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Rapha launches new Aero range to be raced in Giro d’Italia

Rapha's Aero range gets more aero for men and women

Rapha has today announced its new Aero clothing range which is designed to help the EF Education First Pro Cycling and Canyon//SRAM teams to win on the biggest stage, which for the former team is this weekend with the Giro d’Italia. The range includes new jerseys and skinsuits for men and women.

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It’s all about aero in the pro peloton these days and nowhere have we seen this influence more than in the design of clothing. We’ve come a long way from the wool jerseys of yesteryear, today it’s something of an aerodynamic arms race with many clothing brands utilising the sort of tech previously used to designed frames and wheels. It makes sense when you consider the rider causes 80% of the drag and every other tech stone has been overturned by the rider and team engaged in gaining even the smallest advantage over their rivals.

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Rapha has revamped its Aero jerseys and skinsuits in its Pro Team and Souplesse ranges, taking everything it has learned over the years from the wind tunnel to stage races and one-day classics. The changes include a dual-fabric construction combining smooth fabrics at the leading edges and textured fabric at the trailing edges, which apparently “directs air away from the rider to create a low-pressure environment” says Rapha.

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Addition textured woven fabric is employed on the back of the sleeves with “umbrella-shaped indents” that apparently also help reduce drag, we assume in the same way that dimples on a Zipp wheel or golf ball create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air to decrease messy air in the wake. The entire back panel meanwhile is made from a “super smooth fabric” with a directional nap (the vertical pile of a fabric that is raised from the surface) that is intended to help air flow smoothly without causing drag. The seams around the shoulder and sleeves are bonded to help reduce drag compared to regular stitched seams.

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Rounding out the details is a lockable front zip, raised rubber logo on the sleeve and back pocket, a zipped valuables pocket and three regular sized pockets, lined with mesh to provide better ventilation.

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The Pro Team Aero Jersey (£145-150) comes in a range of colours including replica EF Education First colours and a choice of short or long sleeves. There’s also the Souplesse Aero jersey (£130-140) for women in a choice of colours and short or long sleeve

The Pro Team Aerosuit (£230) takes all the same features from the Pro Team Aero Jersey and combines it with a bib short with raw cut leg hems and two-way front zip.

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The Women’s Souplesse Aerosuit is new and has already been ridden to success by the Canyon//SRAM pro team in the Team Time Trial Championships last year, where the suit was finally tested. It’s based on the fundamental design as the men’s Aerosuit with smooth fabrics on the front-facing panels and textured fabric at the trailing edges to manage the airflow over the body. There’s a redesigned padded insert that has been “moulded for comfort on the rivet” and the same bonded seams and directional nap back panel fabric.

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To match the jerseys are the Pro Team Bib Shorts II (£195) for men with a dual-density size-specific Pro Team chamois and lightweight fast-drying short fabric, and for women the new Souplesse Detachable Bib Shorts (£195). These have bib straps that can be detached via a magnetic clasp to allow easier and speedier comfort breaks, a brand new chamois with a moulded and seamless design and a soft compression fabric with minimal seam construction.

More at www.rapha.cc/gb/en/aero-collection/category/Aero-Collection

 

 

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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7 comments

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
2 likes

I would question why you'd wear full aero kit whilst on the turbo as per the attached video.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
3 likes

Rapha Nadal wrote:

I would question why you'd wear full aero kit whilst on the turbo as per the attached video.

So that you can turn your turbo fan on full blast and not be any slower.

Avatar
Jack Osbourne snr | 5 years ago
1 like

I can't wait to see a Pinarello ridden by a sales manager wearing this kit in XXXL.

 

Obviously, I'll only see them fleetingly as they fly past me...

Avatar
boringbutton | 5 years ago
0 likes

Looks good. 

I think they take cycle to work vouchers now! 

Avatar
MrB123 | 5 years ago
1 like

Wish they had got rid of that raised rubber logo which is universally unpopular if you read the reviews of this jersey on their website and also must surely be decidedly un-aero. 

Avatar
GarethWyn | 5 years ago
1 like

The Home Counties just got that little bit faster! 

Avatar
check12 | 5 years ago
1 like

Can we hear more about your gold balls please.

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