rpenmanparker 

I was toodling around Truckee, CA today on a little excursion from our vacation accommodations at Lake Tahoe and spied shop logo cycling jerseys for sale at a place called "89" after the highway of that number that runs through town. They were very attractive and colorful and made by Castelli, which I know is a very reputable manufacturer. Price wasn't too bad at $95. The label proclaimed Training Fit. Well I wear a medium jersey if it has an American fit or a large if it is more of a European or "race" cut. My chest is 40" and waist is about 35" so I am no behemoth. After being informed by the sales clerk that they were cut a bit small, I tried the large first and found it to be extremely confining. I worked all the way up to the XX large but couldn't find an acceptable fit. Yes larger size jerseys became really loose in places like across the back of the shoulders. But the front was so tight it actually made me scrunch my shoulders together to get some slack in the chest. I thought for a moment this was intentional to fit a rider when he would be in the drops. That makes no sense, however, since a piece of clothing has to fit all the time, not just in one riding position. I finally gave up after XX large. They just weren't for me.

Can anyone shed some light on the Castelli sizing paradigm and who their clothes are intended for?

Thanks.

Will Goes Boing

I'm 5'10 and 155-160lbs athletic and usually wear medium jerseys for every brand I've bought. I ordered a size medium Castelli and when I took it out of the box it literally looked like a toddler size piece of clothing. I was barely able to put my arms through and the bottom of the jersey came up past my belly button... forget about zipping it up. I was determined to have that jersey so I returned the medium for an XL and XXL. The XL fit OK on the arms and shoulder but the torso area was LOOSE..... WTF.

I am certain that Castelli caters to two type of body types..... 5'8, 115lb pro climbers or 5'10 190lb old skinny fat out of shape guys with too much money

CALE262

I think it fits just fine...

I <3 Robots

I wear a small (5'8" 142lbs) in pretty much every manufacturer. So when it came to reading about their sizing...people recommend that you size up from what you normally wear...so I got a Medium one. The length was good...but too much room in the waist and loose in the arm. It is the "climbers" jersey. I got it because it is super thin.

SA_Brak

I'm 5'10", 153 lbs, 33 inch waist. I wear large size for Castelli jerseys but medium for most other brands. The jerseys that are more performance related are supposed to be snug, also you will notice the sleeves are angled slightly forward and will feel awkward when you are not on the bike. That might account for why you said it was tight against the chest. Castelli is closer to European sizing than American.

Niloc

I'm generally between a medium and a large, I heard Castelli ran tight so I got a pair of large Castelli bib shorts and they worked by were still really tight. They also wore out in big patches on the front in like two months. I've returned them and hoping for a warranty replacement. They were one of their cheaper models, but still less the two months wear is ridiculous.

omarcastz

Castelli definitely make their clothes with European sizing in mind. I usually have the other problem. Being a small rider at 5'-6" and 125 lbs I find that I can fit very well into the Castelli Small. It is practically the only brand that fits me well that is still somewhat reasonable priced (not Assos, Rapha, or Capo level in price). Brands like Pearl Izumi, Specialized, etc don't fit me as I find that their "Small" is too big for me. I think it is a common suggestion though for most people living in the U.S. to size up when ordering a Castelli piece of clothing.

Eric S.

I have one Castelli jersey (made in USA) that is XL but based on other clothing I wear I'd call it a bit smaller than Large.

A friend gave me a Hincapie jersey that is XL and I'd call it a solid Medium. I don't wear it much, not because of its sizing but because the graphics on it are for a local strip club. When he asked if I wanted a brand new jersey and handed it to me, I thought it said Cheetos, but it's for Cheetahs Topless Lounge.

halfspeed

6'0" 165 lbs. Size M. Long torsos will likely have problems.

rpenmanparker 

It's not the sizing I question per se , it is the fit which is actually different. The sleeves are so twisted to the front, you have to walk like Frankenstein's monster when not in the drops on the bike.

qqy

They're awful for tall guys too. I'm 6'4 and the XL bibs are way too tight on the shoulder straps, and the XXLs are almost baggy around the waist.

Slackerprince

That picture always delivers!


S

jyl

Castelli jerseys are made for riding, not for sitting around. When the skinny racer is on the hoods, his position is like you on your drops. When he's in his drops, drilling on the bike, he doesn't want a loose flappy jersey. When he's off the bike, he's not lounging around in the jersey. And he's not doing bench presses either. Pecs are dead weight.

I have a 39 ish chest and 33 ish waist, 185 lb and I wear Castelli large.

Face it, the prototypical bike racer isn't shaped like us. He is 5' 8" and 150 lb, all thighs and ass.

Manweiser

(6'4"/200lb) I've been quite fond of XL Castelli Bibs and don't find the shoulder straps too tight. My bibs are likely 1-3 years old. Even a size large fit okay, but the inseam was admittedly a bit shorter than usual. Perhaps I have a short torso... The only straps I have found tight are those on a pair Cannondale bibs.

