Wheels

You could argue that Rapha are

rather late to the ‘Gabba party’ as

most brands have already launched

their own version of Castelli’s game

changer. But this isn’t a ‘me too’

product; Rapha set out to raise the bar.

The Shadow kit was developed for

and with Team Sky, who used it during

the 2015 Classics. Rapha didn’t start

with the fabric, they went back to the

yarn. The thread itself has a Durable

Water Resistant (DWR) coating applied

before it’s woven into the fabric. It

then undergoes a steam-pressure

treatment, shrinking the fabric by

half and creating a very dense weave

which is claimed to greatly increase

its resistance to rain and wind while

retaining breathability. Finally, another

coat of DWR is applied. The fabric

is described as hydrophobic. That

sounds like it’s scared of water but

really it’s the other way around. When

the two meet, raindrops run away

screaming. As with all DWR products,

you have to clean it with a technical

wash and re-proof it occasionally

but Rapha claim that the two-stage

coating means this is less frequent.

The fabric has slightly less stretch

than normal kit and comes up a

bit smaller, so make sure you try

it on before you rip the tags off.

The jersey requires a base layer

as it isn’t designed to sit next to

skin. Generally the cut is really

good, though we’d like the sleeves

to be angled forward for riding to

eliminate the stretch across the back

that’s visible in the main photo.

Through a number of rides in

disgusting weather, the Shadow kit

really impressed. It keeps you dry in

the rain, the fleece-backed bibshort is

warm enough at 2ºC, chill air is always

held at bay and the pad is superb.

The jersey is good down to around

6ºC with a regular base layer and

should also be wearable on wet days

when the mercury is in the upper

teens. Summer then. It showed itself

best on a hill rep training session,

working very hard on the way up,

sweating, and then coasting back

down at 50kph in cool air. The

combination of breathability and

windproofing is excellent.

The Shadow kit is twice the price

of most rivals; it is the best that

I’ve tried but it isn’t twice as good.

The only other niggle is the lack of

reflectivity. Rapha say it’s impossible

to bond to the DWR fabric.

Rapha say lots more Shadow kit is

on the way: warmers, caps etc. Good.

Brilliantly effective;

very comfortable

PROS

Colossally expensive;

stealth-ninja visibility

CONS

Outstanding

performance, always

knowingly understated

VERDICT

You might want to be

seen in Rapha kit but

in none-more-black

it’s rather unlikely

Water simply

bounces off the

Shaow kit, like, well,

water off a duck’s

back

http://www.rapha.cc

Rapha Pro Team Shadow kit

76 // March 2016