Castelli

I bought 3 colors of the Espresso jersey when it first came out, and they quickly became my go to jerseys for riding in the Houston heat and humidity. The Espresso 2 fits a little tighter and just a bit shorter, but for me those are good things. I would say the biggest improvement is the pockets. The pockets on the Espresso 2 don't sag and the small zipper on the 4th pocket may seem a bit fragile, but the action is much smoother. In my opinion Castelli has knocked it out of the park with this jersey. The fit is snug but not racing tight, and the fabric is the most comfortable I've worn in my 20 years of cycling. Yes, the price is a bit high, but with care you'll have it for years.

Great big shorts, love Castelli products overall. But I forgot that Castelli are sized for elite racers and will run small for an American cycling enthusiast. I purchased a medium, which i normally do for bib shorts of other brands, for ex Gore or Pearl Izumi. A large size would not be as tight with the bib straps and more room. Otherwise, these shorts have a fantastic pad and a solid fit on the legs.

When I bought these on sale, I was a bit skeptical about how this much performance could be packed into this short. The fit, feel, finish is superb. The gripper legs are perfect for no slippage, and the chamois is top notch. They look great too, and compare to other Castelli bibs like the free aero quite well. They don't breathe as well as the aero, but for cooler weather, that is no problem. I am normally a M/L size but in Castelli, I wear the XL at 5'11', 172 pounds.

This is my 3rd Castelli bibshort in roughly 8 years, I still have the first one, still usable if a bit rough around the edges & not sufficiently padded & fitting for a day-long ride. But still excellent, and holding together. I always want 2 good ones in the drawer of bike clothes for my day-long rides, now I have 2. Very pleased with this latest. Form-fitting, comfortable, excellent for long rides in hot, temperate & even cold weather (this last essentially as "underclothes").