CHPT 3 by ActualBikeWear

I spent my entire professional cycling career dressed as a human billboard. From now on, I want to wear something subtle and understated.

dm : Chpt. ///

Chpt III has racing history. I started working with Castelli in 2006, developing pro race apparel, we worked together, all the time pushing the envelope, and in the process becoming the benchmark for racing tech. As my career came to an end I realised I would no longer have that relationship, I’d have to wear clothing somebody else had designed. I didn’t want that. I wanted to create cycling clothing that was constructed for my new life as a non-racer, only designed for riding, not racing, but still with the latest tech and with a collaboration that I’d always known. This is the next chapter.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.11 SHORT

HIGH DENSITY LYCRAÂ®. REINFORCED BRACES. TEXTURED GRIPPERS. ONE-PIECE ENGINEERING. AN EVERYDAY, ALL-WEATHER BIBSHORT. When racing I used the Body Paint short. I still own the first prototypes that I tested because I loved them so much. Body Paint because they are one piece of engineered seamless Lycra. These differ from the race version by being more luxurious; no race minimalism has been applied here. The Lycra has increased multi-directional properties and a density that makes it heavier and smoother to the touch. We have made the bibs feel more like braces than elastic bands.

C77 THE LATYMER CLAUSE The chamois is the same tech as I used to race with, only with a design in tribute to a good friend, Crispin Latymer, whom I introduced to cycling yet forgot to educate on the finer points of dressing. On his first ride he wore the shorts inside out, thinking it made total sense for the chamois to be in direct contact with the saddle. These shorts are designed for everyday, all-weather use. Just please keep the chamois on the inside.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT (50G) FABRIC. TAILORED DETAILS. BUTTONED COLLAR. SIX POCKETS. A TAILORED LIGHTWEIGHT JERSEY.

1.21 JERSEY

The material of this jersey is lighter than any race jersey I’ve ever used. It’s unable to be used by racing teams because it can’t be printed upon, therefore making it impossible to carry a sponsor’s name. Obviously this is no longer a concern for me. We’ve given the jersey a more tailored cut, darting the front panels and sharpening the shoulder’s edge, a shape more akin to a shirt rather than a t-shirt. The collar is buttoned, giving the jersey a higher and more substantial neck and so making it look sharper and a little bespoke. There is a collarbone button to fasten the collar flap if you decide having it buttoned up is unnecessary. There is a storm-flap pocket on the front big enough to fit your credit card or hotel key card. The central rear pocket is designed to carry a Rocka 1.61, and the stitching on all the pockets is reinforced in order to cope with the occasional times they’re stuffed full. There are two mesh pockets on the interior rear of the jersey to carry warmers if needs be. When racing we’d often stuff unwanted clothing up the inside of our jersey; this is a more refined version of that.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

This is our variant of my favourite racing garment, the Castelli Gabba. It has all the same properties, only cut in a manner that makes it more fitted to everyday use. The most striking difference is the collar; it is secured with one button: when not required it can be wrapped around the rear of the neck and fastened to the same button. This reveals the Rosso Fuoco colour on the inside of the Rocka, a bright contrast to the army-like functional green of the exterior. This two-tone material was especially made for this design and is nearly 20% lighter than the material used for the Gabba. The Rocka is designed as an outer shield. Although not water-proof it is water repellent, windproof, and breathable, able to protect you in all but the most extreme of conditions, hence the protective collar. There is a storm-flap pocket on the front. There is only one pocket on the back, in the central position. This is to allow for compatibility with the pockets of the jersey underneath because once the Rocka has been removed from its resting place in the central pocket of the 1.21 it allows space in that area for the pocket to be used on the 1.61. Like the front pockets on both garments this pocket is protected by a storm flap.

1.61

THE ROCKA

INSPIRED BY MY FAVOURITE RACE GARMENT. RAIN REPELLENT. WINDPROOF. REVERSIBLE STORM COLLAR. TWO POCKETS. A PROTECTIVE OUTER LAYER.

