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TECH NEWS
Rapha launch 2013 City clothing range
Hot on the news of the launch of their Pro Team clothing range, Rapha have just revealed details of their new and improved City range. Rapha pioneered the concept of urban cycle clothing and the London brand’s City range has been popular with cyclists, who want all the functionality of cycle clothing but with less of a cycling look, so you could wear it in the office, cafe, pub or wherever you spend your day on and off the bike. Here’s a look at the highlights of the 2013 City collection.
The Randonnee jersey (£150) combines a breathable and lightweight fabric with some classic old skool touches, including a pair of chest pockets with button down top. There’s a single pocket around the back, with fold out hi-vis pink tab and reflective detail, for good visibility in the evening light. The tail is dropped with gripper tape lining the hem, there’s a chin guard for the zipper and signature contrast armband.
The Short Sleeve Merino Jersey (£120) is now available in er… fetching olive green and purple colours, that luckily look a lot better than the the words 'olive green' and 'purple' suggest they should. This top takes the styling of their more race-oriented jerseys but it’s a little more understated, so you could comfortably wear it on the commute and then wear it all day in the office without turning heads. Well just those of Rapha fans (or haters) anyway. It’s made from merino so it’s breathable and quick drying, both ideal properties for commuting and it shouldn't pong - an even more ideal property in a commuting top.
It's available for women too, in - some might argue - cooler colours.
The Hooded Top (£150) is a mid-weight top designed to be worn as an outer layer and has windproof fabric on the front, sides, shoulders and hoods. So you get the casual looks of a hoody but with the functionality of a proper cycling top. Aside from the Rapha branded rear pocket, you wouldn’t know it’s a cycling-specific top really. That’ll fool your colleagues as you dash off down the road on your fixie. Details include two zipped front pockets, one rear pocket and removable hi-vis panel, full-length zipper and ribbed cuffs.
An extremely lightweight windproof fabric with DWR treatment makes the City Wind Jacket (£140) a good option for weather like we have at the moment, wet and wild. It’s 100% windproof and described as breathable, but how breathable exactly remains to be seen. There are underarm and back vents just in case it gets stuffy. Logos are reflective.
Take a regular smart long-sleeve shirt and make it from a windproof, waterproof and breathable fabric and you arrive at the Windproof Shirt (£140). Ideal for the summer months, dashing from the office to coffee house (Not everyone in the city drinks coffee and rides a fixie - ed… some of them drink chai lattes), it saves getting changed, and means you remain looking smart the entire time. There’s a concealed full-length zip, rear pocket and chest pocket, reflective tab and chain link print in the collar.
The Long Sleeve Shirt (£90) is similar to the shirt above but uses a lighter cotton fabric that is fast-drying and breathable, making it a good choice for hot summer days. If we get any of those this year. The shoulder seams have been moved so a backpack or courier bag strap doesn’t rub. Collar buttons are concealed, the front buttons are covered and there’s a buttoned rear pocket.
The Short Sleeve Merino Polo (£90) is now available in black, grey and navy. Made from 100% New Zealand merino, a slim fit, rear pocket and offset shoulder seams.
For even smarter occasions, the Lapelled Jacket (£300) is jacket made from a lightweight and fast-drying fabric with a DWR treatment and a windproof lining on the front facing panels. There’s a degree of stretch in the fabric for freedom of movement on the bike. A zipped pocket, breast pocket and two button front closure complete the details.
For wet weather, the City Rain Jacket (£220) is a very good looking top in fact if it's anything like the previous incarnation of the City Rain Jacket we tested it's very good full stop. The 2.5 ply 100% nylon micro-twill fabric has a breathable membrane so it keeps the rain out and doesn’t boil you in a bag. The seams are all fully taped as well, and there’s neoprene cuffs to stop cold air and rain sneaking up the arms. A large drop tail flap provides extra bum protection from rear wheel spray. It folds up small and is provided in a small bag. Available in fetching orange or dark navy.
