Pearl Izumi vs Castelli vs Other Brands

jtmoney528 · Jun 9, 2015

So I have been riding in Pearl Izumi for awhile now, started with attack, then got elite, then pro In-R-Cool (one pair of each)

I am looking to get something different, a brand like Castelli, Assos, LG, and others.

I was looking at the Castelli Evoluzione and I was wondering how those compared in quality to the Pearl Izumi Pro's. I do not have anywhere close to me to go and try these brands on hence why I am asking for opinions here.

Are there any other specific models around the $80-$120 range that would be a good fit for what I am looking for?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!

steelbikerider · Jun 9, 2015

Try Performance Ultras. The SL has a little less compression. I've bought 5 pair in the last 2 years. I didn't like the PI inner cool at all. They are on sale this weekend. I don't have any connection to Performance other than as a customer and I think Ultra's are some of the best values in cycling wear.

Migen21 · Jun 9, 2015

I'm going to agree with everything steelbikerider said. I paid big money for a pair of PI Pros and didn't care for the way the shammy fit, especially around the edges in the crotch area.

I have a couple of pairs of ultra bibs and keep going back to them. They just work, and while $80 is nothing to sneeze at, you can get two (three?) pair for the price of one of some other brands.

Definitely worth a try.

ghettocop · Jun 9, 2015

While I concur that Performance Ultra bibs are pretty damn good for the money, and their chamois is of very high quality, let me suggest that you bypass the PI/Castelli/LG stuff and spring for some made in Italy kit like Sportful, Giordana, or Capo. Not all of Sportful or Capo is, as some of their low-mid level offerings are made elsewhere. All of Giordana is. I am a bit of a kit *****, and in my opinion nobody does fabrics, weaves, seams, and chamois like the italians.

Devastazione · Jun 9, 2015

Quite happy with my Castelli and Parentini ( not sure if it's available abroad) stuff,but the best for me is still Gore Bike Wear. Not sure about Assos,I have a jackets and it's been a letdown.

Srode · Jun 9, 2015

I have PI, Gore, Castelli and Assos for bibs/shorts and would say my order of preference Assos, then Gore (Xenon not the other levels), PI Pro, then Castelli. The fit and chamois on the Assos (have Mille, Tiburu, and Cento) is top shelf, and the Gore Xenon are nice as well, just not as nice. Many Assos bibs aren't much more expensive than Gore Xenon if you shop around. The Pro PI are very nice shorts, but the one pair of bibs I have (Knickers) don't keep the chamois in place well so I don't like them. Castelli doesn't fit me as well as Gore or Assos or PI, and their top of the line chamois is not as nice as the other 3 I mentioned. I have only bib tights in Castelli.

Typetwelve · Jun 9, 2015

I went from PI to Castelli...Castelli is a large "upgrade" from the PI offerings, but there are some problems:

1- The sizing is off. Yeah...I get the "euro fit" bla, bla, bla..but I'm 6' tall, 175. Not a huge fella. I find myself in between a "L" and "XL" bib. The "L" straps are too short and grip into my shoulders too much. The XL is just too large everywhere.

2- I can only get about 1 season out of a pair. The chamois in their "endurance" bib (the X2 I believe) just flattens out after 1000 or so miles on the bike. Maybe this is normal? Who knows. At $150+ though, it gets expensive.

3- (and this is the big one)...their quality as of late has been pure crap. The last 3 pairs of bibs Iv had of theirs, the stitching had come apart in short order (look this up...this is a very common complaint). While everything else is in perfect order(save the flat chamois)...they will literally be falling apart at the seams.

I had to get a new pair of bibs for this season and went with these:

Sportful Total Comfort Bib Short - Men's | Competitive Cyclist

So far so good...but only time will tell.

Shuffleman · Jun 9, 2015

I was given a few pairs of inexpensive bellwether shorts when I bought my first road bike years ago. They were not the best but they worked out fine. I switched to Performance Ultras and have found them to be a really good deal, especially if you follow their sales and pick them up for around $45-$50. All of mine are getting a little ragged this year and I have been wondering about some of the more expensive brands.
I finally pulled the trigger and bought some Assos a week ago. I can not attest to their durability yet but I can see what all the fuss is about. They are very nice. I do not have enough rides in them yet but so far I can say that I am a fan.
I tried on the PI Elites and thought they were pretty good but I felt like the Assos were superior. Time will tell.

coresare · Jun 9, 2015

Typetwelve said:
I went from PI to Castelli...Castelli is a large "upgrade" from the PI offerings, but there are some problems:

1- The sizing is off. Yeah...I get the "euro fit" bla, bla, bla..but I'm 6' tall, 175. Not a huge fella. I find myself in between a "L" and "XL" bib. The "L" straps are too short and grip into my shoulders too much. The XL is just too large everywhere.

2- I can only get about 1 season out of a pair. The chamois in their "endurance" bib (the X2 I believe) just flattens out after 1000 or so miles on the bike. Maybe this is normal? Who knows. At $150+ though, it gets expensive.

3- (and this is the big one)...their quality as of late has been pure crap. The last 3 pairs of bibs Iv had of theirs, the stitching had come apart in short order (look this up...this is a very common complaint). While everything else is in perfect order(save the flat chamois)...they will literally be falling apart at the seams.

I had to get a new pair of bibs for this season and went with these:

Sportful Total Comfort Bib Short - Men's | Competitive Cyclist

So far so good...but only time will tell.

Really wanted the Cervelo design Castelli Aero Race kit, but they are out of stock. I ordered some Castelli jerseys and bibs from Amazon to try their sizing and fit out.

