Apparel

Excellent bib shorts from Castelli! Chamois is good for longer rides. Material is thin for my hot climate, and seems to breathe pretty well. I'm 6'0" 157#, slender & typical (skinny!) cyclist's build, this short fits snugly - not quite compressive, but definitely "race fit" and form-fitting. I've seen product descriptions from others stating that muscular "support" is important, and I'd venture that these seem to do that, I guess from the mild compression. I have two other bib shorts from Castelli, they're all excellent, and several jerseys: Castelli quality is unparalleled.

Recently picked these up and took them on multiple 3+ hour road / gravel rides. Just incredibly supportive and comfortable. There's a lot of thought put into these. Assos takes the cake as far as bib shorts goes - the cut and the chamois system is unmatched by other manufacturers. These and Mission Workshop's Pro bibs are the best money can buy in my book. Spent the last decade or so buying mostly Rapha Pro Team bibs, and sadly their quality has been declining. Assos bibs are without question all I can wear now and I don't know why took me so long to switch! Worth every penny.

I use this cap on the nice days in the spring and fall. It is perfect in weight and feel and works great until it gets too hot and the sweat really flows. It is too thin and cannot hold much sweat. When it comes to summer I switch to something more substantial -- kind of a drag given these are very light. Still looking for the perfect blend of sweat absorption from the brow and thing and airy while still offering sun protection for the summer.

I have to second 10K Cyclist's review. Found the same versus my merino bases. You can adjust the weight of your jersey to fit basically any condition with this base. Excellent at wicking sweat whereas merinos hold sweat at elbows, back of neck, glove junction. Can wear with Alpha ROS fly jacket (inner zip insulated liner covering torso) to upper 30's if still, 40's with wind, but if too windy, the Assos Ultraz base is excellent (and takes me down to mid to low 30's. Just a hint of itch when i put it on; once on, I do not notice it at all. If it was as soft as the Ultraz when i put it on it would be 5 star. As it is, my favorite non-heavy base.