The Definitive CHPT3 Sizing Guide

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Cycling culture is built on the esoteric, the obscure, and the uncommon. It’s an approach we not only know well, but whole-heartedly embrace. Arcane charts. Mysterious references. Enigmatic craftspeople, flung the world over, building bikes out of materials in methodologies most people have long-since written off, or haven’t ever heard of. Breaching the poles of the spectrum within the tiny niche of cycling - it’s what we love to do. It follows that it’s not a shock that we find the most unique cycling apparel in the world, and it tracks that path. That apparel? CHPT3, brainchild of retired British professional, accomplished time-trialist, and celebrated sartorialist David Millar. As we’ve dug into prior, it’s the glorious marriage of sheer style, courtesy of acclaimed designer Richard Pierce, with the technicality of one of the most storied apparel houses in cycling: Castelli. In a way, it mirrors our own approach to the sport - mining gold from the extremes.

As the new brand’s range grows - and becomes a bit more financially accessible - a glaring iceberg of individuality peeks over the bow of the prospective purchaser: Sizing. CHPT3 approaches garment sizing unlike any other cycling apparel brand, using suit jacket and waist sizing for tops and bottoms. After all, it makes sense. Do we buy tires based on small, medium, and large size definitions? What about a pair of good denim jeans? Why should premium cycling kit be any different? By numbering sizing, CHPT3 can effectively split the difference between the traditional “S/M/L” taxonomy we’re all used to in the world of stretchy clothes, giving the wearer a pseudo-tailored fit in a realm dominated by a “stretch-to-fit” sizing mentality. In a way, it allows us to get close to the same approach we have towards bicycle fit, where the individual comes first.

Our own dapper and always well-dressed gentleman, Christopher. Chris wears 32 waist pants and a size 39 jacket in street apparel.

The decoder ring. While we’ve found the numbered sizes to fit fairly true to our normal jacket and waist measurements we use for street clothing, having things delineated further tends to help soothe even the most indecisive of skeptics.

Bottom Sizing

Traditional Size	Equivalent CHPT3 Size
XS	29
S	30
S/M	31
M	32
M/L	33
L/XL	34
XXL	36

Tops Sizing

Traditional Size	Equivalent CHPT3 Size
XS/S	36
S/M	38
M	39
M/L	40
L	41
L/XL	42
XXL	44

SAVE NO WATTS

CHPT3, true to its origins as the retired pro’s chosen garb, does not fit like cycling kit in the traditional sense. It is not a “racing” cut, but it’s also not anywhere near the other end of the spectrum, or what’s more commonly known as “club”, or “democratic”. It utilizes a trim, fashion cut that looks as clean off the bike as on. There are no raglan sleeves, no deep-v necklines, and no radio pockets. There are, however, extra pockets, high collars, and profile lines that look more in their element on Saville Row than the Col d’Izoard. The shoulders of the tops are broad, with a gentle taper toward the waist and a longer length than typical in most kit. The bottoms run slightly longer than other cuts, with the lusciously thick, soft proprietary material (shared across the range) gently supporting the wearer without excessive compression. It all adds up to a repertoire that gives the impression of being able to wander into a Thomas Keller restaurant midway through a 100-mile ride without feeling out of place. In short, it’s kit for grown-ups.

Proof. Thomas Keller's Bouchon, midway through a 180km day. CHPT3 1.21 Jersey.

A CONTRAST.

To that end, we've discovered a proclivity amongst our fellow wearers of stretchy apparel to skew sizing, likely because of their own personal conceptions. We'd like to put this to bed, once and for all. Sizing "up" because you're carrying a couple extra kilos doesn't do any favors to the wearer, aside from making them look frumpy. Just as well, sizing down for a "race" fit with kit that isn't does a great job of turning the rider into a human sausage exploding out of its constricting, uncomfortable casing. To wit:

TOO BIG

TOO SMALL

JUST RIGHT

Chris is 6'3, 170lbs. He wears a size 39 ONEMORELAP 1.22 jersey and size 32 ONEMORELAP 1.12 bib.