Creating clothing for athletes at the highest level of the sport is the most demanding proving ground for Castelli. The BodyPaint SpeedSuit has been going through a lot of new updates, especially in terms of the fit and new ’slippery’ aero fabrics. With the help from the pro’s, it has been possible to make the fastest SpeedSuit in the pro peloton even faster. Now, you can profit from the same aero advantage as team Garmin-Barracuda.

The 2011 BodyPaint SpeedSuit is available or can be ordered from any Castelli dealer in colors: Black and Red in sizes: Small to 3XL, click here >>  or through the Castelli Custom Division, ServizioCorse.com

By: Bernhard Plainer.
In 2009 Heinrich Haussler “lost” La Primavera only by a few inches on the finish line against sprint superstar Mark Cavendish, still a huge success for the new formed Cervélo TestTeam.

Right after that, Castelli began to think about providing the best possible kit for their team. An idea was born and the SanRemo project launched. Castelli already had the Aero Race Jersey and showed up with a few improvements during 2010.

To make a long story short:
At least since Johann Van Summeren’s heroic triumph at Paris-Roubaix 2011, the project became a success and numerous wins were added by now. With Castelli’s spring/summer 2012 collection, this master piece is no longer reserved to the pros and a regular version is available for the public.

I was lucky to test ride it during the last couple of weeks under various conditions. The suit comes in traditional Castelli colors black, white and red and is a collection of several Castelli top features.

At the first view, the SanRemo suit is just a skinsuit with a full-zip. Looking a bit more into detail, the suit offers a lot more. Right after a few pedal strokes, I was confined to the fit and comfort. A special construction allows to leave off bib straps which leads to a phenomenal free and relaxed fit. The whole suits make you feel riding in a second skin.

The shorts-part is a one piece construction and the lack of seams provides a perfect amount of comfort. Added dimples on the lower part of the shorts cause a smooth fit and optimized airflow – quite an important detail for any race kit.

The new leg grippers secure a perfect fit without irritating the skin because grip material is directly integrated into the grip band.

Castelli’s top of the range seat pad Progetto X2 Ait got a few improvements for 2012 and does a perfect job, no matter you ride for 1 or 6 hours. It’s also not too much padding when riding in the aero-position on your TT bike.

The upper body is the real secret of this suit. The mix of different fabrics is carefully considered. A plain fabric at the front and a breathable mesh fabric on the sleeves and back. In contrast to usual skinsuits, the Castelli SanRemo speedsuit has three standard sized back pockets. They are very elastic and provide enough storage space for the usual essentials like cellphone, rainjacket, food and so on.

The arm cuffs are outfitted with the same grip band as on the legs and contribute to a tight aero-fit. Pleated inserts at the armpits secure an aerodynamic stretchy fit and also help to regulate the body climate well.

The full zip is one of the main advantages of this race suit. It’s a fantastic feature when temperatures rise and/or while climbing. A clever construction doesn’t cause a sail effect while riding with the jersey fully unzipped – also a great plus during downhills on super hot days like last weekend.

The upper part of the suit fits a bit more casual compared to the Aero Race Jersey. It’s still a very anatomic fit, but a bit more relaxed. I suppose, it can be explained with the full-zip. Toilet breaks become an easy thing with the full zip and low cut at the front – also one of the big disadvantages of normal skinsuits.

VERDICT, Bernhard Plainer – twitter: @hobbybiker.
I fell in love with the SanRemo suit. It’s really hard to go back to a standard combo with jersey and bibshorts.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More information, go to product page >>

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Castelli Passion Day – Testing SanRemo SpeedSuit

Castelli’s race performance director Andrea Peron said, “more than one rider from other teams asked me for a Gabba. In 15 years as a pro I never saw something that all the riders wanted like this.”

Here is a look at some of the Portland area race teams in action and the custom kits that represent the work of Castelli’s Servizio Corse custom division.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Fedele is made from Castelli’s Thermoflex Lite fabric which is a brush-backed polyester. It’s a mid-weight fabric, not far off the kind of thickness that you sometimes find on long-sleeve winter jerseys. It’s in no way windproof – it’s not that dense – but it’s thick enough to provide considerably more insulation than a standard summer jersey.

Castelli designed the Fedele for use with their Feroce long-sleeve base layer that we reviewed last year, but there’s no reason why you can’t use it with a short sleeved/sleeveless base and arm warmers.

What’s the advantage to a combo like this over just wearing a long-sleeve jersey? Versatility. You get a decent amount of upper body warmth here while arm warmers or a stretchy base layer like the Feroce allow you to uncover your arms to cool down if the sun comes out.

In that way, wearing the Fedele is a little like wearing a thinner summer jersey with a gilet over the top. The advantage, though, is that the Fedele is super-stretchy so you get a close, comfy fit, and it’s very breathable.

The front zip is full-length option from YKK so you can easily let loads of air in if you start overheating. It locks in place, doesn’t creep open and comes with a large puller that you can’t miss even with gloved fingers. A broad, elasticated gripper around the back and silicone inside the hem stop the back from shimmying up as you ride.

As well as the usual three pockets in the lower back, there’s an extra zipped pocket back there for safely storing your keys, phone or whatever. As is often the case with very stretchy jerseys, the pockets can drift south if you carry tons in them, but you really do have to go a bit over the top for that to happen here; they’ll handle normal ride essentials – a pump, spare tube, multi-tool and waterproof – just fine.

