Castelli Unlimited 2 Cargo bib shorts review: comfortable road and gravel shorts, but the pockets are too small

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Castelli’s Unlimited clothing is targeted at dual use. It’s designed primarily for gravel riders but equally at home on longer road rides. The Unlimited 2 Cargo bib shorts have a first-rate pad that handles bumpy surfaces well, while the cargo pockets offer plenty of carrying capacity.

The shorts are fitted with the Kiss Air2 pad that Castelli uses in its mid-spec road shorts. It has two foam densities without the pronounced edge to the higher-density area seen on some competitors’ shorts.

Despite not being gravel-specific, it’s a pad that works well without too much bulk and I didn’t feel discomfort even over extended periods on rough tracks.

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The fit is quite tight, although not as compressive as Sportful’s Supergiara 2 shorts. That helps keep the seat pad positioned correctly over multiple cycles of riding in and out of the saddle, which in some shorts can cause it to move around. 

The Unlimited 2 Cargo bib shorts have the mandatory cargo pocket in each leg and a pocket at the lower back that’s large enough to be useful if you need to load up extra bars or gels for a longer ride. The cargo pockets were not deep enough to fully enclose my ride pack, although it stayed in place nevertheless. They’re a little narrower than some, too.

The cargo pockets have a heat-sealed hem, rather than being sewn at their open end, and are made of the same fabric with shallow dimples as the rest of the outer edge of the leg. This feels as if it may be mildly abrasion-resistant, although Castelli does not make any claims about this. The inner-thigh fabric is very smooth-feeling. 

Castelli flatlocks the majority of seams in the shorts’ legs, although not the one running down the inside edge of the leg, which is the most likely to be prone to rubbing and discomfort. If your legs are irritated by rubbing against the saddle when riding, this might be a reason to look elsewhere.

The leg grippers have a band of silicone microdots. They’re separate pieces, which are flatlock sewn to the upper leg section, although again there’s a raised vertical seam at the inside leg, which some might find annoying.

Castelli’s bibs have a striped lightweight mesh rear section, which is attached to lay-flat, hemless front straps. There’s quite a bit of sideways stretch to them, though, and I needed to be careful how I positioned them out over my shoulder blades. Even so, there was a little rucking. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but straps without so much side stretch would have been easier to position. 

Castelli’s shorts are a little longer in the leg than others I tested them alongside, although they're close in length to the Sportful Supergiara shorts.

Price-wise, they’re towards the less costly end of the group of shorts I reviewed. The women’s equivalent is the same price, but is at present still the original Unlimited, rather than version 2. 

Castelli also sells the pricier Unlimited Endurance shorts, with upgraded features including the seat pad, at a higher price. You can also buy pad-free Unlimited baggies if you are looking for a more relaxed style. 

Castelli Unlimited 2 Cargo bib shorts bottom line

Castelli's Unlimited 2 Cargo bibs are a quality pair of shorts with reasonable carrying capacity, with a pad that’s comfortable over rough ground. The price is competitive, too.

However, minor niggles prevent them from scoring higher – the leg pockets aren’t the largest, the seams may cause some irritation and I had a few issues with the straps.

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