With a revised cut the Short Sleeve Shirt (£75) has been updated. Just perfect for bombing down to the beer garden after a ride or long day at the office, it uses a stretchy breathable fabric with a Gingham check pattern. Side panels improve the fit on the bike, there’s a covered front panel, concealed collar buttons, internal pink trim and a fold-out fluoro pink flap.
For below the waist, there’s the Rapha Trousers (£150), made with a slim-cut and a stretchy material so you can cycle in them. There’s a reinforced Cordura seat panel, and the inside seams are carefully placed to avoid chafing, we've reviewed a previous version of these and very impressed wer were too.
The Rapha Jeans (£150) use a denim cotton Cordura fabric mix that is fast-drying and with enough stretch to not hinder pedalling. There’s reflective details on the right leg when you roll them up, high-vis pink binding and a higher back to avoid overexposure. The pocket has been reinforced for strapping a D-Lock to.
The ¾ Shorts (£120) are ideal to be worn over bib shorts if you have an appointment and need to look smartish. A ‘plus-four’-style cut with a water and stain resistant fabric, they’re stretchy and apparently breathable too. The fit is tailored, so quite slim, with button adjustment at the cuffs.
New colours for the City Riding Socks (£15), you can choose from grey, green, black and purple. Available in two lengths, they’re made from a warm winter merino fabric with reinforced heel and toe areas.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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39 comments
I'm already writing it in my tiny head.
Uh - 1 top for women? Seriously? Why don't we get jeans you can cycling in? FFS Rapha - you do so well with the performance stuff but let yourself down here...
I'd be interested to read both a data mining blog post from Dave and an article on clothing manufacture from Vulpine. I saw your stuff at the Manchester Bike and Tri show and it looked quality.
then read them you shall
(assuming we can sort something out with nick)
Outside of the ludicrous stuff like the Rider Journal, or that handkerchief they wanted £50 for a few years ago, I mostly think "à chacun son goût".
I have a Belgian cap from back when they were the only people doing winter caps with earflaps - good quality. Making the same purchase today, I'd probably go for Walz, but the Rapha cap is nicely made and jolly warm.
You get what you pay for.
I wear Paul Smith jeans because they fit perfectly, others don't, the same with my cycling gear.
I admit I was drawn to Rapha because of the styling, initially I'd said no because of the price, however having tried it it performs well, fits extremely well and so far has been worth every penny. I have tried gore, didn't like it, castelli is nice but the styling isn't always great.
In contrast my club kit at £50 for a pair of shorts is to be honest poor fit, uncomfortable after an hour and not worth the money. Appreciate not all cheap stuff is like this.
It's simple, if you aren't happy buying expensive stuff that's fine but why bother chelping about it on a forum and suggesting that others are fools. Each to his own, everyone has different preferences in life. By sounding off you just make yourself look like another forum tw@.
Cycling is all that matters........it's just clothing, seriously get over your prejudices towards others, like Dave said reverse snobbery.
I'd very much like to change the view of 'Value'. We only ever get marked down on Value (and I hugely respect Roadcc reviews as they are very honest and therefore when we get a good one it means so much more), yet as the company owner I know the huge time and resources, quality of fabric, stitching, etc that goes into each garment.
I think the misinterpretation is often that everyone always makes the same stuff, just marks it up more heavily. Which is absolutely, very provably not the case.
I'd be happy to throw the doors open to our world and describe why garments such as our £195 Original Rain Jacket (sold out in most sizes) has a poor markup for us (a big industry bod once laughed in my face saying I was an idiot and should charge £300), and is exceptional value for money.
I'm quite serious.
I would read 'behind the scenes at Vulpine'! People like me with geeky interests in cycling clothing construction are staggeringly under-catered for at the moment. Completely serious here.
I would also read Dave's blogpost on review meta-analysis. Especially if I can download the spreadsheet to play with. Again, completely serious.
