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rapha pro team training bibtights

rapha pro team training bibtights

this review presented me with a few conundrums, not the least of which was the fact that i'm really not sure that any of my time on the bike could be (mis) construed as training. i did once agree with rapha founder, simon mottram, that neither of us would indulge in what a pro rider might consider to be 'training', though i have a sneaking suspicion he didn't quite stick to his part of the bargain. sadly, i have more than stuck to my part of the agreement, to which any of my fellow riders would be happy to attest.

secondly, though rapha's pro team range purports to be of a standard that would see it employed by professional riders (a stance with which i'm more than happy to concur), i harbour doubts as to whether the professionals actually have a portion of their wardrobes set aside for specific training garmentage. though i've never paid close attention, imagery featured in what's left of britain's race-oriented media, seems remarkably similar to their team-issue kit, of which i've no doubt they possess a considerable amount. so my question would be whether the existence of pro-level training kit is something any would consider a necessity?

rapha pro team training bibtights

the above concerns could easily be classified as leaning heavily towards the supercilious; they are surely of peripheral concern to all but the most dogmatic or pedantic amongst the world's peloton. but my final gripe, if i might class these as such, is quite what rapha think is of real benefit to the intrepid, training cyclist.

i am well-acquainted with rapha's international status, where they have positioned themselves to be all things to all nations. the evidence for that is annually described in the festive 500 photos emanating from the antipodes and southern california, as we plough through galeforce driven torrential rain in close to sub-zero temperatures. in which case, is it possible that a disconnect has entered the fray? for instance, i'd imagine that, as australia heads towards high-summer, there is scarce need for bibtights for any style of riding. the same goes for velocipedinal residents of los angeles and san francisco.

rapha pro team training bibtights

in order to make myself a tad clearer, while the pro team training bibtights feature a remarkably comfortable pad, they are not lined in any way, shape or form. and as the uk, particularly the hebrides, views winter on a not so distant horizon, to be perfectly blunt, it can be pretty darned cold out there. do you see where i'm going with this?

during my first ride clad in a navy-coloured pair of pro team training tights, train as i might (and i did try very, very hard), it was all i could do to maintain an equitable temperature in my lower limbs. according to the garmin, the temperature for much of the day was a smidgeon above seven degrees celcius; add in the substantial windchill and i doubt the mercury would have broken five degrees. believe me, even with an input of strenuous effort, a roubaix lining to the tights would have been most welcome, if not actually compulsory.

rapha pro team training bibtights

i need hardly point out that we are barely past the mid-point of october, with many a long, dark, cold, wet, wind-strewn few months ahead, where temperatures are unlikely to display a notable increase. should i, or any other rapha clad cyclist, wish to hone our impressive power and physiques, some sort of insulation would have been a nice luxury to have. yet, only a day later, the temperature improved by a few degrees, rendering the bibtights slightly more apposite, and probably everything i've said above, effectively moot.

i'd be more than happy to invite rapha's designers to experience the winter months in the hebrides, if only to realise the extent of their inadvertent folly, but meantime, i may have a suggestion. in order to cover all bases (pun intended), perhaps two strains of training bibtights would provide a choice depending on your postcode. a lined pair for southern wimps and the scots, unlined for everyone else. we may be the flandrians of the west, but we like to be toasty while we're inhabiting that space.

rapha pro team training bibtights

admittedly, rapha's website does mention that the bibtights are intended for cool to mild conditions. sadly, neither adjective seems applicable up here until past easter next year.

however, i must perform a bit of a u-turn (something that seems to be quite trendy these days), for despite my climate crisis, these are actually very, very good. offering a very close, yet shiny fit, the lower-limbs of the honed physique mentioned earlier, will be shown to their best advantage as you train for next year's classics season.

the bib straps eschew the mesh constitution shown by the pro-team winter tights, pared to the minimum in white elastic, attached like a pair of braces, to the front waistband. at the rear there's a contoured seamless panel offering shelter from the cold for the lower back. the pair reviewed were size small (i'm 5'10") and at ride's end, were as comfortable as when first worn, with no chafing or discomfort across the shoulders. the chamois-pad is apparently sized to complement the size chosen, quites impeccably so, since, over 150km, i was scarcely aware of its existence. the fabric is created from 100% recycled materials, mainly nylon, constituted to provide compression across the legs.

i appreciate that my weather and temperature gripes pertain to my own experience, and will not be of major concern to all purchasers, but in this day and age, it seems a tad optimistic to offer a one-size-fits-all approach to training regimes that need to encompass an entire world of meteorology and cyclists.

just saying.

rapha's pro-team training tights are available in navy, black and burgundy, in sizes ranging from xs to xxl. retail price is £180 | rapha pro-team training bibtights

tuesday 18 october 2022

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