Castelli - Emperor’s New Clothes?

crescent

Like many cyclists, I’ve always regarded Castelli as a premium brand. However, I have just returned a pair of Evo overshoes after the stitching failed on their first outing. It got me thinking that, despite my cycling clothing being well used, I have only had a few items that have failed to the point of being binned altogether. In my personal experience Castelli seem to be the one manufacturer who hasn’t faired as well with longevity. I’m prepared to write the overshoes off as an exceptional case, it was literally the first time they’d been worn, but I have also had a jersey, a gilet and gloves that have not really lasted as long as other similarly priced, or even cheaper, garments. I don’t own anything especially “high end” by Assos or Rapha but have a wide range of Endura, Sportful, DHB and Gore that is still going strong after several years of regular use. I also have other Italian brands such as Nalini and Moa that seem to be superior to Castelli yet Castelli seem to have the reputation as a bit of a benchmark. Anyone else find this or is it just me?
I know, it’s a cool story :roll:

cougie

I've had some crappy Castelli kit too. Shorts with the name across two panels misaligned.

I'm sure 99% of it must be good but it only takes one bad experience to put you off.

sungod

yeah, it may just be bad luck

fwiw my castelli stuff lasts years, jerseys/jackets/bibs, i tend to stick to the rossa corsa stuff as it fits me well

some of the older shoecovers were really flimsy, not good coupled with their typical undersizing, the diluvio c ones last very well, i stick with them

with the more 'complicated' items it's best to avoid the first generation, they tend to improve them over time

main complaint i have is their styling (on the rc jerseys) has really become boring, maybe worse since the sky tie-in

gary_sparrow

Not all Castelli is good unfortunately . Bought a set of
CASTELLI EVOLUZIONE 2 BIB SHORT when in America in May and after the second ride the leg grippers came away at the bottom of the shorts . Now I know this is their cheaper Lycra bibs but no excuse for that . I read a few reviews from customers on various sites and it wasn’t uncommon with them . Obviously a design fault or bad batch .
The shop I bought them off was high end and they certainly weren’t china knock offs but I’d have been better getting copy ones to be honest .

mamil314

I only ever valued Castelli autumn/winter gear like Espresso/ Alpha. Back when Gabba appeared it was amazeballs. That, and the Toe Thingy.

pamplemoose

I’ve got one of their jerseys which so far has been excellent, but have had 3 pairs of their gloves now where the stitching has failed after a few rides.

crescent

It’s the stitching that seems to be the weak link. Overshoes (one day) and gloves (about two weeks) - both ripped at the stitching; gilet (six months) - stitching ripped under the arm; jersey (six months but still in use) - stitching ripped on the rear pockets turning all three pockets into one big pocket. It’s a shame because it always feels and looks like really good stuff initially, just falls short in terms of its robustness.

craigus89

From my experience the cheaper Castelli stuff is a bit crap but the more expensive stuff is very good and lasts. I have quite a bit of their stuff and it tends to follow, for example:

I have a pair of the Aero Race Bibs or whatever they're called, RRP £140 but go them in the sale, had them two years with constant use and they look and feel as good as new apart from the logos on the legs cracking a bit.

I once ordered a jersey that was RRP £50 and it was terrrible, material was horrid, the zip basically didn't work and was all plastic, stitching already loose etc.

DeVlaeminck

I've been happy with the Castelli stuff I have, an aero jersey, some of their 3T shorts which have lasted very well and a couple of the basic Prologo jerseys which again have lasted well hence me buying the second.

londoncommuter

I find it really interesting that they're viewed as a premium brand but there's always 40% off everything. Maybe it's the Gabba that buys them so much credibility.