Castelli give this jersey a temperature range of 14-22°C. I’d say both ends of the scale should be a little lower than that, and I’m someone who feels the cold (don’t get me started; I’m a martyr to it. I very rarely moan, though). I’d say I’ve been using the Fedele in temperatures of 11-19°C is or something like that. Those Italians don’t realise that 22°C is high summer over here.

If you think the white option is hopelessly optimistic for UK conditions, you’re probably right. The Fedele is available in black too.

Verdict

Super-comfy mid-weight jersey that provides a little more warmth than normal in spring/autumn conditions

The shorts on the Body Paint Bibshorts are formed from a single piece of seamless fabric for a naturally supportive fit. The short feels like it is hugging you perfectly in any position, thanks to this anatomic fit and the as well as a highly compressive fabric.

The main body of the shorts is cut from a single piece of Lycra.

This smooth fit, combined with the aero dimples employed in the material, make this is the most aerodynamic bib short on the market. We have engineered the dimples into the fabric to induce flow separation and reduce aerodynamic drag. Think of it as the clothing equivalent for the Zipp rim dimples.

Smooth fit combined with aero dimples.

Perhaps nothing in these bib shorts has benefited as much from our association with professional cycling teams as the Progetto X2 Air Seat Pad. The Cervélo TestTeam and Garmin-Barracuda teams spend three years testing this short; that’s a lot of saddle time to be thinking about how comfort could be improved.

The chamois is seamless where it counts.

The Progetto X2 Air seatpad 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 seatpad is one smooth perforated foam layer to help ventilate and keep the nether regions cooler by allowing air to flow directly onto the surface fabric. The multi-density cushion layer of the seatpad 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.

Perforated viscous comfort inserts have been added under the
highly sensitive ischial and perineal pressure areas.

The cushion layer 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, so you’ll be supremely protected whether you are out on a two-hour weekday ride or training over cobbles for Roubaix.

Bibs, a single strip of fabric that is very soft and stretchy.

The shoulder straps have a real ‘skinsuit’ feel. The bibs is made from the special Giro2 material, a single strip of fabric that is very soft and stretchy. We have eliminated the Lycra trim and seams that typically edges bib straps and more often than not cuts into your shoulders to cause discomfort.

The shoulder straps are satin-like in their feel.

The new mesh on the back will help keep your torso cool by allowing air to circulate. Likewise, the updated Giro3 integrated leg grippers have been intelligently fashioned so that the grip material has been knit directly into the short. The generous 5 cm wide band gently compresses to secure the leg hem in place. It also lies completely flat, keeping your leg as aero as if it were in a skin suit.

These nicely integrated leg grippers are impressive.

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Hushovd blaze to victory, Progetto X2 to cushion his bum

 Photos: Jered Gruber

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Castelli brand has introduced a series of firsts in cycling clothing: the first Lycra shorts used in racing and sold to the public, the first colored shorts, the first sublimation printed jerseys, the first synthetic winter clothing, the first use of windproof membranes, the first hydrophylic fabric treatments, the first anatomic seatpad, the lightest jersey ever produced, and the most aerodynamic jersey ever produced.

Today Maurizio Castelli’s vision is the driving force in the company: to create the most innovative clothing for the cyclist seeking maximum performance. Castelli, based in northeastern Italy, is sold in 39 countries throughout the world.

From left: Maurizio Castelli, Vavassori Enrico, Bonizzoni Onorino and Forti Giampiero
at the TTT at Motta Visconti (PV)

Stetina’s job wasn’t quite done following the Giro though – he headed over to Fonzaso to spend a couple days with Castelli – spending a full day of photoshootings on some of the mountain roads that he rode the past week Passo di Giau and Passo Fedaia.

The following week, Castelli meet up with the Women’s team of Garmin-Cervèlo on Passo di Mortitolo for a recon of the Giro Donne mountain stages.

Another domestic Garmin rider was presented at our third photoshooting. Christophe LeMével, living in the area of Lugano, with stage victories in the Giro and Tour du Haut Var. We rode the last 80km of the Giro di Lombardia with Christophe while shooting images and video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stylish and Innovative Castelli Spring / Summer 2012 Collection.

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Stunning wallpaper images from the S12 Photoshooting.

Photo: Jered Gruber and Ashley Norris

Castelli kicked off the Italian launch of its highly innovative 2012 products (Castelli Passion Day) with a brief tour of the company’s headquarters in Fonzaso, Italy, and an afternoon bike ride in the fastest bit of clothing for road racing, the SanRemo Speedsuit.

Castelli has made its name as a company devoted to innovation and a close relationship with professional athletes, so it was only natural that some legendary cyclists joined the Castelli ride:

Paolo Bettini, considered the best classics specialist of his generation, who also won gold medals at the Athens Olympics and the 2006 and 2007 World Road Race Championships; Fausto Bertoglio, who debuted in Castelli colors with Team Brooklyn in 1974 and whose career highlight was winning the 1975 Giro d’Italia; two-time Brazilian national champion Murilo Fischer (Garmin-Barracuda), who is based in the Treviso area and is a familiar face at the Castelli facility; and Castelli’s own racing performance director, Andrea Peron, whose international breakthrough came when he won Vuelta a Castilla y Leon in 1996 while riding for Motorola, and was dressed in Castelli clothing when riding for Team Once and CSC.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More than a hundred Italian bike-shop owners came to Castelli Passion Day to feel and experience the scorpion brand and learn how the combination of cutting-edge technology and old-world craftsmanship makes the company unique.

For more images from the Castelli Passion Day, visit the web-gallery, click here >>

Photo: pezcycling.com

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