Rapha's Gabba?

bendertherobot

I'll see if I can take a proper pic of the red later. It's not cherry. Darker. Not as dark, from memory, as the PT red was.

It seems to be very breathable, that was my fear. I think, if you run warm, it would be a very good choice.

Best bet, IMO, is to order on a credit card before you ebay the rest. Try the size. Try the base layer etc. Try it on the bike with the label attached (they go back on very easily and then decide. If you run warm then, IMO, this can replace both

meanredspider

CookeeeMonster wrote:

...and i dont rate the nanoflex arm warmers at all.

I've commented to the point of appearing churlish that I don't rate Nanoflex at all.

The Gabba is fine but, again, I think it's been subject to hype. As I've posted, I'm constantly surprised by how damp my phone gets in the back pocket on a dry ride.

I'm getting slightly wary of Rapha, too. I've had to return a few things recently because the quality hasn't matched up to the price. I'm happy to pay a premium to get a premium product but, on two or three things, that quality just hasn't been there. To be fair to Rapha, there's also absolutely no quibble so the risk is very low.

bendertherobot

I was never keen on the nanoflex warmers. But the nanoflex bibs/knicks have been my go to this winter.

Last night I had on the Rapha PT Softshell, nanoflex bibs and Northwave Artic commuter.

I felt invincible.

thegreatdivide

CookeeeMonster wrote:

so I'm considering ebaying my pro team and gabba/arm warmers combo for this...

Don't sell it!

I'll never get rid of my PT jacket - it is IMO the best winter top I've ever worn. I've mentioned before that it got me through a ridiculous 30 miles or so in the worst weather I've ever ridden in which wasn’t what it was designed for (I wouldn't do that again though) however for freezing, dry winter days it's the dog's danglers.

bendertherobot

thegreatdivide wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

so I'm considering ebaying my pro team and gabba/arm warmers combo for this...

Don't sell it!

I'll never get rid of my PT jacket - it is IMO the best winter top I've ever worn. I've mentioned before that it got me through a ridiculous 30 miles or so in the worst weather I've ever ridden in which wasn’t what it was designed for (I wouldn't do that again though) however for freezing, dry winter days it's the dog's danglers.

He could buy a Castelli Alpha with the proceeds

thegreatdivide

bendertherobot wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

so I'm considering ebaying my pro team and gabba/arm warmers combo for this...

Don't sell it!

I'll never get rid of my PT jacket - it is IMO the best winter top I've ever worn. I've mentioned before that it got me through a ridiculous 30 miles or so in the worst weather I've ever ridden in which wasn’t what it was designed for (I wouldn't do that again though) however for freezing, dry winter days it's the dog's danglers.

He could buy a Castelli Alpha with the proceeds

Or a pair of the PT bib longs! That's another amazing bit of kit btw. The luxurious long distance back side comfort of the PT bibs with added leg warmth/compression/DWR. I'm having a quality winter this year! :-)

bendertherobot

thegreatdivide wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

CookeeeMonster wrote:

so I'm considering ebaying my pro team and gabba/arm warmers combo for this...

Don't sell it!

I'll never get rid of my PT jacket - it is IMO the best winter top I've ever worn. I've mentioned before that it got me through a ridiculous 30 miles or so in the worst weather I've ever ridden in which wasn’t what it was designed for (I wouldn't do that again though) however for freezing, dry winter days it's the dog's danglers.

He could buy a Castelli Alpha with the proceeds

Or a pair of the PT bib longs! That's another amazing bit of kit btw. The luxurious long distance back side comfort of the PT bibs with added leg warmth/compression/DWR. I'm having a quality winter this year! :-)

Yeah, have to say, I do like the sound of those.

ddraver

Father Christmas is bringing me some of those

bendertherobot

I'm tempted to dabble. I have two Sorpasso and one Nanoflex. And some DHB's for off roading

One of the Sorpassos hasn't yet left the bag. I wonder how much better these are?

stueys

Sir Velo wrote:

Great looking piece of kit and some good review from Bender. At the moment I am trying to let my 'head' rule rather than my 'heart' although I suspect I will weaken at some point.

Truth is I don't race enough in conditions when this would be the perfect answer, mainly do TTs and Tri's with temperatures high enough to simply ride in the rain and get wet. My club rides I would use my Rapha classic softshell or pro team jacket and not really needing to be 'race aero' would stuff a rain jacket in the back pocket for heavy rain.

Now an early or late season long distance Tri (when putting in on an off is not such a time issue) is something to consider.

Commute within London and again don't need to be race aero particulary with a rucksack on my back. So classic softshell is fine. For heavy rain out comes the Hardshell, but to be honest it hardly gets an outing (but nice as an ultimate bad weather back up).

So currently trying not to sit on the Rapha web site with my credit card any where near me, but it is hard.

SV

Exactly where I am, it looks lovely but with a Pro team jacket, rain jacket and a hardshell all in the cupboard it's a pretty small niche it would fill. Plus I love the pro team jacket at this time of year, with a rain coat stashed in the pocket it's all I really need.

But it does look like a lovely...!

bendertherobot

On the hardshell. I like mine very much but, does anyone elses ride up slightly when riding? I occasionally have to pull it down as it creeps up on my shoulders.

thegreatdivide

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm tempted to dabble. I have two Sorpasso and one Nanoflex. And some DHB's for off roading

One of the Sorpassos hasn't yet left the bag. I wonder how much better these are?