thistle_

My experience:
Overshoes only last 12 months whatever the brand - tried Endura MTB ones, BBB MTB ones and Shimano/Pro road ones, all get ratty and holey after a year. They get a trashing off me though so I'm happy with 12 months.
Endura - Previous club jerseys (circa 10 years ago) were OK for about 2 years before stitching started coming loose in isolated places. Recent stuff seems to last less than 12 months.
Northwave - I have 2 MTB ss jerseys, 10 years old, well used, absolutely fine, bit short at the back now but I think that's my waistline.
Aldi/Lidl/Mountain Warehouse - jerseys for commuting tend to last about 12 months before stitching starts coming undone. Usable for commuting for another 6 months beyond that. Padded shorts tend to last 2-3 years before the padding stitching comes undone and the foam disintegrates.
DHB bibs - Leg zips failed on one pair after about 5 years, crotch wore through after about 7. Knees had to be patched after a couple of crashes but that's not Wiggle's fault. Can't really complain, bought another pair.
Maddison - Have some of their own brand MTB shorts, still going good after 3 years although the hems on the legs keep rolling up.

My expectations are usually exceeded at this price point.

MiddleRinger

All my Castelli kit has performed exceptionally and seems (to me) high quality. Is there cheaper stuff that has a similar level of quality and technical fabric? Probably, but I like it so I stick with it.

At both ends of the weather spectrum, I really rate my Castelli winter bib tights and San Remo Speedsuit.

keef66

Only stuff I've had fail has been a pair of DHB roubaix bib tights where the ankle zips lasted only 2 winters, and some of their bibshorts which went a bit baggy over time. Actually quite a long time thinking about it, so I'll not hold that against them.

I have a couple of Castelli items which are still too new to comment on longevity, but they seem very well thought out, and performance and fit on the bike is superb so they will be getting a lot of wear. If they last then the expense will have been justified (snapped them up when on sale)

atomixers

Similar experiences to everyone else. Gloves and shoe covers appear to be a weak point in the range, whilst my pairs of (admittedly expensive) Rosso Corsa shorts and Gabba, Perfetto etc have been good for a few years. I do hand wash the expensive stuff though in order to spare it the rigours of the washing machine.

apreading

Its weird - Castelli stuff never used to have the deep discounts that it always seems to have these days. I guess a change of marketing strategy somewhere along the way.

What they have always had is poor quality control though. If you notice all the problems people seem to have are found very quickly. I went through 3 pairs of shorts all sent back when I stated with Castelli years ago, because of leg gripper sewn on upside down, misaligned, stitching coming apart etc. I always check very carefully before using any of it now.

If you get a well made item, it seems to last forever except for the vinyl logos that crack and peel all the time.

They just seem to do some shoddy stitching and dont check stuff before it goes out.

gingerflash1975

My experience is different.
I have loads of Castelli gear. the only thing i don't buy of their is shorts - they're just too long for me.
Jerseys, jackets, overshoes, gloves...
Great design and all of mine has lasted very well, usually until the fabric itself wears through. Never had an issue with stitching.
I do agree that their jersey designs are a little boring though. Summer short sleeved jerseys i tend to buy other brands, just for that reason.

mr_mojo

I’ve never had had any Castelli but I’ve bought quite a bit of Q36.5 over the past 18 months and some of that is not great. It’s normally accessories like gloves and overshoes that I have problems with but shorts and tights have been great.

StillGoing

I have a pair of Rosso Corsa bib shorts that are about 4 years old and other than the logos on the butt, they're still in great condition including the seat pad. My Gabba 2 and Castelli gloves are all fine.

blablablacksheep

philthy3 wrote:

I have a pair of Rosso Corsa bib shorts that are about 4 years old and other than the logos on the butt, they're still in great condition including the seat pad. My Gabba 2 and Castelli gloves are all fine.

Pretty much the same as yourself, I have a pair of aero shorts with the" prologo pad" and they been excellent, lasting around the 4 year mark, yes stitching going on pad and they faded, but they been abused tons and perfect training shorts now.

Gabba also done very well, although I agree with the overshoes comments, they been utter crap tbh with tears and rips within 3-4 months depending on use.

cougie

Mr_Mojo wrote:

I’ve never had had any Castelli but I’ve bought quite a bit of Q36.5 over the past 18 months and some of that is not great. It’s normally accessories like gloves and overshoes that I have problems with but shorts and tights have been great.

Blimey and we thought rapha was expensive. Never heard of them before.

kajjal

I buy Castelli bib shorts and bib tights when it drops to less than half price and have had no problems.