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TECH NEWS

Rapha’s new Pro Team Lightweight Wind Jacket offers lightweight wind protection

Rapha launches new 136g wind jacket for early morning rides and mountain descents

Rapha has unveiled the new Pro Team Lightweight Wind Jacket which is designed for early morning starts or long mountain descents. 

- The best windproof cycling jackets

The new £120 jacket is intended to be used when a gilet doesn’t quite offer enough protection, and the weather doesn’t call for a heavier more insulated jacket.

It’s made from a lightweight fabric with a size medium weighing a claimed 135g, which the company tells us is 35g lighter than its Classic Wind Jacket. 

rapha wind jacket back.png

Its development has been inspired by a jacket that Team Sky has been wearing since 2015 and as with any cycle clothing designed for racers, and especially Rapha's Pro Team range, it has a close fit that is intended to ensure the jacket doesn’t flap around. 

The front-facing panels are made from a  windproof material, and it has incorporated a mesh fabric back panel to provide ventilation and a mesh collar inner for comfort. There’s a full-length plastic Vislon zipper and a 10mm elastic waistband with a gripper tape. 

Of course, it packs down extremely small when not needed. And in a nod to the concerns of non-racing cyclists, there are a handful of reflective details.

It costs £120 and is available in six sizes from XS to XXL. More info at www.rapha.cc

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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11 comments

Avatar
brackley88 | 7 years ago
1 like

Price...blah...blah....blah...

 

Bankers on bikes...blah.....blah.....blah

 

Aldi....blah ...blah....blah

 

(hope I have saved some people some time)

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
2 likes

Yeah it would be nice to see some actual data on clothing visibility and accidents, though it would be used to victim blame unfortunately. 

 

I have two Castelli black wintery jersey/jacket things and never noticed any difference in how drivers respond to me. Get tossers making close passes no matter what you wear!

 

Either way hope Rapha bring out more colours in this. Looks nice, but I'm in the mood for some colours at the moment.

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marche | 7 years ago
0 likes

You'd better take a waterproof jacket with you on alpine climbs.

(Black is the new fluorescent yellow)

Avatar
RobD | 7 years ago
4 likes

To be fair to them, the kind of early mornings where you're likely to only want a jacket as lightweight as this are likely to be pretty light (at least in the uk)

Avatar
stenmeister replied to RobD | 7 years ago
2 likes

RobD wrote:

To be fair to them, the kind of early mornings where you're likely to only want a jacket as lightweight as this are likely to be pretty light (at least in the uk)

 

I agree. It was 12c in Glasgow this morning and this jacket would have suited me fine. As it happened I was wearing a black Rapha jersey but I imagine that what really made me visible was the lights set to strobe.

Avatar
Paul J replied to stenmeister | 7 years ago
0 likes
stenmeister wrote:

I agree. It was 12c in Glasgow this morning and this jacket would have suited me fine. As it happened I was wearing a black Rpaha jersey but what really made me visible was the lights set to strobe.

You're not the guy cycling into the Glasgow along PRW I see every now and then with the bright strobe light up front by any chance? Cause if so, damn that thing is bright - even in daylight.

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stenmeister replied to Paul J | 7 years ago
0 likes

Paul J wrote:
stenmeister wrote:

I agree. It was 12c in Glasgow this morning and this jacket would have suited me fine. As it happened I was wearing a black Rpaha jersey but what really made me visible was the lights set to strobe.

You're not the guy cycling into the Glasgow along PRW I see every now and then with the bright strobe light up front by any chance? Cause if so, damn that thing is bright - even in daylight.

Nah, I come down the hills from East Kilbride.

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bobbinogs | 7 years ago
0 likes

mmm, early morning starts in the UK and a top that is completely black*.  Good combo there, still they did get the word "Pro" in the product description so that should help identify the target market.

 

* aside from an incredibly small reflective area which is positioned such that it won't get any light on it when a cyclist is actually cycling.

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Yorkshire wallet replied to bobbinogs | 7 years ago
1 like

Bobbinogs wrote:

mmm, early morning starts in the UK and a top that is completely black*.  Good combo there, still they did get the word "Pro" in the product description so that should help identify the target market.

 

* aside from an incredibly small reflective area which is positioned such that it won't get any light on it when a cyclist is actually cycling.

 

Yeah but......it looks good!

Avatar
bobbinogs replied to Yorkshire wallet | 7 years ago
0 likes

Yorkshire wallet wrote:

Bobbinogs wrote:

mmm, early morning starts in the UK and a top that is completely black*.  Good combo there, still they did get the word "Pro" in the product description so that should help identify the target market.

 

* aside from an incredibly small reflective area which is positioned such that it won't get any light on it when a cyclist is actually cycling.

Yeah but......it looks good!

Haha!  yeah, can't argue with that   1

Avatar
tritecommentbot | 7 years ago
0 likes

Very nice, would get one if it gets released in a different colour.

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