Product Review - Castelli Free and Velocissimo Shorts

I'm going to say right off the bat that I'm a big Castelli fan. I own several Castelli bits and although everything they make isn't perfect, when Castelli gets something right they get it right. Castelli has fostered several innovations in bicycle clothing and has sponsored ProTour teams longer than I've been alive, so it's safe to say they know a thing or two about making bike shorts. The question I've set out to answer here is should you pay top-dollar for their most high-tech offerings or will the mid-range stuff do just fine? Read on to find out.

The Castelli Free short has been their tip-top of the line (until the introduction of the "Body Paint" short at Interbike this year) and is priced as such at $199.99 retail. The Free features their AC seatpad and a total of three different strategically placed fabrics. Castelli uses their more durable "Action Micro" fabric at the saddle contact point and the light "Energia Micro" and "Breathe Micro" everywhere else in order to maximize cooling. All fabrics on the Free have been treated with Castelli's Prosecco treatment which helps prevent the fabric from absorbing water, thus speeding evaporation. The multi-density AC seatpad supposedly uses a NASA developed material that is not only more comfortable than other chamois fabrics but also helps regulate body temperature (which is especially important in the crotchal region).

The Free short is without a doubt the most comfortable I have ever worn. The seatpad is just large enough to provide comfort and small enough that it never gets in the way. I've worn the Free in duathlons and had none of the "diaper" sensation that you often do when running in other bike shorts. The Free is also one of the best shorts in hot weather thanks to the minimalist fabrics on the outside of the thigh and the well-ventilated chamois. These became my go to shorts for 3 hour rides in sweltering summer heat. The seamless leg grippers proved much more comfortable than traditional silicone grips, however their two layers began to separate after several months of use. Although this was annoying in a $200 short it in no way affected their function. Durability seems to be the main concern with the Free due to their thin, super-flyweight construction, and I'm actually surprised that mine have held up to over a year's worth of wearing and washing.

At $109.99 retail the Velocissimo short is priced right in line with most manufacturer's middle to high-end shorts. Castelli uses their Affinity Lycra and Breathe Micro fabric with Prosecco treatment and thei Kiss+ seatpad, a thicker version of the award-winning Kiss chamois. The leg grippers on the Velocissimo are similar to those on the Free, however they inexplicably sport silicone grips on the outside as well as on the inside of the leg openings (silicone which, by the way, began to peel off after a few months of use). The Velocissimo also drops the flat-lock stitching of the Free.

At $90 less than the Free the Velocissimo offers the same fit and about 9/10ths of the functionality. While not as airy as the Free the Velocissimo is certainly comfortable and if anything will probably prove more durable thanks to the use of heavier-duty fabrics. The Kiss+ seatpad is almost as comfortable as the AC but its added bulk does sometimes feel a bit, well, bulky in comparison. In my opinion Castelli should have spec'd the Kiss+ on the $90 Dome Due short and the regular Kiss seatpad (which has slightly less padding) on the Velocissimo. Thanks to its slightly thicker and less breathable fabrics the Velocissimo is great in any weather and can be worn more comfortably in the Spring and Fall when ride temperatures begin to fluctuate.

Both of these are great shorts and both are, I believe, good buys. I've always encouraged people to splurge on shorts for two reasons: one, your butt is the main point of contact with the bike and you want it to be as comfortable as possible and two, bike shorts, when properly cared for, will last a long time. That $100 or $200 pair of shorts doesn't seem so expensive when you realize you'll be wearing them 2-3 hours a day for a couple of years. For those with the cash who put in a lot of miles in hot climates the Free is hard to beat, and the Velocissimo offers most of the comfort as well as all-season versatility at almost half the price. Word to the wise - unless you have a exhibitionist streak, never buy Castelli shorts in white. Trust me.

Product Review - Yankz! Sure Lace System

One of the things that has always fascinated me about the multisport community is the sheer amount of ridiculous crap that gets peddled to triathletes. From ridiculous hydration systems (yes, that's $110 for what amounts to a water bottle and a few feet of tubing) to Bento Boxes to compression socks to slightly less ridiculous (but still dorky) hydration systems there seems to be no end to the amount of crap that companies are trying to put on triathlete's bikes or bodies.

Which is probably the reason that I never even gave a thought to Yankz! laces. They look like something you would have used in third grade and seemed to be yet another solution to yet another problem that didn't exist. In fact, I worked in a shop that stocked and (about once a year) sold Yankz! yet I never even took a pair out of the package to see how they worked. However, after checking out my dismal transition times in my first duathlon I figured maybe there was some benefit to Yankz! so on a recent trip to God's Country I dropped $8 on a pair at my local running store of choice.

