Rapha's Gabba?

bendertherobot

http://pages.rapha.cc/stories/pro-team- ... l%20Jacket

Anonymous

Want*

Thinking that the past 2 days have been with endura base layer and pro team race cape and been too hot

bendertherobot

I'm happy to trial as I was going to return my normal style Pro Team (redundant because of my Alpha's).

Dippydog3

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm happy to trial as I was going to return my normal style Pro Team (redundant because of my Alpha's).

Am I missing something? This isnt as good as the Alpha.

bendertherobot

Dippydog3 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm happy to trial as I was going to return my normal style Pro Team (redundant because of my Alpha's).

Am I missing something? This isnt as good as the Alpha.

What isn't? No-one's tried one yet.

thegreatdivide

bendertherobot wrote:

Dippydog3 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm happy to trial as I was going to return my normal style Pro Team (redundant because of my Alpha's).

Am I missing something? This isnt as good as the Alpha.

What isn't? No-one's tried one yet.

Hehe.

flasher

Hmmm............interesting!

bendertherobot

Wipe clean. That's why I bought the red. Less stormtrooper. It's a pretty good touch I reckon.

bendertherobot

Glad I ordered mind, they'll be gone by tomorrow.
http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/pro-team ... duct/PST01

meanredspider

I saw that but, if it's water-resistant, I don't see the point of the wipe-clean feature. Your ar$e is going to be soaked

bendertherobot

meanredspider wrote:

I saw that but, if it's water-resistant, I don't see the point of the wipe-clean feature. Your ar$e is going to be soaked

Nanoflex......

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

I saw that but, if it's water-resistant, I don't see the point of the wipe-clean feature. Your ar$e is going to be soaked

Nanoflex......

As I said, your ar$e is going to be soaked...

itboffin

I've not found rapha kit to be as good as my castelli, more comfy definitely but not quiet as practical.

That said I've been wearing castelli bibs with rapha winter jersey with a gabba gilet over the top, seems perfect for 0 to -5 wet and or windy.

I'd like to try one as I would the alpha but I've really got much kit, way too much.

bendertherobot

meanredspider wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

I saw that but, if it's water-resistant, I don't see the point of the wipe-clean feature. Your ar$e is going to be soaked

Nanoflex......

As I said, your ar$e is going to be soaked...

I'm not so sure. It's fine now with the Hardshell and Nanoflex. I do have mudguards mind

bendertherobot

itboffin wrote:

I've not found rapha kit to be as good as my castelli, more comfy definitely but not quiet as practical.

That said I've been wearing castelli bibs with rapha winter jersey with a gabba gilet over the top, seems perfect for 0 to -5 wet and or windy.

I'd like to try one as I would the alpha but I've really got much kit, way too much.

I think that, generally, Rapha use good, old fashioned but also advanced materials to make products. But, there's no real technical innovation in the design per se. Good design, but no game changers.

Castelli are trying to improve design by, for example, creating the Gabba, the inner zipped stuff on the Alphas etc. To an extent, even the Sorpasso, by going for warm lightness, is an innovation.

This new jacket looks like Rapha are trying to push the very technical stuff. Quite excited to try it.

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

I do have mudguards mind

Rendering the wipe-clean patch (and, fortunately, the disappointing Nanoflex) unnecessary.

In fact, I wonder if the patch will have a similar effect that the pockets my Gabbas do - make the pocket itself very sweaty. On dry rides, my phone, wrapped in a poly bag, comes out dripping. I don't have this on my AirJacks or any jerseys. A completely impervious layer, like the wipe-clean patch, will be perfect to make a pocket very sweaty.

nibby

Looking forward to the review BTR if anything like the original softshell it will be a cracking bit of kit. I'm still wearing the ss nearly 10 yrs later. If only I could do that with other things and stop wanting to buy more!!

bendertherobot

By the way, they said, on Facebook, there would not be a ss version but a new foul weather ss product is on the way

itboffin

I think the rapha pro kit is hi tech or so they say, the lightweight jersey I bought this year feels very different from any of my other jerseys I've not ridden in it yet, its staying in the back of the cupboard until the sun returns.

bendertherobot

itboffin wrote:

I think the rapha pro kit is hi tech or so they say, the lightweight jersey I bought this year feels very different from any of my other jerseys I've not ridden in it yet, its staying in the back of the cupboard until the sun returns.

It's high tech to the extent that the materials are. But, that could be said of even something like the DHB Windslam. In the hierarchy of kit I think the material tech that Rapha use is up there with Castelli and Gore but, perhaps, not Assos.

Where I think Assos and, in particular, Castelli, now excel is how they put them to use. The Castelli Alpha is like nothing else. At it's heart it's just windstopper but how they implemented it is special.

I had the Pro Team jacket. It IS excellent. But it is just a really good cut of a proprietary DWR windstopper front and jersey rear. But, it IS excellent.

itboffin

Isn't the windstopper material a gore trademark?

I really need to try out some assos but the stupid names and frankly wank models puts me off.

stueys

So this seems to be more waterproof and hence less breathable version of the current pro team jacket? Is that the main difference?

bendertherobot

itboffin wrote:

Isn't the windstopper material a gore trademark?

I really need to try out some assos but the stupid names and frankly rub models puts me off.

Yes. Castelli use Gore windstopper fabric. Two different types in the Alpha jacket and jersey respectively.

bendertherobot

Stueys wrote:

So this seems to be more waterproof and hence less breathable version of the current pro team jacket? Is that the main difference?

