The Thermosuit Experiment is over

Although it is still freezing I’ve just sold my Castelli Thermosuit 2.0 one piece. When they first came out and others started to copy them they seemed like a great idea to me, flexible, warm. I’ve had Castelli’s San Remo suits since they started, I like the aero feel around the waist , but the option to pee, which is difficult in a skinsuit with zip placement. The winter version seemed like a natural evolution. At first I was really happy with the flexiblilty of the suit but a few of the drawbacks became apparent immediately. The top was not a full winter jacket and only warm enough in 7/8 degrees, just below shorts weather. Anything cooler need a light jacket anyway and anything below 4C just turned it into a tights with a thermal jersey attached. Some people complained it was a risk to have so much value in one garment that you might damage. Though I never crashed in the suit the padding did start to wear out from over use; and a wet arse is wet, regardless.

As such though these suits are brilliantly designed and made, I have reverted back to my old winter jackets, tights (unpadded) and normal bibshorts underneath. I can rotate my bibs [have lots to spread wear and always have clean ones,] and carry spare ones to work if it is raining badly. Components are just so much more flexible and cleanable. It is a shame really if money was no object, but it is, and I have other things to buy so the Thermosuit had to go.*

Has anyone else ridden in one and could extol the virtues of later suits or other makes? I’ve got sellers remorse.

*maybe I should have unstitched the padding on day one and gone with the warmer bibs-under combination from the start. Oh well, maybe I will feel richer next year.