The jerseys on the other hand are a different story. Short sleeve, size XL fits me fine. But for long sleeve, I usually end up with XXL due to the armpits... and don't have big arms/shoulders.

rpenmanparker 

That's fine, but there is still a place for a range of sizes that corresponds to convention. If a pro rider is that small up top, then he should be wearing an small or extra small, not an extra large. And what is the point of selling pro cut jerseys in an LBS or other local shop? Who is going to buy them?

klmmicro

Is that what I look like in a Lampre kit? Damn...

halfspeed

I'm a fairly typical, reasonably fit road cyclist and as you can see from the picture in my previous post, medium jerseys fit me quite well. Of course, I don't expect them to fit like an oversized t-shirt either.

THSdrummer

I haven't experienced these sizing woes. I'm 5' 9" with a chest size of 36" and 150 pounds. I wear a medium in Castelli. I really love my Castelli jerseys. Then again it is about all I've owned. A few of the zippers are not that great of quality on the older jerseys I own. I'd like to see how other brands fit like Giordana, Capo, Rapha, and Assos just to compare with Castelli. My Castelli jerseys fit snug enough through the chest to be wrinkle free to not snag copious amounts of wind, but not skin tight. I could put on a few more pounds and it'd still fit. The sleeves are great as well. They fit the same way on my arms. Which means a lot to me. I've tried on jerseys that fit awesome through the chest, but baggy around my arms. I don't care to have flapping sleeves.

The US version of the climber's jersey? I have heard the new Climber's jersey is cut wonky in the USA version. I was planning on picking up one in the winter on close-out, but I have heard exactly what you said. Essentially it is tight in the arms and loose in the chest.

Looigi

That's my experience. They fit well and snugly in a moderately aggressive road riding position and are a bit uncomfortable when just standing around. With that said, they do run a bit small. I'm 5'9", 170, and mediums are indeed snug.

StanSeven

My experience is Castelli runs slightly small (maybe a full size at most). Most of my other jersey's are large and I have large and XL in Castelli. The large is a little snug and the L is comfortable but has some extra material around the waist and chest. I'm 6'0" and 175.

Smokehouse

I'm 6' tall...170-175 depending on time of year. I have a broad chest by build and a bit of a belly (who doesn't), I wear Castelli exclusively for the moment. I've found that I have to wear a L bib and XL jersey. I've noticed their stuff is made in different places and funny enough, jersey fit varies a bit. I have 4 of their jerseys, all in XL and:

-2 fit perfectly (Prima and a Sidi Dino, made by Castelli):
Castelli Prima Jersey - Men's Short Sleeve Road Bike Jerseys | Competitive Cyclist
Sidi Dino Jersey - Men's Short Sleeve Road Bike Jerseys | Competitive Cyclist

-1 is a slight bit baggy (Pro Logo 3):
Castelli Prologo 3 Men's Jersey | Competitive Cyclist

-1 is freaking tight (GPM short sleeve):
Castelli GPM Short Sleeve Jersey | Competitive Cyclist

All the bibs I have fit well...no complaints there.

MattFoley

I have quite a bit of Castelli stuff. I'm 5'10, 190lbs, 43 inch chest, so not small. I wear 2xl in the jerseys and they fit great. They don't all fit quite the same, but the variation isn't enough to mandate a different size. Any awkwardness in fit standing around disappears while on the bike, which is all that matters. I'd rather a jersey fit awkwardly off the bike and perfectly on, than one that fit well off the bike but had a lot of extra material flopping around when I'm riding.

FWIW, my Giordana FormaRed Carbon stuff fits the same as my Castelli stuff.

I <3 Robots

I picked it up on Chainlove. I just made an assumption that since it was a "climbers" jersey that it was super tight...so I went with a medium. The lame thing is that I have a small Castelli team kit from my LBS...and it fits good.

The medium fits like one of those flappy club fit jerseys. If I ever go Castelli again...I'm not going to size up...or size up with any manufacturer.

I hope that the back of the jersey doesn't sag below my ass once I fill up the pockets.

Oh...another company that I found that has wonky sizing is Hincapie. I have a small kit from them also. The jersey fits nice and snug...but the bib shorts are too big...they fit like a medium compared to other companies I've tried. I need to wear like an XS! Same with their gloves...I got a small...and they fit like a medium.

THSdrummer

I have heard to size up twice for Castelli's aero jerseys and since I have never had to size up on a jersey before it just makes me wonder if I should follow this advice or just go up one. The Climber's jersey is supposed to be an aero fit, but Castelli gave the American version a bit of extra stomach room, which is great when you look at the average size of Americans, but not so great when it alienates the very people who wear their clothing. It's unfortunate. I really wanted to pick one up for the lightweight option in the summer, but not at the expense of a good fit.

Like I said, all my jerseys are Castelli. I wear a medium. I wear a medium in t-shirts, jackets, hoodies, and all other every day clothing. I did recently pick up an Assos base layer size small because their size chart suggests I go with that size. It is a TIGHT fit. Way tighter than my Castelli base layer. I like it, but it definitely wouldn't fit if I put on a few pounds. I can't help but feel curious as to how Assos jerseys fit after having this base layer. I wear a medium in Assos bib shorts (Uno S5).

halfspeed

I have one of their jerseys. I hate it because it's too stretchy. It fits fine when the pockets are empty but sags way too low when filled.