Castelli’s Body Paints debuted in the peloton last year, having been in development for several years with input from Cervelo team riders, and they really do represent a radical design departure.
Whereas in the past better fit was achieved using more panels, Castelli have taken a completely different route – making the lower parts of the shorts from a single piece of material with just one seam on the rear of each leg and one running up the rear.
Even the 2in-wide gripper is seamless, and virtually invisible – you can’t see it unless you’re looking for it. But like the rest of the technology on show here it works beautifully.
The new Progetto X2 seat pad has a seamless anti-bacterial layer next to your skin over a multi-layered cushioning layer (developed after 500,000km of testing, say Castelli). It’s extremely comfortable without being overpadded.
Other innovations include a front that is lower cut than usual, with Castelli arguing that you don’t actually need material there – and you certainly don’t miss it when riding.