Yes. No polartec fleece though. So think soft-shell a la the Gabba but with more seam taping and efforts to keep the rain out.

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Isn't the windstopper material a gore trademark?

I really need to try out some assos but the stupid names and frankly rub models puts me off.

Yes. Castelli use Gore windstopper fabric. Two different types in the Alpha jacket and jersey respectively.

I still don't get the Alpha - has the same principle as my kids' Superdry jackets - seems like a gimmick. If I ever needed a warmer front, I'd wear my Assos Gilet. But I almost never do (except descending The Alpe early in the morning) which makes me think the Alpha solves a problem I don't have.

bendertherobot

meanredspider wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Isn't the windstopper material a gore trademark?

I really need to try out some assos but the stupid names and frankly rub models puts me off.

Yes. Castelli use Gore windstopper fabric. Two different types in the Alpha jacket and jersey respectively.

I still don't get the Alpha - has the same principle as my kids' Superdry jackets - seems like a gimmick. If I ever needed a warmer front, I'd wear my Assos Gilet. But I almost never do (except descending The Alpe early in the morning) which makes me think the Alpha solves a problem I don't have.

I'm not sure why you use the term warmer. It's warm. Either you have the jacket, which is for winter use. Or you have the jersey, for autumn use. Both keep you warm and, crucially, neither keep you too warm. They are both temperate. So I have no need for a gilet and no need to take that gilet off and put it somewhere else. Indeed, the only time I've used a gilet recently is during CX races. Useful on crap weather days.

It's entirely different to a Superdry jacket. That just has multiple bonkers zips. The Alpha has an attached base layer which happens to be zipped. It would be quite difficult to get on otherwise.

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Isn't the windstopper material a gore trademark?

I really need to try out some assos but the stupid names and frankly rub models puts me off.

Yes. Castelli use Gore windstopper fabric. Two different types in the Alpha jacket and jersey respectively.

I still don't get the Alpha - has the same principle as my kids' Superdry jackets - seems like a gimmick. If I ever needed a warmer front, I'd wear my Assos Gilet. But I almost never do (except descending The Alpe early in the morning) which makes me think the Alpha solves a problem I don't have.

I'm not sure why you use the term warmer. It's warm. Either you have the jacket, which is for winter use. Or you have the jersey, for autumn use. Both keep you warm and, crucially, neither keep you too warm. They are both temperate. So I have no need for a gilet and no need to take that gilet off and put it somewhere else. Indeed, the only time I've used a gilet recently is during CX races. Useful on crap weather days.

It's entirely different to a Superdry jacket. That just has multiple bonkers zips. The Alpha has an attached base layer which happens to be zipped. It would be quite difficult to get on otherwise.

The point being I almost never use a gilet so I don't even need to think about where to put it (other than which shelf in the cupboard). The jackets I have are warm enough (in the body). In fact, as demonstrated by arm warmers, it's the extremities you want to adjust first.

bendertherobot

Everyone's different. I've not had a jacket yet which I felt covered all the bases. This one does.

Washingmachinepost liked it as well. Well, he likes most things mind.

http://www.thewashingmachinepost.net/castelli/alpha/

But I still like to have a couple of other go to options.

nibby

The Alpha jersey works so well for me and I can see me getting major use from it over anything else I've got.

I was going to look for a jacket as well but the jersey is all I will need.

I suppose it also depends on the type of riding you are doing.

It still wont stop me from looking at the next best thing though, which is why I'll be interested in the review when you get the Rapha.

At the end of the day everyone is different and want's different things and posts like these I find really help, with real world opinions and not just some ad related review from a magazine.

So keep them coming, all opinions are good.

Personally I find the Assos styling naff but that wont worry some. I liken some of it to someone who wears open toe sandles with white socks

Dippydog3

nibby wrote:

The Alpha jersey works so well for me and I can see me getting major use from it over anything else I've got.

I was going to look for a jacket as well but the jersey is all I will need.

I suppose it also depends on the type of riding you are doing.

It still wont stop me from looking at the next best thing though, which is why I'll be interested in the review when you get the Rapha.

At the end of the day everyone is different and want's different things and posts like these I find really help, with real world opinions and not just some ad related review from a magazine.

So keep them coming, all opinions are good.

Personally I find the Assos styling naff but that wont worry some. I liken some of it to someone who wears open toe sandles with white socks

Me too. from ten to zero degrees I wear a base layer and the Alpha. Always. Thats my got to outfit.

If it is going to possible drizzle then nothing else.
If its going to lash down then I take a light rain jacket to wear over.
If its clear but very cold I will take a gilet to wear over the top of the alpha. Half way through the ride in the coffee shop I have been known to swop it round so the dry gilet goes on the inside.

So, all I really need is base layer, Alpha, jacket and Gilet.

I really like lots of Rapha stuff, but couldn't get a jersey or jacket from them that fitted my body. If you are buying the expensive stuff its best to try all the options and find the one that works for you. They are all fine quality.

Having said that, my £18 jacket from last winter (Aldi special) looks awful but does 85% of the job for 15% of the money. I just dont wear it any more. Sad really.

galatzo

bendertherobot wrote:

Everyone's different. I've not had a jacket yet which I felt covered all the bases. This one does.

Washingmachinepost liked it as well. Well, he likes most things mind.

http://www.thewashingmachinepost.net/castelli/alpha/

But I still like to have a couple of other go to options.

Wtf ? A ponytail ?
It's nearly 2015 man, not that they've ever been right.