Roadie's Ramblings

2010 Castelli Body Paint Bib Shorts

I’d say I’ve worn the Castelli Body Paint Bib Shorts between 8 and 10 times. My first thoughts were, “Man, these are lightweight” and “Man, I’m showing a lot of thigh.” That said, I am 6’2″ and have an inseam that would put giraffes to shame. As I got used to the feeling of wearing the lightest bib shorts on the market, and it did take time to get used to, I noticed how much I wasn’t moving around in the saddle.  Comfortable chamois; check.  And a quick side note about the lightweight fabric: The first time I wore these I had a serious moment of panic as I walked outside with my bike. I thought that I forgot to put on my shorts; completely naked. As my heart rate spiked, I was quick to look down and see that I was indeed wearing shorts — sigh of relief. Jokes aside, the next time I wore the Body Paints I did the exact same thing.

The lightweight characteristics of the bibs are basically two-fold: 1)Giro++ material is made of a single fiber, not multiple blended fibers 2)one single panel makes up the shorts. The Giro++ is technically

advanced, period, that’s why it’s lightweight. The single panel makeup of the shorts is something that’s never been done before. In a world of, “the more panels the better,” the Body Paint Bib Shorts questioned the validity of this and made a pattern that allowed Castelli to use a single piece of fabric and stitch it together with one seam. I know, it’s hard to believe that a single piece of fabric with one seam makes up the bib shorts. Believe me, they fit like a glove. They’re not tight in some places and loose in others like you might think; they fit better than an 12-panel pair of shorts.

Progetto X2 Chamois

The chamois in the Body Paints is a brand new pad that Castelli just released this year; Progetto X2. According to Castelli the chamois fabric that hits your skin is, “a soft, stretchy, seamless, bacteriostatic layer next to your skin with the simple task of preventing any sort of chafing.” And the ever-crucial padding is described as, “edges of the pad are thin, gradually thickening to maximum thickness under the ischial bones where you sit. Perforated viscous (gel) comfort padding is added under the ischial bones and in perineum area for maximum padding in these highly sensitive areas.” With all that technical jargon aside, it’s a comfortable pad that I didn’t expect to see coming from Castelli after getting used to the dense, thin AC37 chamois found in the Castelli Free Bib Shorts. They went from a highly-technical dense pad to a highly-technical cushy pad; a move in the right direction in my opinion.

Body Paint Bib Strap Design

So the construction of the shorts and the chamois is brand new — turns out Castelli didn’t leave any stone unturned; the bib straps are made using a brand new design as well. I’ve heard it referred to as a “backpack” bib strap design. The straps hit your chest outside of the “normal” area you’re used to having bib straps sit, and you’ll notice how the entire bib strap section actually has its own structure. You can see it if you look closely — the bibs aren’t an extension of the shorts, they’re a completely different design made to fit your upper body, first and foremost, and then they’re connected to shorts to hold them in place.  Brilliant, Castelli!

Bottom line: The Caselli Body Paint Bib Shorts are revolutionary; no doubt about it. I think we’ll see a lot of features and characteristics debuted with the Body Paints used on other Castelli Bib Shorts as well as bib shorts made by rival manufacturers. If you’re looking for the next big thing in cycling apparel, look no further.

If you’re interested in getting a  pair of the Body Paints for yourself, you can find them on our site along with Spring 2010 Castelli products : Castelli Body Paint Bib Short