The name originates from the motorcycling culture of the mid-twentieth century, the Rockers. I always felt more aligned to that than the scooter culture, the Mods (when it comes to going on my bike, I like to feel like a Rocker, not a Mod). Where the Mods would wear sharp suits the Rockers would wear leather biking jackets, most of which had wraparound buttoned collars. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get me wrong; I love a sharp suit. In fact it was my tailor in London, Timothy Everest, who helped shape the collar and inspire the contrasting two-tone material, much like the suits he makes for his bespoke clients. The pleating of the shoulders was created to give more movement and create a sharper edge, contrary to the pure aerodynamic properties required of the Gabba. In fact the whole cut has been designed to give a little more room, more comfort and a more defined silhouette than the race version.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.91

1.92

ARM WARMERS

KNEE-LEG WARMERS

CASTELLI THERMOFLEX HIGH LOFT FLEECE. REVERSIBLE CUFF. REFLECTIVE STRIP. A VERSATILE ARM WARMER.

CASTELLI THERMOFLEX HIGH LOFT FLEECE. REVERSIBLE CUFF. REFLECTIVE STRIP. A VERSATILE KNEE-LEG WARMER.

Or adjust our shoes. That sort of thing. There is elastic at the top to hold them in place, and a turnable cuff with the Rosso Fuoco reveal and a reflective stripe at the bottom (our little attempt to help those times you get stuck too long in a café and have to race home before it gets dark). Arm warmers are a little easier to take on/off than knee-leg warmers. Just pull them on or off; try and align the seam so that it runs right through your elbow in a straight line. And please, make sure there is no skin showing between the sleeve of your 1.21 jersey and the top of your 1.91 arm warmer.

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The colour has been chosen to interchange with both colourways of the 1.11 short and 1.21 jerseys. The material is Castelli’s Thermoflex fabric, a step up from the Roubaix fabric that most companies use. It has a slightly tighter knit with higher loft fleece that happens to be more stretchy, something that is of utmost importance on the legs of a cyclist, because in theory they should be moving up and down a lot. Unless you’re sitting in a café; that would look ridiculous. There is elastic at the top to hold them in place, and a turnable cuff with the Rosso Fuoco reveal and a reflective stripe at the bottom (our little attempt to help those times you get stuck too long in a café and have to race home before it gets dark). The length is a particularity of mine. I always found leg warmers too long and knee warmers too short, so we’ve created an in between length.

Here’s how to wear them: align the seam so it is either running down the back of the leg or the inside of the leg, pull your short leg up, then pull the warmer up, make sure the seam is aligned in the option you’ve chosen, and then make sure that the bottom of the warmer is not above the top of your sock and your shorts are pulled neatly back over the top of the warmer. The amount of sock you show is your style. If you take the warmers off during the ride (please stop; we only do it while rolling as professionals because the risk of crashing seems more attractive than stopping at the side of the road and watching the race disappear, plus we’re on closed roads, and have teammates to push us), fold each flat and place one in each of the interior warmer pockets on the 1.21. Folding them as flat as possible makes them much comfier to carry and less obtrusive on the exterior pockets.

IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

This is a microfibre polyester made as light and soft as possible. Its hydrophilic outer layer wicks moisture off the skin to the jersey yet doesn’t absorb moisture along the way. We made it a perfect weight so that when paired with the 1.21 jersey you end up with the combined weight of a normal looking jersey only with much better comfort and moisture management. Contrary to the subdued colours of the outer layer, we decided to make the base layer a bit more colourful, much the way a gentleman may choose the inner lining of his suit to contrast with the outside. In tailoring this is called a reveal, a flash of colour occasionally glimpsed that shows there’s something more going on than at first perceived.

1.81 BASE LAYER

POLYESTER MICROFIBRE WITH HYDROPHILIC OUTER LAYER. PARAMETRIC DATA PATTERN. A LIGHT, SOFT AND STYLISH BASE LAYER.

The coloured design is taken from parametric patterns created from the data (a combination of my heart rate, watts, speed, distance, etc.) of my final race: the 17th stage at the 2014 Vuelta a España. The neck is a little rounder than normal, more like a vest than a t-shirt. This compensates for the higher necks of the 1.21 and 1.61. I chose a sleeveless cut as this and the 1.21 jersey are designed to be used together. Sleeves on an undershirt can often be more uncomfortable with a short-sleeve jersey.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.41 K61 JACKET

BAD WEATHER JACKET, WATER-REPELLENT + WINDPROOF + BREATHABLE. DESIGNED FOR RIDING IN STORMS (OR HIDING UNDER BRIDGES). K61 Marina Cove, Hebe Haven. That was my Hong Kong home, and where I first began road cycling. For those who don’t know, HK is in Southeast Asia, which means it has a monsoon season and with it come typhoons, which in any other part of the world would be called hurricanes. This jacket is designed for bad weather, the kind of weather I actually used to enjoy riding in back in my HK days. It is constructed to keep you dry when you have no choice but to get wet. It’s made of a waterrepellent and windproof material that also breathes.

