We don’t often think about the weight of our cycling clothing but it can’t be ignored that the Castelli Superleggera jersey is the lightest we have ever seen. At just 70g it was hard to believe that we even had it on.
The Superleggera is designed to not only be light but also aero, meaning it’s a tight fit with no loose material if sized correctly. In fact, we actually thought our test jersey was way too small at first, but after a fitting (and a phone call to check that the right size was in fact sent), we found that it was actually all right. Just make sure you try it on first and keep in mind that the skintight fit offers no apologies for the less-than-perfectly toned (and we don’t care what anyone says; black isn’t that slimming!).
We certainly had concerns about durability from such a lightweight material but it held up well through two solid months of testing and countless washings. However, one small consequence of the airy and stretchy construction is that the jersey sagged noticeably when the rear pockets were loaded. A heavier duty elastic might resolve this issue but a more effective option could be to use a non-stretch rear panel as seen in the Assos SS.13.
Not surprisingly, the Superleggera fabric was a boon in hot weather and as a side benefit, it barely absorbs any water (heck, water actually beads up on its surface) so it doesn’t feel heavy when you dump water on yourself on the hottest of days.
Castelli augments the built-in air conditioning with strips of gauze-like material that run around the neck, underarms and down the entire length of the jersey on each side. A half-length front zip adds even more ventilation although we would have preferred a full-length version.
The jersey’s understated appearance should suit most people’s tastes (as long as you like black, red or white) but even without heaps of flashy graphics it’s definitely more of a racing style jersey than one for mellow rides with your mates.