After digging out rapha and dhb scores to compare them i did some data mining on the other brands we've tested too, just for comparison. i might knock up a blog post to that effect. it's kind of interesting
Oh and I've also got some 3/4 commuters and they rock.
I'd like to make a comment on this if I may *shakes nervously*. I own a fair bit of Rapha gear ( I own other stuff) and I am pretty much covered for most eventualities through a range of full price, sale, sample sale and identified gift items. I buy it because I like it, I like the styling of it, I like their innovation, I like the materials they use and I like the amount of effort they put into promoting the amateur sport, but most of all after years of cycling I have had much to complain about my personal fitness failings but never has their gear let me down. My definition of value.
Well said Dave.
incidentally, you know what gets almost *exactly* the same spread of review marks on road.cc as rapha gear?
dhb gear.
funny old world
I would be interested to know what clothing the rapha bashers wear.
As far as I can see their prices for jerseys, bibs, jackets are no dearer than assos ,castelli etc.
I personally think their jerseys are the best on the market, the bibs are on a par with assos,
And the soft shell and rain jacket are as good as castelli radiation and assos air block , all of which I own.
IMO best value kit is DHB
I have to agree , rapha s marketing is rather pretentious, but the quality can not be denied.
The other thing I like about raphas kit is the style , plain not gaudy .
Ps gloves and mitts brilliant too.
Some lovely kit here. I don't have this kind of money to spend on cycling clothing, sadly, but if I did I'd probably treat myself to a couple of pairs of jeans, the pinky shirt and definitely the (actually quite reasonably priced) jacket.
I wouldn't knock anyone for spending their dosh on this lovely stuff. Team kits, on the other hand..
My point exactly.
I own a fair bit of Rapha, mostly bought at full price, and funnily enough, mostly bought before I started writing about cycling for a living, starting with the classic jersey in around 2006.
A few things I might not have forked out for myself I got as presents from my wife. She paid full price too.
Most recent thing was the Primavera t-shirt they did for Milan-San Remo, I liked it and paid £30, same as everyone else.
I like a lot (but by no means all) of their stuff, and I'm happy to pay for it, as I am for some other things I own - if I told you how much I paid for my (non-Rapha) wallet, you'd probably wince. God knows, I do just thinking about it
but I love it.
My money, my choice. What's the problem?
Ah, better late than never, eh?!
The jeans are superb. I got my pair for £75 but would pay full price for another pair when these wear out. Might be a few years though as they are so well made.
the jeans look absolutely hideous for that kind of money, madness!
The H&M stuff is dreadful, badly designed and badly made.
The chinos are certainly nowhere near Rapha's quality, and are cheaply made. However, they fit me well and were under £19 with a discount code, so less than a Trade Team Cap. Yes, I'd prefer them to be gusseted for greater comfort, but then few of the Rapha trouserings are.
sounds tacky...
Nice clothes though.
The photographs on the Facebook page are hilarious. Every single one of the models has got their mouth open (in what can increasingly be described as 'The Rapha Look') - as though to say 'Although i am just standing in a studio looking into the middle distance really im a bit of a bad arse and work it to the maxxxx in my fine clobber and am always pretty much on the limit and ive just cycled 100k at full gas but i still look the beez kneez"
Almost beyond parody really.
I'm sorry, but this simply is not acceptable for a road.cc Rapha article - none of the comments are hating on Rapha or the people who buy it!
Perhaps they are all off skiing at the moment and are too busy sipping Gluewine and eating fondue.
i've got a pair of falke 3/4s, swear by them. great for about 8 months of the year
There are at least two (and I suspect more) members of the road.cc team who pretty much live in Rapha 3/4s come the nicer weather
…for which they paid full price, to maintain their journalistic objectivity?
tony bought his in the sale a couple of years back. simon has three pairs, one of which he paid full price for and the other two he got from the sample sale.
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