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Unlike traditional rain jackets it is tailored to fit, meaning that on the bike you won’t feel like you’re dragging a parachute, and if the weather is too atrocious you can also sit in a café and not look like you’ve been shipwrecked. I chose Rosso Fuoco primarily because of the visibility it offers, because often when you’re caught in a storm there are only two concerns: protection from the weather and protection from vehicles. The K61 is designed to protect you.

IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

display AN ESSENTIAL LAYERING PIECE. REIMAGINED. The Long Sleeve Winter Base Layer is a staple item of every cyclists winter wardrobe. Sometimes we have no choice but to venture out when it’s cold or wet, or worse, when it’s cold and wet. That’s when the LSWBL is dug out from it’s summer hibernation. My experience has proved that when it comes to winter base layers it’s hard to beat the benefits of good old-fashioned wool, problem with wool is that although it performs well under normal circumstances it doesn’t handle the requirements of high performance quite so well. For this reason we have used a new technology that involves wrapping a nylon core with merino wool which makes the fabric comfier, stretchier, drier, warmer, stronger and tougher than normal wool. It’s surprisingly light for its warmth, and warm for its weight. The traditional downsides of wool - stretching and twisting with age, have been eradicated.

It’s designed for cool weather riding and is to be worn directly against the skin where it works as a great wicking first layer. We’ve designed it more like a classic sweatshirt (a staple of every wardrobe) than a tech piece. This is because during my racing years I would often wear my LSWBL’s off the bike, for this reason we added design details to the Chpt./// LSWBL that enable it to be worn off the bike as well as on it. The cut is close-to-body but not skin tight, after all, it’s too good to be used just for cycling.

1.82 LSWBL

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.51 SOCKS

40% POLYESTER 40% POLYAMIDE 20% ELASTANE There’s a story behind these socks. They are the best socks I have ever owned. I had numerous pairs back in the day, one of those random promotional gifts from a sponsor. Contrary to most random promotional gifts these puppies became my best friend. I saved freshly wrapped pairs and every time I had to open a new packet I did it grudgingly, knowing my collection was shrinking. I tried to get more off the sponsor, but they had changed supplier. I was heartbroken. When it came to the subject of Chpt./// socks I told Steve Smith of Castelli, “I have the best socks in the world, but I don’t know where they are from.” So the search began. Steve and I gave our email correspondence the subject title: TBSITW (The Best Socks In The World). I couriered one of my last pairs to Italy to be studied by Laura in R&D at Castelli. Laura ultimately tracked them down to a factory in Northern Italy but the factory was no longer in business. So we had to start over and re-engineer the best sock in the world. 1.93 is the fruit of the quest for TBSITW. The footbed is made with ceramic thread. I don’t know what this does, makes them awesomeI think. The height is quite high; this is how I like them. They will lose a little bit of this height after their first wash, but minimal. The pattern is a code, or key, to the data we used to create the pattern on the base layer. Each colour and line refers to an element – time, km/h, watts, distance, cadence, BPM. The best thing about them is you can wear them off the bike. I wanted socks I could wear with a suit if I wanted; these I can.

1.52

WINTER SOCKS

25% MERINO WOOL 5% SILK 40% POLYESTER 10% POLYAMIDE 20% ELASTANE As odd as it may seem, wool socks were only recently reintroduced into the professional peloton. Their reappearance may have gone unnoticed, as they came in team colours, making them almost indistinguishable from the standard-issue socks, yet their increased performance in cold conditions was very noticeable, making them a favourite threeseason sock for many racers (probably not a good idea to wear them in the height of summer). The upper part is constructed with a mix of merino wool and silk for softness, and the footbed is made of the ceramic material I’ve always liked (I’m still not sure what it does, but it does it well). While the socks are designed to be worn on the bike, we kept the colour palette subdued so you can wear them off the bike as well, with a pair of jeans or a bespoke Timothy Everest suit if that’s your fancy. The most remarkable attribute of the socks is their thin construction, because although they’re designed to keep your feet warm, they fit seamlessly into your snug cycling shoes.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.53 CAP

