Thursday, September 18, 2008

Cyclocross Goods from Rapha

For Rapha's Autumn/Winter winter collection will include two 'cross specific items, the Cross Jersey and the 3/4 Cross Bib Shorts, were designed with input from the well-regarded American frame-builder Independent Fabrication.



Their Cross Jersey was "inspired by the hardy cyclocross racers of Europe and North America, the Rapha Cross Jersey has been constructed for the unique demands of the sport" and is "versatile enough for everyday use". Their Cross Jersey, like all of the other Rapha garments, has a couple of well thought out features; e.g. a small amount of padding stitched into the right shoulder and one well-designed rear pocket. The rear pocket should be easy to open and get to, even with full fingered gloves, as the zipper has a large ring pull and is set in at an ergonomic angle.


Their Cross ¾ Bib Shorts have a full back and are constructed from Italian Thermoroubaix, a polyamide/polyester/elastane fabric, and Rapha's Cytech chamois. The Cross ¾ Bib Shorts sport a small, neoprene-lined, zippered key pocket placed on the back of the shorts & slightly above the waist line. I'm tempted to describe it as a Rapha tramp stamp, but it's placed a little further up the back than most tramp stamps are and Rapha could never be considered trampy.

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