I’ve tried on more cycling clothing than I care to recall. I’d like to say both the good and the bad tend to be apparent on my first ride. That’s not the case, though. The bad stuff is readily apparent, but every now and then there’s a piece that seems good at first, but then a few rides in—that first rainy ride or a super-hot day—I find out that—lo!—some of these Legos are not fitting together.
Padrone is Capo’s top-of-the-line stuff. The last time I tried I tried the Padrone bibs and jersey, as much as I liked them, they weren’t perfect. I had two issues that emerged over long-term use. First, the amount of compression the bibs offered was, on occasion, excessive. The jersey was cut a bit too short. As much as I like having a slim-cut jersey that doesn’t hang below my butt, it shouldn’t be so short that it can expose the bibs.
With that as prologue, I’ll open my comments on this new iteration of the Padrone bibs and jersey by saying that both those issues have been resolved. The bibs offer some compression, but on a long day, these bibs won’t make you regret downing most of a bottle at a stop. And the jersey is longer by a couple of centimeters, enough to make reaching in the back pocket comfortable, not a yoga pose.
Padrone Aero Bib Shorts
Aside from the more forgiving fit, these Padrones also breathe better. The seamless raw edge is remarkable; if this is raw, I have to recalibrate my expectations of what meets the definition of a raw edge. The bibs are also cut higher—that is, the waist is higher—than any bibs I’ve worn since the old Assos Mille bibs (the mint green edition). For guys who have a few extra pounds near their center of gravity, not having any seams right at your waist and having a little more give in the fabric makes for a happier fit. If I rode to barbecues where I knew I was going to overeat, these are the bibs I’d choose.
The pad is, in keeping with previous Padrone bibs, an Elastic Interface design. These bibs include the Road Performance Force pad. It’s a variable thickness pad that measures 355 x 210mm, making it both long and wide to offer great insulation from the parts that need protecting. Up front it’s only .8mm thick, but moving down a bit it thickens to 3mm, while beneath the sit bones the pad is a hefty 14mm thick. In a world of pads that are all good, the Elastic Interface Road Performance Force pad still stands out.
The leg gripper features a series of small silicone strips that encircle the leg. It’s enough to keep the leg from moving.
Padrone Aero Jersey
One of my pet peeves of fit is when a jersey is too long. But what’s too long? I define that as any jersey cut to below my waist. My trunk comes with junk, and if a jersey is long enough to drape to over the swell of my butt, it’s not going to be form-fitting and it’s going to ride up. As I wrote, the jersey reaches to my waist, and that means that I don’t need a yoga class to get food out of my pocket.
There’s a fine line between form-fitting and clingy. The difference, in my mind, is the amount of stretch necessary to fit. What this means is that the pattern has to be good on the front end so that the point of the stretch is to keep the jersey snug, not make up for deficiencies in the cut. Not only is the cut well executed, the fabric is light but not flimsy. And thank Buddha the pockets offer solid capacity due to both size and stretch.
I’ve been vocal about my preference for obeying the laws of neuroscience. I like bright colors in jerseys in order to help drivers see us on the road. The Padrone jersey is primarily black, with either red or white sleeves and these are, obvs, white. I’d like it if Capo would offer the Padrone in something other than mostly black. Considering how much time I spend mountain biking or gravel riding in places where it would take the Army Corps of Engineers to run me over, this kit has gotten plenty of use.
The Padrone Jersey comes in four sizes (M-XL) and goes for $200, while the Padrone Bibs come in five (S-XL) and go for $300. UPDATE: I’ve been informed that while the site doesn’t fully reflect this yet, Capo will offer nearly every piece in sizes S-2XL. Dropping $500 on kit gives me pause until I recall that it isn’t hard to spend $300 on stuff that doesn’t offer half the quality, but better yet, Capo is selling the Padrone Aero kit as a set for $400.
Final thought: I’d be looking forward to wearing this kit for a long event Saturday, were the forecast not predicting 40s and rain.