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT That’s what we call these in the UK. Well, that’s what I used to call them till I became a cyclist and started calling them gilets. One of the first rules I learnt as a pro was to never leave home without one; it was as important as spare tubes and a multi-tool. The 1.71 Bodywarmer does what it says in the name while feeling nearly weightless due to the materials used: FRONT – 70g/m2 eVent windproof breathable fabric, the same used in the 1.41 K61 Rain Jacket. BACK – Highly water-repellent stretch woven fabric, the same

material used to make the magic swimsuits that smashed world records (in other words, water will be rolling off your back like the proverbial duck’s). The combination of these two materials means protection and warmth on the front and enough breathability on the back to let the sweat out while being nearly waterproof throughout. There is an 8cm collar, as my experience has shown that a high neck simply makes you feel more protected and warmer, and two pockets

on the back, as sometimes you’re forced to wear it for longer than anticipated and it’s good to have access to supplies if needed, although because of the minimal construction you’ll want to keep heavier stuff in the inside jersey pockets. Like the 1.21 Jersey with its understated look, it is designed to last longer than fashions. The 1.71 Bodywarmer will become an essential part of your cycling life for years to come. Make the middle back pocket of your jersey its home.

1.71

BODYWARMER

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

onemorelap SOMETIMES FINISHING CAN BE AS IMPORTANT AS WINNING

18 years as a professional, over a thousand days racing under my belt, and yet there was one day’s racing I’d never completed - Paris-Roubaix. In my final year, 2014, it was one of my primary objectives, to finish that is. 257 km, 28 cobbled sections totalling nearly 60 km, and two laps of a velodrome. I did it all, apart from the last lap. I stood in the middle of that most famous of velodromes, helmet off, knocking back a Fanta, face covered in dirt, feeling a bit of a hero. Until my wife told me I had one more lap to do. ONEMORELAP? That pretty much summed up my final year, it wasn’t exactly a blaze of glory. Still, I love that race, and when it came to finding inspiration for new interpretation of our classic base layer there was only one classic worth representing, the Queen of them all.

1.12

ONEMORELAP SHORTS The ONEMORELAP bib short is robust. But comfortable. It feels like it’s up to a six hour ride across the cobbles. The chamois is an evolution of the one I used my last four years as a pro, only dedicated to my good friend Lord Latymer. But that is another story. This is the Chpt3 ONEMORELAP bib short, a reminder to us all that sometimes finishing can be as important as winning.

1.22

ONEMORELAP JERSEY The material is a cross-dyed polyester that creates a natural hand while keeping you dry. The cut took it’s inspiration from a poster in the Castelli office of Greg Lemond in a Castelli TdF yellow jersey that seemed to have a look we no longer use anymore. This is the Chpt3 ONEMORELAP jersey, a reminder to us all that sometimes finishing can be as important as winning.

1.83

ONEMORELAP BSELYR The ONEMORELAP base layer uses the same build as our much loved original Vuelta themed base layer 1.81, but Chpt3 designer Richard Pearce created this unique perspective on the finish line of that most famous velodrome. This is the Chpt3 ONEMORELAP base layer, a reminder to us all that sometimes finishing can be as important as winning.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

1.62

JJ JERSEY / JACKET

It keeps the warmth in while letting enough air flow through to prevent overheating. (2) The cut is very classic, with minimal panel construction – purist to the point of feeling and looking like something that would have been worn by Eddy when he was tearing up the cobbles. What’s it called? Well, it’s a jersey + jacket, so we call it the JJ.

We’ve all been there: those days you wake up and look out the window and don’t know what to wear for the ride. Jersey or jacket? That is the question. We have an answer – something that’s warmer than a jersey, yet cooler than a jacket. It looks totally different from anything else that’s out there right now, although it does bear a remarkable resemblance to those original “tech” cycling jackets of the 1980s. This is for two reasons: (1) The fabric is a twolayer textile bonded to foam. It’s this combo of tech fabric and construction that gives it the gorgeous drape.

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

dm : Chpt. ///

PHOTOGRAPHERS: NADAV KANDER (STUDIO) MIKE COTTY (ROCACORBA) TINO POHLMANN (ARENBERG)

MANIFATTURA VALCISMON S.P.A. | VIA MARCONI 81/83, 32030 FONZASO [BL], ITALY | TEL.: +39 0439 5711 | FAX: +39 0439 56 436

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IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR | MADE BY: CASTELLI

IMAGINED BY: DAVID MILLAR MADE BY: CASTELLI

CASTELLI ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED BRANDS IN THE CYCLING WORLD, CONTINUOUSLY ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF RACING APPAREL DESIGN.