Dustin H.

I've used these shoes for about a month now. Man, I am in love. I have slightly wide feet at the toes, and a fairly high arch. These fit like a glove--and surprisingly I did not need the "high arch" custom insert (the medium does fine).

I've never had mountain biking shoes this light and stiff, and they are phenomenal for pedaling. The first week I had them I wore them for a 6 hour day and a 4 hour day back to back while on vacation in Pisgah. My feet stayed comfortable the whole day...except when hike-a-biking. That stiffness is no fun when you're pushing your bike up a steep, rocky, rooty trail. But I don't have to do that very often, and the comfort these provide for long periods of pedaling more than makes up for that.

One thing: the blue ones are BLUE. Like, bright metallic blue. I hadn't seen a pair in person before buying them, so they took me a bit by surprise. I think if I were going to do it again I might have gone for the black ones. But the GF says I need to step out of my comfort zone with my colors, so maybe this was good for me.

I see some of the reviews have negative comments about durability. Obviously I can't speak to that, other than to say I hope I don't encounter the same problems, because I love these shoes and hope they last.

I'll say it: I'm a mountain biker, and I'm a lycra guy. I used to be a baggy guy when I was younger, but I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't see any benefit to baggy shorts while riding a bike the way I ride one, and I see a whole lot of drawbacks. It doesn't help, in my opinion, that most mountain bike baggies look like leftover stock from a mid-90s Hot Topic.

So anyway, the point is I don't like baggies. But it does feel a bit odd if you go out on a group ride and then a beer with a bunch of guys wearing baggies, and you're wearing your XC race kit. So I thought these would be a good compromise, and that's exactly what they are, in ways both good and bad.

First of all, they really are nicely made. The construction and fit are good, they are just as tight when you pull them on as any Italian roadie bibs, and the pad is very nice. However, the overshorts are pretty slim-fitting, and aren't baggy at all when you're on the bike. They ride up just a touch--though not in an uncomfortable way--and end up sitting tight against your thighs. They're not restrictive in my experience, but they end up being snug. For me, this is a good thing. There's no droopy crotch to get caught on your seat or leg openings hanging down around your knees. But if you are actually looking for something that looks baggy while riding, this ain't it.

But they're also not just lycra bibs. That extra material is there, and it creates a constant swishing sound while pedaling. Like, every pedal stroke. After a little while you kinda stop noticing it, but it actually makes me wonder if it'll cause premature wear.

So, all of that said, I do like them and I'm glad I bought them (on sale). They do fulfill their purpose for me, and I tend to wear relatively slim-fitting shorts that hit me above the knee for casual wear, so I like the way these look when you get off the bike. I also like that they bring t-shirts into play as riding apparel, because sometimes it just feels good to wear a t-shirt.

So yeah, I do like these. But you have to know what you're getting when you buy them.

As a mountain biker, I'd generally be pretty hesitant to buy a skinsuit. Even wearing all lycra puts you in the minority on the local trails. But I needed something that was going to be comfortable for marathon racing and would hold spare bottles securely. I'd read a few reviews of the San Remo 3.2 that said it was good in both areas, so I gave it a shot since it was on sale and CC had an additional $50 off $250. Basically, in the end, the price of this thing ended up being the same as just a high-end pair of Castelli bibs with the Progetto X2 Air chamois OR a top-of-the-line Castelli jersey. So it was worth a try.

I've worn this thing once so far, for a 4-hour trainer session. Yes, I felt silly, but I wanted to see how the thing felt for several hours in the saddle. It's phenomenally comfortable--yes, basically like a second skin. But it's extremely light and not at all restrictive (provided you get the right size--more on that below). The leg and arm grippers are very secure without feeling grabby, and the chamois seems to live up to the hype. Also, the one-piece construction is more comfortable than having bib straps over your shoulders, in my opinion. And the pockets will hold a bottle firmly in place, should you need that. You can also fully unzip it for some ventilation without the whole thing getting too loose. Again, I was on the trainer. But I don't think this would billow in the breeze if unzipped out on the road.

Now, sizing. As usual with Castelli, most people will probably want to size up. My vital stats are above. I also have a 31" waist and 39" chest, and--while slight by most standards--have maybe a little more muscularity than your prototypical cyclist physique. So there's really no world in which I should wear a Large and look for it to be skin-tight. But that's the deal here. Unless you are VERY lean, you'll probably want to size up, too.

In the end, this is probably going to get worn more than I originally planned, just because it's so comfortable. A really great piece of kit that's a great deal if you score it at CC's sale price.

I use this for both road and mountain biking. I bought it because I wanted the absolute smallest seatpack I could find, and this seemed to be it. It's light, it hugs the rails of my saddle, and it doesn't interfere with pedaling. And it keeps several things out of my jersey pockets that I prefer not have to carry on my back.

For road biking, I can fit a small multi-tool, tube, small C02 inflator (Portland Shiny Object) w/ a cartridge, and my ID in the bag. For mountain biking, I sub in a slightly larger multi-tool and strap the tube to my frame (don't think you could get much else in there if you tried to fit a MTB tube in). I can also fit my phone in there if I want, but I have an older, smaller phone. Don't think you'd be able to get a smart phone in there. I could be wrong, but at best you'd be limiting what else you could fit in there if you did.

My only gripe is that I wish there were something that would act as a fail-safe against the velcro coming undone. To be fair, this hasn't been an issue yet after about 10 rides--it straps securely and hasn't moved on me so far. But if you're putting essentials and valuables in there you want to make sure you're not going to lose them. My solution to this has been to run a zip tie through the sewn loop in the strap and around my saddle rails. To this point that's felt like overkill because, as I said, the velcro seems to work fine. But it does provide peace of mind, and at some point it may become a more necessary step as the velcro starts to wear out.

Based on Gore's reputation and video for this product, I was pretty pumped when the UPS guy dropped it off. Sadly, within 15min the jacket was packed up for return.

The material is nice, and the fit (contrary to what one reviewer wrote) is true to size. Remember: this is a jacket for cycling, so it's going to be a close fit. Look at Gore's website for a product video if you want to see how this thing fits. They show a model wearing it, and give you his sizing info so you can gauge what you'd need.

The issue is simply this: the thing looked ridiculous on me. Because of the convertible nature of the jacket, with the sleeves zipped on the seams at the shoulders form rigid, sharp angles that make it look like you're wearing a lightly padded motorcycle jacket. Really bad stuff.

Definitely would not recommend this one.

The first couple of days I wore these gloves in ~40*F temps, I was very impressed. They're surprisingly warm without being at all bulky. You don't notice them or your hands, which is probably about the nicest thing I can say about a pair of gloves.

Then I wore them for an hour-long ride in 45*F rainy weather. We're not talking a downpour here--just a mixture of drizzle and light- to medium rain. And the gloves were soaked through, along with my hands. They seemed to hold out the moisture for a short time, and my hands still didn't really get cold. But they did get very, very wet. I get that these things aren't Gore-Tex, but that's ridiculous for a pair of gloves that claim to be waterproof.

If you want a nice, warm pair of cold-weather gloves, these are great. Unless it's cold and rainy. Then you may want to go in a different direction.