In recent years have become a fan of Endura apparel. Have several jerseys now and happy with the quality and fit. This was the first Endura bibs I purchased. Overall, the quality is good, the elastic leg bands are snug, but not too much or too "grippy" and the seems are smooth and flat with no rubs. I would say that the chamois is average. Probably my fault beacuse the description did not say it was a C2 or C3, etc. Not sure I'd select these bibs for a 4 hour ride because of it. I will say that the sizing is comically off. I originally ordered Large (I'm 6'-1", 190 lbs.) per their size chart and it was ridiculously way too small. So small, in fact, when I re-ordered I rolled the dice and went with a XXL. It fits pretty well, but still surprising snug considerined I double-sized up. Granted, I'm a little more built than the average spider monkey rider, but still tight around the lats because the sides do come up pretty high.
I have a bunch of these. If you're tired of zipper ripple (it sounds bad and it is bad) and jerseys that ruck up (even worse), then the GTS is the jersey for you. The lack of full zip means the lower third of the jersey (the black part) is like a fancy cummerbund, which absolutely stays put. The fit is close, as in Equipe level close, but with that solid base provided by the immovable lower third, the zipper is managed up and down easily with one hand. In short, giving up that lower third of a zipper solves all the things that irritate the bejeezus out of me about jerseys. And the colors are good, too, usually a weak point with Assos. Highly recommended.
I have a few pairs of the original Competizione bibs and have always found them to be a good value for the price. The quality is good and the fit of the multi-panel design works well for me. The 2's changed the uppers from the traditional bib design to the new strap design that everybody seems to be moving to. Partly because Castellis always run at least 1-2 sizes small, the bibs stay in place even with the minimal uppers. They may be slightly cooler than the traditional cut as well since there's less overlapping fabric between the bibs and jersey, but I'm still not a huge fan of the change. Overall though, these bibs are still an outstanding value with solid materials, cut and craftsmanship.
The most impressive thing about this jacket in my opinion is that it is insanely light and thus very packable. Many times when jackets claim to be packable they still feel bulky in a jersey pocket. With this jacket, you might not even notice that it is in your pocket!
I am 5'9" and about 190lbs (not small), as with all Castelli clothing, you should size up. I would normally order an XL (in Castelli), but for this I ordered a 2x. The 2x fits well, but it is a little loose while still maintaining the form. The reason I went with the 2x is that I foresee using this jacket most when I might have a long sleeve jersey, but need just a little more protection (more than a Gabba).
Castelli claims a small amount of waterproofing with the jacket, but it is definitely not a rain jacket. I would trust this if there was a little mist in the air, but for any real precipitation, you would need a real rain jacket.
