I have some Castelli; pieces made in Italy, Morocco, El Salvador. Good stuff; fits me very well. No complaints.

I agree on the durability issue. In my experience (and I have fairly extensive experience), Castelli stuff is very fragile. I've had problems with cheap-o zippers, excessive pilling on fabrics, rips etc. This despite the fact that I wash my cycling stuff in mesh bags and haven't had issues with other brands.

However, I don't agree that Castelli's sizing is "ridiculous". It's a matter of personal preference. Castelli sells true race fit stuff. In my experience, the vast majority of cyclists in the US prefer to wear cycling stuff that's far from race fit. Some people like me prefer a true race fit, to me Castelli's sizing is just right. Most US brands bunch/flap/droop/chafe on me. Note that I'm not particularly skinny (5'10", 160), I just like cycling stuff that fits tightly.

Same for me. But I usually wear PI bibs, I just can't seem to get it right with Castelli bibs.

Yeah, I am done with Castelli bibs. I have a new pair of their bib shorts and maybe they are made for a seriously aero position...not sure. A pair of their winter big knickers are too tight in Large. I returned some jerseys too. I was good in other Castelli larges but the new one was too tight. I have to pay more but Rapha and Assos are it, and consistent. I do have a Giordana winter bib tight I use and I like it so may try more.

Same here. 5'8" (173cm) 160 pounds (72.6Kg) I wear a size Medium in my Moroccan made Castelli bib shorts and a Large in my Chinese made jersey and also a Large in my El Salvador jersey.

Then my winter jersey from Macau is a size XL.



News Flash! Italian cycling clothes follow their own sizing rules.

Has been like that since forever.

In other news, man bites dog.

Well, what can I say? Their stuff fits me as if it were custom made. I'm a medium; and I like that their stuff tends towards the snugger side of medium. Works for me.

If I do have one gripe, though, it is that I wish the Italians would use better zippers!

I have quite a number of Castellis, from jersey to bibs and jackets.

I'd sizing for the bibs are quite consistent across their range. I own Volo, Free Aero Race and Premio bibs. All fits the same, except the Premio is slightly longer in the hips.

Jersey wise, don't be deceived by the Castelli sizing chart. The fit depends on the type of jersey- whether its regular or aero/climber/gabba/Perfetto range.

For regular jerseys, I'm on S which is spot-on with the sizing chart.

For aero/climber/gabba/Perfetto, I'm on M. Even on M, I do feel a little more snug compared to when I'm on S for regular jerseys. So definitely size up if you're buying any jerseys from these range.

Btw, I'm 170cm, 67kg.

Well, I learned a lot from this thread. I got a Castelli jacket last year, and I thought it was crazy expensive, even on sale, and now I see that some of these companies are on the cutting edge. It pays to be knowledgeable in this stuff.

Are there Castelli bib tights I should consider? I got a pair of Nashbar bib tights, which I think I like, after a few days.

I have to say their jersey sizing is funky but the quality has been good. I only buy their jerseys in a store as a result. I purchased a Gore jersey a few months ago and that will be my go to jersey brand from now on. Their Xenon line is the best jersey I have owned.

I have had 2 pairs of Castelli shorts, both XL (One Endurance V2 bib, not sure of the other model but a bit cheaper). For the endurance v2 they were always a bit too tight around my junk and after about 9 months a seam let go on the chamois edge and another was fraying where the bib strap attached so they got pitched. On the Second pair, the lycra lost its rebound and now I will probably toss them before I have a wardrobe malfunction since they feel so loose.

TL;DR; Poor quality, inconsistent sizing, won't buy again

I currently have 3 active pairs of Castelli bibs.

1) Volo (mid range) - I use this for everyday rides.

2) Free Aero (top range) - For long rides (>80 miles). The difference between this and Volo is the cloth material around your hips, the back part of the straps (which is made of more stretchy materials) and it uses the Progetto X2 chamois which Castelli claims to offer more comfort. Same materials for the leg grippers.

3) Premio (premium range) - I use this for hard or long rides. I felt like I'm wearing a compression pants with this bib. Yes it's slightly tighter and I find the bib is about 1cm longer for me compared to 1) and 2). It uses the Progetto X2 chamois and very stretchy and more premium feel straps.

