Castelli Unlimited cargo bib shorts review: A great all-rounder for road and gravel duties

With a heritage extending to the 19th Century, Castelli has been a cycling clothing staple for over a century. To me, Castelli is synonymous with high-quality, aerodynamic clothing and ‘race fit,’ so it's interesting to see it turn its hand to the world of adventure and off-road clothing, with its associated compromises of comfort and fit. This is nothing brand new for the brand, but as with most gravel-oriented garments they are far less established than road-going counterparts.

Its Unlimited Cargo bibshorts represent Castelli’s take on cycling shorts adapted for a more adventurous lifestyle.

The Unlimited cargo bibs are pitched these as a halfway-house, not ostensibly ‘gravel’ clothing as other brands describe their cargo ranges, but as a more practical and comfortable item for road and off-road use. The best cargo bib shorts are now becoming as common on the road as their non-pocketed counterparts from our list of the best cycling shorts, so it's good to see a brand not go full gravel in the product description.

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I was keen to see how they’d fare in a variety of conditions, and the British early spring weather was up for the challenge.

Design and aesthetics 

The Castelli Unlimited bibshorts come in a choice of black, slate grey (a blue-grey shade) and a dark olive green, which I tested. I quite liked the tasteful flashes of red scattered around the design - the signature Castelli scorpion, discreetly placed on the thigh, a line of red stitching here, a red square patch on the back there. Sizes range from a XS to XXXL in men's and women’s sizes, covering a fairly broad range of in-seam and waist sizes. Castelli’s advice was to size up, which is wise - its size L fitted me comfortably, whereas I usually opt for a medium pair.

I have very long legs and a short torso, so have always struggled to find well-fitted bibshorts. Refreshingly, these were among the most comfortable I’ve tried. They fitted without being too tight, and with none of the dreaded squeezing effect often associated with 'race fit' clothing. The bib straps are quite narrow, and their position across the front is a little odd - directly over the nipples as opposed to the sides of my torso. They aren’t padded on the legs as some off-road clothing can be, which bodes well for using them instead of regular road cycling shorts.

There are four mesh pockets for storage, which to me is generous without making for awkward riding and discomfort. The two thigh pockets are wide enough to fit a full hand and have a flap stitched over the top to keep items in. I was especially pleased that the rear pockets - while awkwardly located to clash with jersey pockets - were also reasonably sized, about two fingers wide.

Performance

As Castelli designed these shorts as road and adventure clothing, I spent the majority of my time with them on a drop-bar bike with a fairly low position and extended periods of seated pedalling. Saddle comfort is always subjective, but the Unlimited cargo bibs were very comfortable for such riding. The Kiss Air 2 pad felt very well-constructed, with plenty of give without sacrificing support. I particularly liked the golf-ball dimpling on the inside of the pad, which seemed to prevent them chafing or puckering against my skin.

The legs have long cords of grippy silicone rubber moulded into the ends for grip. Their shape meant that the shorts never rode up, but did not leave welts in my skin or chafe like a continuous strip of rubber might as is often the case on more old school shorts.

Despite Castelli not pitching them as mountain biking clothing, I was keen to at least try these shorts on my XC bike. They remained comfortable and stayed in position despite the changeable riding conditions of sitting, standing upright, and moving around to dodge and bunny-hop. One slight disadvantage in typical British off-road conditions was their thin fabric, which let in rain, mud and all the icy spring drafts. As such, even with full leg warmers on, I would relegate them for warmer adventures only, which is a shame, but ultimately they are summer weight shorts. If you want something for fresher weather check out our guide to the best winter cycling shorts, which features Castelli's Nano Flex pair.

The rest of the design is relatively adventure-proof. The larger thigh pockets work very well for larger items like phones, with the flap keeping the contents held securely. The rear pockets, as with many other brands, were somewhat less accessible on-the-go and were quickly soaked in sweat, but were ideal for a small tool wallet that was only useful when stationary. I grew to appreciate the thinner, softer bib straps, which felt comfortable on longer rides.

They also passed the dreaded commute test of carrying a hefty set of work keys, ID lanyard, phone, tools and several bulky work-related items without the need for any additional bags or storage.

Castelli suggests the Unlimited range is for ‘fast rides on unlimited terrain.’ While the latter is somewhat more dubious, they are very comfortable, feel light and cool on the body and absorb and wick sweat extremely well during particularly intense riding. Subjectively, the dark green (and probably the black) colours are very good at hiding sweat stains.

Value

The Castelli Unlimited cargo bib shorts are, ostensibly, road AND adventure cycling clothing and as such occupy a relatively crowded market. At £139/$160 RRP, they compete with the likes of Rapha’s Core Cargo bibshorts, which are the same price, and Le Col’s Sport Cargo bibs, which are slightly more expensive at £155. Endura’s GV500 Reiver shorts retail for £159 but comparatively lean more towards the off-road market with their construction and design. All of these shorts are priced in the high-mid range, and there’s very little to compare between them on face value.

Arguably, the Castellis’ design means that buyers might consider them as an alternative to standard road bibshorts, too. Options like Castelli’s own Endurance 3 shorts or Endura’s Pro SLs are either similarly priced or only slightly cheaper, which means that buyers would be faced with paying £10/$15 or so more for a more practical, equally comfortable option. To me, this seems like a very reasonable upgrade.

All in all, good value.

Verdict

I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable, convenient and practical the Castelli Unlimited cargo bibs were. They fit comfortably, did not compress or dig into my skin like some more race-focused clothing can, and were very secure throughout a range of riding styles and conditions. Subjectively, the pad had a chafe-free dimpling design that made for comfortable riding, and walking and moving off-bike, which can often happen if you are adventurous.

The cargo pockets were genuinely usable, which I appreciated. I was able to get my hand inside easily and the flap over the thigh pockets was useful extra security. I also liked that the rear pockets, though placed a tad high and ending up below the back of my jersey, were not tokenistic and large enough to fit a small object while being reasonably accessible, too.

I’m a little disappointed about how thin these shorts felt and this seems to buck their ‘adventure’ credentials somewhat. While I did test them in Baltic early British spring conditions, the fact that they let in relatively minor breeze, rain or mud very easily meant that they were relegated to warmer weather only. A pity, as they were very comfortable otherwise. Striking a balance between something that works in low spring and high summer temperatures is nearly impossible though.

For all intents, they appear to be practical and relatively comfortable for long days of steady riding, as well as walking and carrying a small amount of daily essentials.