CASTELLI ITALIA 20 KIT
£130 (jersey), £120 (bibs) Italian suave
Forget memories of heavy wool jerseys, the woolmix fabric in the Italia
20 is incredibly light.
In fact, without the embellishments it’d be one of the lightest summer jerseys around.
Those embellishments include a stitched-on fabric Castelli logo and Italian flag shield on the chest and an Italia zipper pull that’s enamelled tricolore. The word Italia is printed across the back and a tricolore flag print can be found on the centre of the three stitched, reinforced rear pockets. Even the gripper elastic at the waist is triocolore with gold banding. Design-wise, as well as on the bike, the jersey is in a class of its own. The polyester in the mix makes for a great fit and the wool adds a soft suppleness to the feel against the skin. The fabric wicks very quickly, keeping us dry, even on some very hot rides. The only downside is that the lightness of the fabric means you won’t want to load up the rear pockets too heavily because this can cause a bit of sagging.
The matching Italia 20 bib shorts come in dark navy blue only and have fine detailing, just like the jersey with ‘Italia’ woven into the deep, Giro3 leg grippers. The bib braces and Y-shaped back are an open-mesh design and the main panels use Castelli’s Endurance evolution fabric, which offers snug, compressive support from your trunk downwards. The pad is Castelli’s Progetto X2, which is seamless with a free-floating silky soft cover. The pad itself is multidensity and served us well on all day rides in very warm conditions.
The Italia 20 kit performs brilliantly in warm weather. Our only niggle is not being able to carry essentials due to sagging issues.