Castelli Free Aero RC Bib Shorts

£175.00

Castelli has simplified its Free Aero shorts in some ways, halving the number of panels used in the lowers from 10 to five – and so reducing the number of seams.

The danger with doing that is that you don't get such an anatomic fit, but these are superbly comfortable throughout. The lowers feel supportive without being restrictive and they're a good summer weight.

Castelli uses no gripper, silicone, or elastic to keep the ends of the raw-cut legs in place, the idea being to prevent any discomfort from elastic or silicone. Reviewer Mat Brett found that they didn’t ride up during testing.

The straps are super-light, highly breathable, and they’re very stretchy so they'll work for a range of different torso lengths.

Castelli's Progetto X Air seamless seat pad is up there with the very best in the business. You get 3mm-thick viscous (gel-like) padding in the perineal and ischial areas and two different densities of foam.

The soft and seamless top layer sits independent of the rest of the seat pad and it's stretchy enough to move with you as you pedal. Overall, it’s extremely comfortable and highly breathable.

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Overall, the Free Aero RC bib shorts put in an excellent performance. The pad is exceptionally good, the comfort elsewhere is similarly impressive, and the price... well, it reflects the high quality.