Updated: Castelli Sorpasso Bibtights

We first tested these tights a year ago - in November 2010 - so we thought we'd update our review to cover how we've got on with using them since then. Well I say "we", what I mean is "I"… you can take team bonding too far y'know. The price for this winter, 2011-12, remains the same at £160.

These bib tights are from Castelli’s Rosso Corsa line, which means that they’re a top-of-the-range option from the Italian clothing specialists.

What makes them so special? For a start, the seatpad is excellent. Castelli’s Progetto X2 design comes in two separate parts. There’s a soft and stretchy single-thickness layer next to your skin that wicks sweat away and dries out really fast. Then, underneath that, there’s the meat of the padding. Different areas are different depths up to a combined maximum of 12mm beneath your perineum and sit bones.

The two layers can move independently – they’re not stitched together, a bit like you find in double-layered running socks – so the fabric next to your skin doesn’t rub as you move about, but stays put. The bottom line (ahem!) is that we stayed really comfortable even on rides of 100 miles and more. We like the design a lot.

The tights themselves are made from two different types of fabric: Thermoflex, which is essentially a soft and fleecy roubaix fabric, and Thermoflex Core Due, which has a red underside that shows through slightly when it’s stretched. This is used for various panels including the seating area and the knees, and Castelli reckon it provides more insulation and wicking than traditional fabrics thanks to a hollow core polyester inner layer that traps warm air and shifts moisture. It’s also supposed to feel dry when wet and be much lighter than normal too.

Interesting claims – and ones that made us skeptical, to say the least. Come on, the road.cc microscope isn’t powerful enough to see whether fabric fibres are hollow like macaroni – Castelli could tell us anything. So we did our own not-very-scientific testing involving a five-mile loop, a watering can, and a couple of unsuspecting volunteers… Actually Castelli aren't the only manufacturer to use hollow fibre polyester - Craft use something similar for their cold-weather base layers. Oh, and polar bear fur is hollow too to do just the same job (oh yes, we're full of irrelevant interesting information today).

Anyway back to our test, there's not a vast difference between the two fabrics when they're dry, although the Thermoflex Core Due does feel a touch warmer. Once we’d made them damp, though, the Thermoflex Core Due was much better, feeling significantly warmer than the other sections and drying faster. The tights as a whole offer a good level of insulation. You might want windproofing when the temperature gets really cold, but these will see you well into single figures centigrade. 

Plus, these are the lightest brush-backed bib tights I have. It's not that I'm bothered either way about a little bit of weight, it's the fact that these are so easy to move in for the level of warmth they offer that makes the difference.

The seams in the lowers aren’t flat-stitched but the panels are arranged so that there’s no rubbing around the knees where any awkward ridges can be a pain – a single, unobtrusive seam runs along the side and it's no trouble at all. Rattle-free ankle zippers make it easy to get them on and off while reflective piping down there gives you extra visibility where it’s most noticeable (unless it's covered up by your overshoes).

Speaking of overshoes, the silicone rubber on the outside of the ankle cuff is an interesting feature too. Most manufacturers put it on the inside but positioned externally it can grab hold of the overshoes that you’ll probably be wearing and stop the legs riding up. It works well.

The uppers are unusual in that the straps are made from a stretchy single-layer band. Castelli call it their Giro++ fabric and, along with a mesh back panel, it holds them in place comfortably. In fact, these are really comfortable tights all round. They feel great in use – no worries at all on that score.

Last year I wondered whether the logos on the legs would soon start to crack and look tired. Much use later, they're still looking good; not absolutely brand new but they're not peeling at the corners or anything like that.

In fact, the tights as a whole are lasting well. There's the tiniest amount of wear on one side of the seat and there's an equally small area of wear at the front where it looks like a zip or some Velcro has caught a couple of threads. That's pretty normal stuff and you have to look really close to spot either. Everything else is perfect: the stitching, the seat pad, the zips and so on.

Are these worth £160, though? You could get three pairs of budget padded tights for this kind of money, so if you’re after a bargain you’re going to want to look elsewhere. That said, if these continue to last as well as they have so far, they're not going to need replacing for ages, so you'll soon start to recoup some of the initial outlay. The main reason you’d buy these is because they’re premium quality with some excellent design features. They’ve become my bib tights of choice for days when I don’t need windproofing.

Verdict

Top-quality bib tights with tons of comfort. Pricey, but the seat pad is a bit special