Having used both chamois extensively, I personally don't feel any significant difference between them. The straps however, makes quite a difference. They felt more snug around my shoulders.

If I'm in the market for another pair of bib shorts, Free Aero would be my pick. Last I remember, Wiggle was selling it for around $90+ but it has since been sold out.

This is what doesnt make sense at all. The base fit should be dictated by labeled size. The specific fit dictated by range.

A "small" person should wear a small aero jersey and small regular jersey. With the aero fitting skin-tight and regular fitting moderately-tight.

Agreed. Unless they have a separate size chart for the specific line, the measurements listed on the chart should be accurate. It baffles me how some clothing companies do not get this right. It defeats the whole purpose of size chart.

FWIW, I never had a problem with Castelli. I don't have their aero specific gear unless you count Rosso Corsa, but I never found the sizing inconsistent. Fits tighter than other brands yes, but I still wear the same size for all brands.

I am the OP and I stick by my original premise.

3XL for a 5'8" 190 lb guy is an absurdity.

Nanoflex bib knickers don't come any larger than 3XL so bigger guys have to shop elsewhere. Maybe Castelli doesn't care to sell to larger guys but it seems like they are shooting themselves in the foot.

None of that matters as much to me as the difference in quality as shown in the photos in the first post. The change in materials and quality really sticks in my craw. Caveat emptor.


-Tim-

I agree. That apparent difference in quality of two similarly branded items is really annoying. I don't worry too much about sizing but there may be something to the rumor that some brands don't want fat folks as customers. On the other hand, it's easy to forget how pudgy we Americans are compared to the rest of the world.

I have a pair of Castelli tights, size large.

They fit so tight in the thighs that marks from the seams show for an hour after taking them off.

6', 162 lbs, & my guads are decidedly un-massive. The average euro roadie should easily have thighs bigger than mine...

Maybe it's not too hard to understand Castelli sizing really. Take their bibs for example. They have 6 sizes. S, M, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL.

Translate by finding nearest neighbor to another brand on a proportionate scale... though please don't quote me Aerotech which goes from XS to 6XL :-)

Here's Assos sizing, how does Castelli compare for their 6 sizes matched up if you put them side by side? FYI, Assos only uses height, since it's assumed waist sizes are directly calculable from height and would be unnecessary data.
XS 150-159 cm
S 159-169 cm
M 169-179 cm
L 179-185 cm
XL 185-190 cm
XLG 190-195 cm

Castelli seems to be slightly more snug than Assos so probably a size up.

So by size up, do you mean relatively or nominally? Ie. the 4th from smallest size in Castelli is an XL. The 4th from smallest in Assos is a L. Is an Assos L the same as Castelli XL, or are you saying 2XL ?

In my experience, the large Assos jerseys feel more like the XL Castellis. So I would just go up to the next size in Castelli. However, I have tried on a Castelli jersey that was fine in large (hence my comment on inconsistency). Also, large Assos bib shorts and tights are close to the XL Castellis.

A little off topic from Castelli. But here's my experience on Rapha.

I'm a S for their regular jerseys, but when it comes to Pro Team range (which is more snug), I'm a M. Having said that, the M on Pro Team feels even more snug than S on regular jerseys.

170cm, 67kg.

Castelli is not "slightly more snug" but absurdly tight.

I own Assos, 7Mesh, Rapha and Castelli bibs and take an XL in all but the Castelli.

Castelli requires 3XL and is still tighter than all the rest.


-Tim-

Italian culture is ruled by the concept of La Bella Figura; and this can lead to an uncompromising attitude to many things, such as the way that clothes should fit. I suppose Italians figure that if you are buying cycling clothes, you should bloody well look like a cyclist--or, at least, an idealized representation thereof. I don't think there is much room in Italy for an appreciation of such things as American Cut in their aesthetic.

Live up to the ideal.

Mario Cipollini could not fit in Castelli Nanoflex bib knickers.

?

Why do you say that? Mario Cipollini is 6'2" tall and when he raced his weight was listed between 168-174 pounds--not a porker by any means. He is retired now, of course, so who knows.