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Not typically known as a bicycle touring clothing brand, we took Rapha through the paces on our cross country honeymoon. Granted, I’m already informed (and perhaps a bit biased), as a member of the NYC based racing squad (and having worked at the Rapha Cycle Club in NYC). I know how amazing the clothes are to train and race in. Edie, on the other hand, didn’t own any Rapha prior to our trip. So, besides what she garnered from my opinions, her slate was clean.
Edie and I had our work cut out for us, as one doesn’t typically spend eight or more hours a day in kit that sometimes hasn’t been freshly laundered. Our role wasn’t too dissimilar to the guy in the Columbia outerwear commercials that’s testing the jackets in extreme conditions. The riding would be different from training or racing, we’d be in the saddle much longer, slower hours and seated, more often than not. We’d also face greater varying temperatures throughout our riding day than we’re typically used to, due to terrain and elevation.
Despite the unknowns, Edie and I were still confident (and stoked) to ride across the US with Rapha on our backs. No matter what, we knew we would look damn good while doing it. And, based on our approach with the bikes, the clothes rounded out the unifying sense of style to our honeymoon.
The easiest to identify and certainly most important part of Rapha for our endeavor, was the amazing chamois. I can still recall the first time I rode with one and exclaimed to Mike Spriggs, “It’s like sitting on a couch!” Well, that notion held true throughout our trip. I couldn’t imagine having ridden all that way in a standard custom clothing ordered race chamois. Edie’s first words once back in her racing kit post trip were, “I’m really going to miss that Rapha chamois.” It’s like the Energizer bunny, that chamois. We each had two pairs of shorts that would see anywhere from 2 to 4 days of use before swapping it out for a laundered one, and the cycle would continue. Of course, there is nothing like donning a clean chamois, but even after a day or two of use, they performed perfectly.
We can only attribute this performance to the great construction of Rapha and the materials they use. The fabrics never felt blown out and always retained their shape very well, even after consecutive days of use. The seams all held up great. I even crashed on pavement resulting in hip and arm road rash, but the fabric didn’t rip or tear. My Stowaway and shorts had no visible signs of the contact with the ground. We were impressed (and thankful). The material also cut down on stench, saving us from getting kicked out of various restaurants and hotels. Having lost my olfactory abilities, I would have Edie do a sniff check on my clothes after a few days. I would typically pass with flying colors, where as my days in pure synthetic would have been a different story.
Edie and I also discovered how well wool works well in such a variation of conditions. Our Merino socks served us just as well on 100 degree days as they did on a brisk morning in the 30s. Between a mix of Merino base layer, Classic jersey and Lightweight Jersey; topped with a Stowaway, we always found a combination to cover our needs up top. The Stowaway turned out to be our saving grace, whether starting off with it in the morning or adding it before a descent, it was our most versatile and necessary piece. We even wore it off the bike, quite often. The reflective stripes made it easier to find each other when camping. Our headlamps would illuminate the stripes leading us back to the camping area or to each other. It’s all in the details right?
Rapha served us very well on the trip and here’s a checklist for those who just wanted to look at pictures:
Always looked good ✓
Great chamois ✓
Durability ✓
Odor fighting ✓
Versatility in weather ✓
Kick ass stowaway ✓
Thanks again to Simon and Slate for their support of our trip.
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