out from February through October, we saddle up and race our bikes. It’s our job, it’s our life, and it’s our passion. Whether it’s a one day classic or a month long stage tour, we’re constantly racing our bikes in order to tally the standard 60 to 100 race-days per year.

Which is why it was an exciting change of pace to be asked to participate in the first annual Dempsey Challenge this past weekend in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. As the crow flies, L-A (as opposed to “LA” in California) isn’t very far from where my parents live and where I grew up in New Haaaampha’. And since I would be visiting Mom and Dad during the exact same time, it was a worthwhile coincidence for me to participate.

However, it’s no coincidence that the Dempsey Challenge takes place in L-A, because this is where Patrick Dempsey was born and raised. I’ll be perfectly honest here: I knew Patrick Dempsey is an actor, I knew he is on the show Gray’s Anatomy, and I knew his nickname is “Mc”-something (but I had to be reminded that the full moniker is McDreamy). Hanging out with Patrick for the majority of the weekend, I can say he is a genuinely nice guy. I like to say that New Englanders are a great bunch of people, and Patrick definitely maintains this characteristic - despite living in California nowadays. Read the rest of this entry »

The Body Paint bibshorts are partially the result of three years of development, some futuristic thinking and feedback from elite riders.

There’s no denying this is a high-end performance piece. Not only riders from the Cervélo TestTeam have been testing Body Paint, also other ProTour riders wanted to take part in the testing process, including an anonym former Tour de France podium finisher:

“I rode them today, wow- they are nice! I understand why they are called Bodypaint. I could feel the compression aspect.  They were about an inch and a half above my regular tan line. But the fabric and the cut are amazing! Thanks Castelli!”

Body Paint Bibshort is 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).

Body Paint in 12h MTB test: click here >>

Product information:
Body Paint Bibshort, click here >>
Progetto X2 seat-pad, click here >>
Product site: click here >>