Let me first say that figuring Yankz! out was a little confusing at first. I was under the impression that the laces were left loose and that you somehow "yanked" the long center loop to tighten them, then hooked in on the little black retaining clip down by the toe box. After carefully reading the instructions two or three times, however, I realized that no actual yanking is involved. Instead, you lace up your Yankz! (a process that took about 5 minutes per shoe), adjust them to desired tightness, and leave them be. The laces themselves are elastic, and that stretchyness allows you enough give to slide the shoes on and off without unlocking the system.

I was skeptical if Yankz! would work for me as I like my shoes to be very tight (probably a little too tight) due to my narrow feet. I figured the give in the laces would translate into a floppy or insecure fit. One quick run, however, revealed that if anything the Yankz! provided just as secure a fit without the flopping and inconvenience of traditional laces. If anything the Yankz! system proved more comfortable since the elasticity of the lacing allowed tension to be spread more equally over the top of my foot than did traditional, non-elastic laces.

Will the Yankz! speed up my transition times? That remains to be seen. The level of "snugness" I prefer means it still takes a little finageling to slide my shoe on and orient everything the right way, which is a little more complicated than just yanking laces and tying them up. I have talked to several multisporters who have said that they wouldn't want to race without Yankz! and even if the time to put my shoes on hasn't diminished with them I'll still use them for the increased comfort they offer. Since they retail for less than $10 a pair and can presumably be reused as long as they're not cut too short for your next pair of shoes, Yankz! are definitely worth trying out.

Winners and Losers - Winter Rider Transfers

It's the time of year when road riders break out woolen jerseys and socks, trainers are dusted off and positioned in front of the television, mountain bikes come out of the woodwork and it gets dark at about 4:00 PM. It's also the time when teams and riders announce their transfers and, let's face it, transfer time can be messier and more dramatic than a season of Grey's Anatomy. For those who don't have time to follow who's going where and who said what about so-and-so's ugly new kits I've condensed all the transfers announced thus far into the following team-by-team synopsis. If your favorite team isn't listed here it's because they either didn't make any significant rider changes or, morely likely, it's due to the fact that they suck. Enjoy.

BIG Loser - Astana

As I blogged about earlier, Astana is a shell of its former self, with the following riders all jumping ship: Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Janez Brajkovič, Chris Horner, Sérgio Paulinho, and Andreas Klöden. To make matters worse for them there is the continuing saga of whether Contador will stay or go. Vinokourov's return tops off Astana's woes and probably hurts the team more than it helps.

Winner - BMC

BMC is beginning to look like an international ProTour team now that they've signed US champ George Hincapie, former world champ Allesandro Ballan, and current world champ (and perennial Tour also-ran) Cadel Evans.

Winner - Garmin-Slipstream

The plaid crew bolstered their roster despite losing a couple of veterans to retirement. Sprinters Robbie Hunter and Johan Van Summeren as well as time-trialists Tom Zirbel and Peter Stetina will all prove valuable assets to what has become a well-rounded international squad.

Wash - Lampre

Lampre loses Ballan to BMC but brings in sprinter Allesandro Petacchi. Perhaps having two Allesandros on the team would have been too much?

Winner - Liquigas

Although Liquigas didn't sign many significant new riders they did manage to hang on to almost their entire squad. Now if Basso, Pellizotti and Nibali can quit arguing about hair product and play nice they'll have a formidible crew for the grand tours.

Loser - Omega Pharma-Lotto (formerly Silence-Lotto)

Sponsor of the week-Lotto loses their only real grand tour hope with the departure of Cadel Evans.

Loser - Columbia-HTC

Despite signing a slew of new riders Columbia-HTC now appears, on paper at least, much weakened from last year due to the loss of George Hincapie, Boasson Hagen, Thomas Lovkvist and Kim Kirchen. TT specialist Tony Martin remains, however, as does the neigh-unbeatable Mark Cavendish. It will be interesting to see if Columbia-HTC's lead-out train retains its ability to deliver Cav to the line after this reshuffling.

Winner - Team RadioShack

See above about Team Astana. After LA & Co. cherry-picked the best from Astana they threw in Thomas Vaitkus and Geert Steegmans for good measure.

Winner - Team Sky

Sky created an international ProTour team from scratch seemingly overnight. With riders such as Kurt Asle Arvesen, Boasson Hagen, and Juan Antonio Flecha they should make some waves in the grand tours next year.

See, that wasn't so difficult, and you didn't have to go watch the entire back-catalogue on the internet like you did with Grey's Anatomy.