Light, cool and straight out of the future
Castelli has been pushing the envelope on lightweight shorts since 2011, but has butted up against the limits of compromising durability for ever lighter weight.
The company needed to step back and find a better way, so it examined what the shorts really need to do: They need to hold the seat pad securely in place while adding as little weight or fabric as necessary (without being transparent, obviously), and to last a season of hard use.
So Cstelli engineered a new fabric using a woven rather than a knit, shaving 30% in weight for the same level of support and non-transparency. Then it worked with the world's leading mill to construct a gradient fabric that becomes increasingly lighter the further down the leg it extends, with the last part weighing a mere 90 g/m2 compared to normal shorta fabric, which weighs around 220 g/m2.
This fabric, while being insanely light, maintains a decent durability along with excellent abrasion resistance, at least against the saddle. Castelli doesn't guarantee it against unplanned slides across the asphalt, so please keep the rubber side down!
Note that while the shorts save a mere 48 grams while dry, they also absorb around 30% less moisture when you're sweating. So when you're sweating your way up the Alpe d'Huez, you're actually saving closer to 150 grams.
These shorts don't compromise on comfort. Castelli has used its top Progetto X2 Air Seamless seat pad, the spectacular striped mesh bibs from the Free Aero Race 4 Bibshort and a flat stretch woven leg gripper to keep everything in place.
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Clothing Season | All Year |