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rapha trailwear technical t-shirt

the drumset used by the pupils unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of my weekly tutoring, comprises snare, bass drum, two mounted toms and a floor tom. these are augmented with hi-hat cymbals, a crash cymbal on the left and larger ride cymbal on the right. due to slavish adherence to such cymbal designations, when a drum fill ends on the floor tom to the right, followed by a crash cymbal on the next beat, all of my students make strenuous efforts to reach over to play that crash cymbal.

in more 'real world' situations, the drummer would be likely to feature another crash cymbal adjacent to the ride on the right to avoid such a stretching manouevre, but i have advised that they're perfectly at liberty to crash the ride cymbal and avoid such exaggerated arm waving. cymbal designations are applied by the manufacturer to aid purchase choices, but i know of rock drummers who use heavier ride cymbals as crashes purely as a matter of course. it's an inherent versatility just waiting to be exploited.

such adaptability is, of course, not confined to the world of percussion. cyclocross and gravel bikes spring to mind, as does the interchangeability of tyre types, but it's also particularly obvious, with a closer look, that items of cycling apparel possess similar properties. i note, for instance, that certain genres of mountain biking are happy to adhere to the bibshorts seen in road-riding. occasionally, these might be concealed 'neath a pair of baggy shorts, but mountain bikers enjoy their saddle comfort as much as the next man.

however, i have often wondered about the crossover potential inherent in garments such as rapha's technical t-shirt. rapha's how to wear suggestion is that it cover a baselayer, and if conditions demand, it might benefit from a lightweight jacket over the top. pretty much the same advice as dispensed to the intrepid roadie, only in that case, it would be a jersey under discussion rather than a technical t-shirt.

there is little doubt, however, that there are many who wish not to sully their tyres or personage by thundering through the undergrowth, but are still more in thrall to the world of bendy bars and skinny wheels. for many, the 'refugee from the peloton' image is not one they may wish to encourage, in which case, the looser approach offered by either rapha's short-sleeve tee (as reviewed) or long'sleeve version of the same, may appeal more to their taste. whether you opt for the layered print as seen here, or the more sober, plain approach, depends a great deal on your sartorial preferences.

however, let's not pretend that the two worlds are identical. the trailwear technical tee is a touch longer than your average jersey, with a far looser approach all round, including at the sleeves. additionally, it features no zips whatsoever, simply internal reinforcing around the neckline. however, the missing part of the equation is that of any pocket space. while those of us of a road persuasion are used to three open rear pockets, occasionally augmented by a fourth, zipped security version, mountain bikers, somehow or other, seem happy to survive without any pockets at all. which beggars the questions, where do they put the coffee money; where do they carry their mini-pumps, and do mountain bikers eschew any form of mobile nutrition?

as one totally inured to the way of the road, i cannot deny that i rode, as advised, with the tee over a long-sleeve baselayer (because i'm a wimp), but under a gilet that featured the necessary rear pockets. though i have a tyre lever and inner tube secreted within a seatpack, the need for a mini pump, a tyre jack, stowaway rainjacket and digital camera pretty much demanded such additional garmentage. the lack of pockets does slightly undermine my cunning plan, and both unfortunately and mystifyingly, rapha seem not to offer a gilet that features rear pockets. i still own a rapha softshell gilet that does, and i rather bemoan its current non-existence; a gap in the market, methinks.

however, cargo space notwithstanding, if you harbour no desires to become a team-mate of wout van aert, the baggier-style of the technical tee does fit the bill rather well, allowing you to look like someone on a bike rather than an individual intent on determining their functional power threshold, or the number of watts expended while ascending foreland hill. on a sunny august saturday morning, i enjoyed a delightful perambulation of loch gorm, adopting a more devil-may-care attitude to the world. as if to underline that new-found disposition, i indulged an a brief bout of shepherding near saligo bay, and a more relaxed attitude atop the hill at aoradh, when stopping to allow two young horse-riders to ascend, lest i frightened the animals by descending at speed.

perhaps mountain bikers are happier than roadies to carry their worldly belongings in a backpack when out for a weekend ride, or maybe there is an inherent mistrust of pockets, should their contents go missing while negotiating the bumpy stuff. of course, if you opt for a frame-fit pump and a pair of cargo bibshorts, the world and its technically t-shirted person can be your oyster. it's also worth noting that the tee-shirt costs a most amenable £55, slightly less than rapha's entry-level core jersey.

it may all come down to either the image you wish to portray on the road (bloke with a bike as opposed to wannabe racer), or the nature of your compatriots. the brilliant added extra is a small pouch of sticky-backed patches, allowing easy repair of any minor tears in the fabric. perhaps that's something rapha could offer along with their regular road-going jerseys and jackets?

rapha's trailwear technical t-shirt is available in sizes ranging from xs to xxl and in multicolour (as reviewed), green, red, purple, light grey, dark grey or navy. price is £55 | rapha technical t-shirt

monday 29 august 2022