Can anyone confirm if the sizing/fit of Sportful Fiandre bib tights is the same as the Rosso Corsa line of the sister brand, Castelli? I wear size M in most brands (Assos, Gore, Santini, Q36.5) or even S (7Mesh), but in Castelli (Premio, Sorpasso, Mondiale etc.) bibs I’ve had to size up to L.
I’d really like to buy a pair of Sportful Fiandre Pro bib tights (same as last year’s Fiandre NoRain Pro, except the slight name change) and tried them on in size M (my local dealer had no L in stock). The fabric is stretchy and I could pull them on, but they fit quite tight/snug. They were not uncomfortable at all, so what I’m really worried about is rather longer term durability (i.e. seams potentially tearing due to the tight fit). I wonder if it would make more sense to order them in size L (though that might mean waiting for a few more weeks), but those might well prove too long/loose.
What confuses me is that according to the Sportful sizing chart I’m definitely size M (85 cm waist, 96 cm hips, 179 cm tall), but the Castelli sizing chart is identical to the Sportful one (no surprise, they are both owned by the same company), yet Castelli in size M is too tight for me. Sportful jackets also fit me in size L more than M. But as I said, the size M Fiandre Pro bib tights did not feel uncomfortable at all, merely compressive and snug. So I wonder if any of you have a comparative perspective on the Fiandre bibs (and other brands’s sizing/fit)
Have a few bits of both castelli and sportful kit. I’m a large in both but the Castelli kit is always a little snugger. Not a whole size snugger, more like the difference between well fitted training kit and full on race kit.
The exception is suits - have a Castelli trisuit and skinsuit, both XL, and in both cases Large would have been physically impossible to get into (or out of) without popping a seam and/or dislocating a shoulder! When I tried to get into the trisuit I had a few moments where I thought I was going to have to call one of the shop staff into the changing room to help me get out of it…
Thanks, this is quite helpful. I have no idea about other Sportful bibs, but the Fiandre definitely seemed ok in one size smaller than my Castellis. Of course, the Fiandre winter bibs are made of decently stretchy NoRain fabric, while my Castellis all have the somewhat less stretchy (reinforced) panels around the waist area. And my only experience with other Castelli winter bibs were the Polare and the Meno Wind (both of which were again less stretchy due to the use of Windstopper panels).
I’m just surprised that the size M Sportful Fiandre Pros fit ok (snugness was more the pleasant compressive kind rather than sausage-in-casing feeling) and they didn’t even require much extra effort to put on (I need to be more careful with my size L Castelli Premio bib shorts in fact). And everywhere I’ve looked online people seems to be saying that one needs to go up one size in both Castelli and Sportful.
I’d rather try on the size L Fiandre too, but the local distributor cannot source them for the foreseeable future and the only online options are much more expensive. So I’m just not sure whether it makes sense to wait 1-2 months (and possibly the size L turning out to be too big in any case) or take a chance with the M and hope that the seams and the fabric will not suffer too much from the snug fit 
I’d go with the M since you’ve tried them on and they sound fine. I suspect quite a few people saying that you need to size up in Castelli and Sportful might be comparing to brands or lines which aren’t a racing fit. Or maybe they’re triathletes talking about the suits - for context my other skinsuit is from Velotec and is a Medium and is about the same fit as my Castelli XL!
I am Castelli XL but Sportful L in bibtights.
Thanks, this is quite helpful. May I ask you which bib tights have you compared? I’m wondering if the Fiandre Norain Pro are towards the stretchier, more forgiving end of the scale or not.
I’ve only tried the Polare and the Sorpasso 2 in Castelli, and M were too tight. But the Polare is not too stretchy (due to the Windstopper panels) and the Sorpasso is too tight because of the double/reinforced section around the waist area. The Fiandre should have neither of these issues, I guess 
I have Sorpasso and Sorpasso 2 and have some top of the range Sportful tights from a few years ago - I forget the name. I also got some Fiandre shorts this autumn and found the same - a L in those vs the XL of my Castelli bibs.
Fiandre jersey and jacket were the same - sized down from my Castelli Alpha, although will confess that this gives a very snug fit with no room for any Xmas over eating!
they are Bodyfit Pro bibs from a few years ago
Thanks again. I guess I’ll just go ahead and buy the Fiandre in size M then. I’ve tried on some other Sportful bib tights in size L and while they were not loose at all, there was less compression than with the size M