I have to agree. Castelli quality now or has been spotty. One jersey had a zipper where one of the teeth was bent or missing so the zipper made a slight angle when zipped. One of the bibs had excess thread coming out of the gripper at the thigh opening. Two of the bibs had the chamois folded over towards the front on one side. I could not straighten it out.

I'd like to try Assos since it gets such good reviews, but their jerseys are pretty ugly. It's too bad NO stores around me carry any of these high end Italian / Swedish brands. They all only carry Pearl Izumi.

ColaJacket · Jun 9, 2015

steelbikerider said:
Try Performance Ultras. The SL has a little less compression. I've bought 5 pair in the last 2 years. I didn't like the PI inner cool at all. They are on sale this weekend. I don't have any connection to Performance other than as a customer and I think Ultra's are some of the best values in cycling wear.

I just got some recently, and they are comfortable. I didn't realize how comfortable until I went on a shorter ride with my wife, so I put on my MTB shorts that have a chamois. I had a hard time getting comfortable with the MTB shorts. Never got completely comfortable on the whole ride, and I just switched to the Ultras a week or two ago.

GH

VeeArSix · Jun 9, 2015

Another vote for Performance Ultra's. They're definitely not the best, but I think they're the best value out of anything else out there. I've also used PI elite, castelli free aero, Louis Garneau equipe. Out of the fore mentioned, I'd rank castelli free aero as the best, but they also cost about twice as much as the Ultra's.

GlobalGuy · Jun 9, 2015

PI shorts compare better against other brands than do their bibs.

Special Eyes · Jun 9, 2015

PI is about as good as many other good brands. Much of what makes a person like a piece of clothing is how it fits them, and the fit contributes to the comfort and the wear. All tied together. I've had PI's for years and they are great. I also use Sugoi RS shorts and bibs and they are bulletproof and very nicely padded. I now am using Sportful Total Comfort. All of these are good for me. I don't destroy my clothes. They last a long time.

mikiek · Jun 9, 2015

Special Eyes said:
PI is about as good as many other good brands. Much of what makes a person like a piece of clothing is how it fits them, and the fit contributes to the comfort and the wear. All tied together.

^^^absolutely!

I bought several high end bibs this year from Castelli, Craft, PI and LG. I did have the stitching problem with the Castelli's. Other than that, there is nothing wrong with any of them.

I've settled on the LG Course Race for the fit and the slightly smaller chamois. They list for $250 but if you Google them every day for a couple of weeks you will find vendors that sell them for $149.

Father Guzzi Obrian · Jun 10, 2015

For the money, I have been very pleased with Aerotechdesigns, they last longer and are more comfortable to me that my castelli stuff. $80 for a decent quality bib is a good price, and I like them more than my Performance bibs
Cheers

Mootsie · Jun 10, 2015

Special Eyes said:
PI is about as good as many other good brands. Much of what makes a person like a piece of clothing is how it fits them, and the fit contributes to the comfort and the wear. All tied together. I've had PI's for years and they are great. I also use Sugoi RS shorts and bibs and they are bulletproof and very nicely padded. I now am using Sportful Total Comfort. All of these are good for me. I don't destroy my clothes. They last a long time.

^^^^ this. I've bought most of the other brands over time:'Assos, Crapstelli, Sugoi, Performance, etc and fit is number one. I really like the PI Pro, but the Leader line, not the In R Cool line. The legs are longer and the material is lighter and better fitting. It is the most expensive and hardest to find of PI, but I like it.

looigi · Jun 10, 2015

You guys must go through a lot more kit than I do. Over the past 15 years I've gotten may 6 pairs of shorts and 3 bibs. That doesn't give me a lot of opportunity to compare, except when trying on whatever limited selection is available at the LBSs.

Drew Eckhardt · Jun 10, 2015

looigi said:
You guys must go through a lot more kit than I do. Over the past 15 years I've gotten may 6 pairs of shorts and 3 bibs. That doesn't give me a lot of opportunity to compare, except when trying on whatever limited selection is available at the LBSs.

Growing and shrinking provides more opportunity to experiment. I've worn extra large, large, medium, and small shorts.

Low quality does too. I had two pairs of performance shorts go transparent in just two seasons.

Shuffleman · Jun 12, 2015

Drew Eckhardt said:
Growing and shrinking provides more opportunity to experiment. I've worn extra large, large, medium, and small shorts.

Low quality does too. I had two pairs of performance shorts go transparent in just two seasons.

That is amazing. Good for you though, going from xl to small is quite a feet.
I do find the wide swings in shorts sizes between brands amazing though. I have a 34"waist but hate constrictive running shorts or bike shorts. Thus, I usually wear xl. Me xl Bellwethers are tight but my Performance ultra's are perfect. I just ordered Assos in xl and they felt huge so I sent them back for lg. I could probably wear med but they may be too tight. I tried Pearl Izumi and their xl was far too big as well.

jtmoney528 · Jun 15, 2015

Thank you guys for all of the help, I appreciate all of the comments and I am sure that it will help more than just me!

I ended up getting a pair of Performance Bike Ultra Bibs. These were my first pair of bibs and I will be getting some more, love the bibs compared to shorts, hands down much better.

Again thank you guys!

Pearl Izumi vs Castelli vs Other Brands

jtmoney528

steelbikerider

Migen21

ghettocop

Devastazione

Srode

Typetwelve

Shuffleman

coresare

ColaJacket

VeeArSix

GlobalGuy

Special Eyes

mikiek

Father Guzzi Obrian

Mootsie

looigi

Drew Eckhardt

Shuffleman

jtmoney528

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