Castelli Sanremo 2.0 Speed Suit

Castelli’s SanRemo 2.0 Speed Suit offers the aerodynamic advantages of a skinsuit with the practicality of a regular jersey and shorts, in a unique one-piece deisgn that aims to offer improved aerodynamics for those looking for some marginal gains.

At £230 it’s an expensive way to achieve some such gains, but as about 80% of the air drag you face when cycling is caused by the body, it makes sense to ensure you’re as aero as can be, if going fast is what you want to do. Set against the price of aero wheels and frames, the Speed Suit doesn’t look so expensive.

The Speed Suit first notched up a professional win when Johan Van Summeren rode to Paris-Roubaix victory in 2011, after attacking 15km from the finish with a charging Fabian Cancellara chasing him down.

Onesie

Skinsuits are aero, but you lose a lot of practicality. There are no pockets for a start, and getting into a skinsuit is never easy.

Forget toilet stops. With the SanRemo 2.0 Speed Suit Castelli aimed to offer the aero benefits of skinsuit with the practicality of separate shorts and jersey. They achieved it by basically stitching one of their Aero Race jerseys to a Body Paint bib short, and removing the bib straps, so you get the very close fit of the skinsuit with pockets and a full-length zip. And yes toilet breaks are easily possible.

The top half of the Speed Suit uses Castelli’s Velocity fabric in the chest and shoulder panels, and an open mesh on the back to help dissipate heat. There are the excellent Giro++ elastic sleeves, which stay in place without the need for silicone gripper tape. The lower half use a combination of durable, abrasion-resistant Action Power Lycra around the crotch, Breathe Lycra designed to keep you cooler on the front panels and Energia Lycra Power everywhere else.

Inside there’s the same Progetto x2 air insert stitched into the crotch that I’ve written nice things about in other Castelli reviews. It really is extremely comfortable. Its two-layer design and multi-density padding ensures excellent comfort no matter how long your epic Sunday ride is.

You get three pockets around the back and, as is usual with Castelli jackets, they omit any sort of small zipped pocket for stashing your house keys. There’s enough space in the pockets for all your gubbins, and the benefit of the one-piece design is absolutely no pocket sag. I did feel the pockets sat a little too low on the back though, they could have been a couple of centimetres higher. And as with the Thermosuit, there isn’t quite enough overlap between the bottom of the jersey and the top of the shorts.

On the bike

If you’re wondering if the Speed Suit is tricky to get into, it really isn’t. It’s a doddle. Once on, it’s impressively comfortable, with the noticeable lack of bib straps the immediate observation. With the jersey zipped up, it feels just like a skinsuit, but much less restrictive. The fabric is very soft to the skin and the seamless leg and arm openings, with their lack of stitched hems and gripper tape, remove any potential for skin irritation.

On the bike the Speed Suit, unsurprisingly, feels fast. There’s absolutely no excess material around the waist and the high tension in the fabric keeps it close to the skin. Castelli claim the Speed Suit can save 10-15 watts at 40km/h. As with all aero claims, it’s nigh on impossible to test their claims in real-world testing, without access to a wind-tunnel. Maybe it was psychological, but I felt faster every time I wore the Speed Suit. For some, that feeling of speed may be enough to justify it.

The comfort it offers is head and shoulders over a regular bib short and jersey combination. The main reason is the lack of bib straps, combined with the excellent padded insert, and the high quality fabrics.

I’ve also been wearing it constantly, it goes straight in the washing machine after a ride and is the first I reach for when it’s dry.

Is it perfect then? No, not quite. The sizing is a potential issue for some. With regular shorts and jersey you can wear different sizes, but you are limited with the Speed Suit. I regularly wear size medium shorts with size small jerseys, the Speed Suit doesn’t offer the same flexibility. I tested a medium and found it a good fit, and not as much of a compromise as I was expecting

Some may balk at the price, but you’re getting a high quality cycling outfit that is cheaper than the sum of its parts, with potential speed benefits if going fast is your thing.

Verdict

Aero one-piece cycling clothing that offers potential speed advantages with greater comfort.