The new Castelli Espresso W DT Bibshorts represent a brilliant development of the brand's women's bib offerings, made with luxuriously soft yet compressive fabric.
The bib shorts come in a number of different colourways, from classic choices to bolder options, all complete with the brand’s cross-strap, easy-pee design.
They’ll make a dependable everyday staple of many riders' kit drawers.
Castelli Espresso W DT Bibshorts specifications and details
The main body of the Espresso bibs uses a polyamide/elastane material in contoured panels around the legs and waist, finished with a raw leg hem backed with strips of silicone gripper.
Up top, wide microfibre bib straps cross over at the back, making the bibs easy to pull down for pee stops without removing the upper layers.
The Castelli Progetto X2 Air Donna women’s-specific chamois is used, with a soft upper and variable-density design.
A single mesh-lined pocket is built into the shorts at the centre of the lower back.
There are also a few reflective tabs on the back of the leg panels and Castelli’s signature scorpion logo, in addition to more subtle word-logo branding.
Price-wise, the Espresso bibs are at the upper end of the mid-budget bracket, priced the same as Endura’s premium Pro SL Bibshorts and £20 more than Gore’s Spinshift bibs.
Castelli Espresso W DT Bibshorts performance
True to size, the medium offering suited my UK 12 dress-size frame.
The Espresso bibs are easy to wear and comfortable across the upper body, waist and legs, thanks to the soft, stretchy material, flat-locked seams and raw leg hems.
While the mid-thickness chamois proved comfortable during short and medium-length rides, it gave me a little discomfort on rides longer than four hours.
Chamois comfort is very subjective, of course, and I typically opt for a slightly thicker pad for all-day rides (such as the Velocio Luxe). However, for all other purposes, the Progetto X2 Air Donna chamois worked well.
The Castelli Espresso bibs got a thorough sweat assessment during a gym FTP test with no fans, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the sweat patches were minimal and not easily noticeable.
That’s certainly not what I’ve experienced with some other bib shorts while branching out into alternative colourways.
The easy-pee function is easy to use, because you can simply pull down at the back and you don’t have to worry about reattaching any magnetic clasps.
I really like how subtle the branding is, with the Castelli logo in dark grey reflective print on the black fabric – though, of course, there’s still the iconic scorpion logo on the back of the thigh.
One feature I only noticed after riding was the single pocket in the lower back. I struggled to think when I might use it, apart from if I was riding off-road in a T-shirt style jersey and wanted to stash some snacks there.
On reflection, £160 seems to be in the upper-mid-range for bib shorts, but I think it accurately reflects the quality of design put into these bibs.
Castelli Espresso W DT Bibshorts bottom line
Comfortable, easy to wear and stylish in a wide range of colours, the Castelli Espresso bibs are set to become a staple of my summer cycling wardrobe for all but the longest rides.
These are among the best women's bib shorts you can buy. With improved chamois comfort, they could well be a five-star option.
Product
| Brand | castelli |
| Price | 250.00 AUD,150.00 EUR,160.00 GBP,170.00 USD |
Features
| br_gender | womens |
| Features | Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL Material(s): Polyamide/elastane Colours: Black, dark blue, grey, khaki, mocha, bright red Gender: Women’s (men’s fit also available) |
