Castelli Sorpasso 2 Bib Tights

The Castelli Sorpasso bib tights are said to be one of the best pairs of bibs on the market, having won Cycling Weekly grouptests in the past. However, now that they’ve been updated to Castelli Sorpasso II bib tights do they still remain on the top step? Sadly, not quite. Castelli claims they are best suited to a temperature range of 0ºC to +15ºC but in practice I found that these winter tights were perfect between 2ºC to around 12ºC with regards to breathability and insulation. Below or above these parameters and you’ll start to feel the chill or overheat. Regarding fit, at 5ft9? and 70kgs, I found the Castelli Sorpasso II bib tights in a small to fit brilliantly well around the thighs, knees and lower legs with minimal to no bunching on the legs. In this regard, the tights really excel and the Italian brand achieves this great fit by dividing the tights up into panels using different materials. Around the thighs you get Thermoflex material for extra stretch, which makes for a very comfortable short whilst there’s Thermoflex Core2 material at the front and the knees for extra warmth making them fit more like bib shorts, which is good. However, the upper part of the bib tights have been a let down so far. The flat bib straps sit flush against the skin limiting irritation but with little stretch they do dig into the shoulders. The waist strap is also pretty uncomfortable and feels more reinforced than the previous version making it firstly unforgiving and secondly uncomfortable. The stretch would be welcome for comfort breaks too, as during nature stops they didn’t allow the front of the Castelli Sorpasso II bib tights to be pulled down as easily as other pairs. The ankle zips on the Castelli Sorpasso II bib tights give a good fit on the lower leg. The leg fit is controlled mostly by the zips at the end. Often they ended up digging into my ankle and over time become uncomfortable but if used over the sock this wasn’t a problem at all. Like previous versions of the Sorpasso tights the Progetto X2 air pad is used. It is well fitting, comfortable and remains in place all ride, a great pad. This means that within the Castelli Sorpasso II bib tights is without question one of the best chamois pads going and it is the same pad found in much of the Italian company’s Rosso Corsa line. Other members of the Cycling Weekly tech team really love the Progetto X2 pad too. Personally the previous version of the Sorpasso tights were a solid option and something I went to for most of my rides, however, the latest update has made me think that the options from Assos and some other rival brands might be the better option. It’s a shame that the bibs and waist band are restrictive, otherwise Castelli would be onto a major winner with these. Verdict The fit around the lower and upper legs, including the bum is spot on, although I found the bib straps to be a little restrictive and the waist band was very snug, to the point of being uncomfortable. Not a problem I've experienced on previous models or other rival brand's winter tights.