A Close Look at Castelli’s Flagship PR 3 Speed Suit

Italian company Castelli was founded in 1876 by Gianni Vittore, a “fine Taylor” who clothed businessmen and footballers, but eventually the company branched out into the world of cycling. In the 1910s Alfredo Binda, a five-time winner of the Giro d’Italia, wore Castelli’s first cycling wear. That long history is what inspired Maurizio Castelli to relaunch the brand in 1974, and it wasn’t long before Castelli was back to its pioneering ways – introducing the first Lycra cycling shorts in 1977. Castelli is now based in Fonzaso, Italy, and remains a leader in the world of high-end cycling and triathlon clothing.

Even though the company has been doing cycling clothes for almost 115 years, it remains a vibrant and innovative player in the marketplace, dressing the Soul Quick-Step team and producing the Giro d’Italia’s pink jersey every year. Castelli is also a big name on the triathlon front. Over the years they’ve suited up the likes of Kona champions Frederik Van Lierde, Leanda Cave and Mirinda Carfrae, along with Kona podium finishers Tim O’Donnell and Andreas Raelert. Two-time IRONMAN 70.3 world champ Michael Raelert also wore the company’s speed suits.

Part of what has always attracted athletes to work with Castelli is the company’s long history of innovation. In addition to those first Lycra shorts in the 70s, Castelli broke cycling’s all-black shorts convention with the introduction of the first coloured Lycra shorts in 1981, and pioneered the sublimated dye process a couple of years later that’s become the standard for printing jerseys. Bernard Hinault wore the first windproof jersey in 1983, too, another Castelli first. The company got started in the world of triathlon in 1987, then eventually turned its sights to performance cycling speed suits for the Olympics in 1996. A year later, the “Progetto Y” seat pad was one of the first attempts to create a chamois based on rider anatomy.

Possibly the most famous Castelli cycling innovation, though, came in 2010 – the Gabba. It was a fitted, aerodynamic jersey with Gore Windstopper X-Lite Plus fabric with Nano Flex underarm panels – a windproof and waterproof jersey that didn’t sacrifice any aero performance. Cervelo Test Team riders used it first, but at the 2013 Milan-San Remo race, rival teams wore it to get through the frigid conditions, many blacking out the Castelli logo in hopes their own sponsors wouldn’t be upset.

With that kind of history, it’s hardly a surprise that the company has always prided itself on aerodynamic products that deliver speed gains. I still have an Aero Race Jersey that Bernhard Plainer, Castelli’s Tri-Division manager, gave me in Kona in 2013. The company’s testing showed that it could save minutes off a bike split, and they were suggesting athletes throw it on over their trisuits to gain some valuable time. Castelli’s dedicated triathlon speed suits – Free Tri, Body Paint and eventually the Sanremo Speed Suit – used that same technology to provide athletes a combination of comfort and speed.

All of which is a long-winded way of me saying that Castelli has a rich history of creating innovative, comfortable and speedy suits. The latest iteration of all that is the PR 3. At the core of the new suit is a new construction process that features engineered ribbed sleeve fabrics designed to optimize air flow and minimize drag. In addition to Rico Bogen, pictured above, Laura Philipp and Paula Findlay also helped test the new suit.

Putting the PR 3 Through Its Paces

According to Castelli, the PR 3 is “our fastest, most comfortable race suit yet.” The suit features 50-denier upper fabric that Castelli says is the thinnest its ever used in a speed suit. Ribbed sleeves shaped through CFD analysis and wind tunnel testing manage airflow, while the KISS Tri pad is specially designed to be comfortable for all three disciplines of the race. The lower part of the suit utilizes special gradient-stretch woven fabric that provides muscle support and reduced friction.

Our tester (my wife Sharon Mackinnon, the 2022 IRONMAN 60-64 world champion) was more than impressed with the fit and the comfort of the fabric, describing the suit as feeling like a second skin. She especially appreciated the leg grippers that were comfortable and effective. The rear pocket is easily accessible while riding, and the ice pocket high on the back is an excellent addition for hot race days. (There’s also a GPS pocket “positioned to avoid disrupting airflow,” which is probably more of a pro feature than for an age-grouper.) Mackinnon also found the seat pad was very comfortable, “not bulky” and never bunched up. While Castelli suggests that, because of the rear pocket, you should use a swim skin or wetsuit for the swim while wearing the PR 3, Mackinnon found the suit performed extremely well – “it felt very sleek in the water” – in an Aquathlon event she took part in.

Castelli’s “active cooling” – direct moisture evaporation through the fabric – certainly worked. The suit was fast drying and felt comfortable even as the temperatures climbed. The fabric was what most impressed Mackinnon – despite its thinness, it felt extremely durable and provided compression where you want it without feeling too tight. The mesh fabric under the arms helped with comfort and cooling, too.

While the women’s PR 3 Speed Suit is only available in black, the men’s is available in Black and Ice White/ Black. Castelli does do custom designs, but that’s typically for larger orders, so unless you’re part of a team, you are very likely going to be stuck with those options.

The suit retails for $450.00 | £400.00 | €400,00, which is certainly a lot of money, but comparable or slightly more than what you’d pay for the flagship suits from HUUB, Zone3 or ROKA.

Verdict: The PR 3 is a fast, well-engineered and comfortable suit for athletes racing middle- and long-distance events. It is most definitely not a budget option, but for those chasing seconds and comfort, it is definitely a great choice. The limited amount of colours might turn off some athletes, but for those who can handle black, or black and white, Castelli’s flagship suit might be the answer.

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