Castelli Blog

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 >>

Interbike’09 round-up, The Hits Just Keep On Comin!

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.

Read the rest of the Interbike round-up on PezCycling.com, click here >>

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

It may have been a boring start of the week for you, but for the bike industry, Monday and Tuesday were days to turn the cranks in the dry, dusty (and somewhat windy) air of Bootleg Canyon, a 25-minute drive southeast of Las Vegas, for Interbike’s 2009 Outdoor Dirt Demo.

Folks from the bike industry had a nice, relaxed and tan-friendly venue to try out the latest in innovations. One such a thing was the Castelli Body Paint bibshort which quickly created a lot of interesst from the media, dealers and other folks from the industry. InterbikeTV was mentioning that this was THE most innovated product at the show. Within two days, the Body Paint bibshorts were online on Twitter/twitpic, Velonews, Triathlon, Bikeradar, bikesnobnyc and many more.

Elite level triathlete and writer, Jay Prasuhn from Triathlon.competitor.com, gives his first impression of the Body Paint innovative shorts after two days in the saddle at Bootleg Canyon.

Jay found it a great chance to catch up with several industry folks in a relaxed, tan-friendly venue. One such visit was with Steve Smith and Soren Jensen of Castelli apparel. We met Smith in February in San Diego when the Cervelo TestTeam, which Castelli sponsors, made a visit to the San Diego Wind Tunnel for some testing with 2008 Tour de France champ Carlos Sastre, and now reigning Tour green jersey winner Thor Hushovd. Smith, a marketing and design manager was present in San Diego to test some aero garments on the athletes, with pieces that saw light of day at the Tour de France. Read the rest of this entry »

Tested Obsessively By Cervélo TestTeam. This revolutionary new Progetto X2 seat pad will already have more than 500,000 kilometers of testing before it reaches the market during Spring 2010.

The seat pad has been in development for nearly three years. Made with 10 separate components, and 12 different phases in the manufacturing process, never before has there been this much effort put into making something effectively disappear under you.  You could call this obsessive. But that thought will vanish the first time you ride it.  Then you too can say “It’s perfect”.

SKIN CARE LAYER (red layer) is a soft, stretchy, seamless, bacteriostatic layer next to your skin with the simple task of preventing any sort of chafing. It’s made to adapt to the shape of your body and the saddle without any folds of the fabric. It’s probably the softest thing to touch your private parts since you got out of diapers.

CUSHIONING LAYER puts just the right padding in the right places. Castelli invented Vario Thick, and now we take it to a new level with infinitely variable thickness. The edges of the pad are thin, gradually thickening to maximum thickness under the ischial bones where you sit. Perforated viscous comfort padding is added under the ischial bones and in perineum area for maximum padding in these highly sensitive areas.

“The new red pad is really good, and I used it without chamois cream! No problem, also in the hills…. Good job!” — Thor Hushovd

“Just wanted to give you some feedback about the shorts!!  For me they’re perfect!”
— Heinrich Haussler

“In 16 years as a pro, this is the best seat pad I have ever used.”
— Inigo Cuesta

“Don’t change anything. It’s perfect.”
— Andreas Klier,
when asked what we can do to improve the prototype Progetto X2 seat pad.

You’ll find the Progetto X2 seat pad in the new revolutionized one single piece fabric Body paint Bibshort. For more information: Click here >>