I still use my old dhb bib longs for short post-work night rides but I have to wear my really old Assos bibs over the top to get any sort of padding. Also, having munchkin legs doesn’t help when sourcing other longs. So after the disappointment of the dhb’s I was doing my winters with thermal bib shorts (Assos t607) and leg warmers. Not bad at all, but not the best when the weather gets really daft – so I took a punt on the PT longs. Well worth it – they’re the damage! My only criticism is the RAPHA logo on the rear. I can possibly see that as being a wear point if you’re jersey/jacket is low enough to rub it. I’m ok because of the aforementioned munchkin legs = long torso, but for ‘normal’ people that might be an issue.

bendertherobot

Looks like they may be worth a punt. Hovers....................

paul_mck

where would you guys put the rain jacket in all this?

ddraver

emergency shell for spring/autumn rides where you re hoping not to get we but you live in England* so...

*Sorry Britain. expat and all...

amack

paul_mck wrote:

where would you guys put the rain jacket in all this?

Just as waterproof as the hardshell but not as warm so where I would wear just a base layer with the hardshell atm you would need a jersey as well with the Rain jacket. Both great fitting jackets for me but as Bender has noticed I'm always tugging at the back of my hardshell when I'm stopped, mind you I never really notice it when I'm riding.

cougie

Aah I'm harking back to the days when your kit was :

Short sleeve top.

Wooly long sleeve top.

Nylon fronted winter jacket.

Shorts with real chamois

Wooly overtights

It was a lot easier to get dressed in those days !

LegendLust

cougie wrote:

Aah I'm harking back to the days when your kit was :

Short sleeve top.

Wooly long sleeve top.

Nylon fronted winter jacket.

Shorts with real chamois

Wooly overtights

It was a lot easier to get dressed in those days !

You forgot your braces

cougie

Bloody braces - the amount of times they twanged off - amazing I didnt lose an eye.

LegendLust

cougie wrote:

Bloody braces - the amount of times they twanged off - amazing I didnt lose an eye.

My braces used to keep my Been Bags up - you remember them?

cougie

I dont ! Do tell !

on-yer-bike

I have a medium and as I mentioned earlier it fits like a straight jacket. I checked with Rapha and that's correct. So if you bought a size up you might be wearing it too big.

bendertherobot

thegreatdivide wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm tempted to dabble. I have two Sorpasso and one Nanoflex. And some DHB's for off roading

One of the Sorpassos hasn't yet left the bag. I wonder how much better these are?

I still use my old dhb bib longs for short post-work night rides but I have to wear my really old Assos bibs over the top to get any sort of padding. Also, having munchkin legs doesn’t help when sourcing other longs. So after the disappointment of the dhb’s I was doing my winters with thermal bib shorts (Assos t607) and leg warmers. Not bad at all, but not the best when the weather gets really daft – so I took a punt on the PT longs. Well worth it – they’re the damage! My only criticism is the RAPHA logo on the rear. I can possibly see that as being a wear point if you’re jersey/jacket is low enough to rub it. I’m ok because of the aforementioned munchkin legs = long torso, but for ‘normal’ people that might be an issue.

Ordered the last XL. Came today. They are utterly lush.

BUT, mine are loose at the ankles. Not awfully so but, even given my large calves, not quite as tight as I'd expect. Are yours like this?

FatTed

what is the jacket like to ride in with the zip half undone?

thegreatdivide

bendertherobot wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

I'm tempted to dabble. I have two Sorpasso and one Nanoflex. And some DHB's for off roading

One of the Sorpassos hasn't yet left the bag. I wonder how much better these are?

I still use my old dhb bib longs for short post-work night rides but I have to wear my really old Assos bibs over the top to get any sort of padding. Also, having munchkin legs doesn’t help when sourcing other longs. So after the disappointment of the dhb’s I was doing my winters with thermal bib shorts (Assos t607) and leg warmers. Not bad at all, but not the best when the weather gets really daft – so I took a punt on the PT longs. Well worth it – they’re the damage! My only criticism is the RAPHA logo on the rear. I can possibly see that as being a wear point if you’re jersey/jacket is low enough to rub it. I’m ok because of the aforementioned munchkin legs = long torso, but for ‘normal’ people that might be an issue.

Ordered the last XL. Came today. They are utterly lush.

BUT, mine are loose at the ankles. Not awfully so but, even given my large calves, not quite as tight as I'd expect. Are yours like this?

Mine are a size small. They're totally skin tight with zero excess material. They take about 5 mins to put on properly which is how it should be.

meanredspider

thegreatdivide wrote:

Mine are a size small. They're totally skin tight with zero excess material. They take about 5 mins to put on properly which is how it should be.

Do you then not feel like you're working against the tights as well as the bike? I hate wearing tights because I feel they restrict my legs at the knee in particular

bendertherobot

It's an odd one. I've always taken XL in the Pro Team. These just slide on. No bad thing. But the flappy ness at the ankles is weird. It's not as if they're too long either and I'm not particularly tall!

thegreatdivide

meanredspider wrote:

thegreatdivide wrote:

Mine are a size small. They're totally skin tight with zero excess material. They take about 5 mins to put on properly which is how it should be.

Do you then not feel like you're working against the tights as well as the bike? I hate wearing tights because I feel they restrict my legs at the knee in particular

I don't really notice any particular leg area feeling restricted on these. They just work.

Re the softshell. Just tried mine on for the first time and wow - that's a body hugging jacket! I'm 5 ft 7 and a bit and about 66kg so wear PT jerseys in a small and jackets in a medium - I won't be getting anything more than a base layer under there! :shock:

chrisǃ

Just thought I'd throw my 2p in re the pro team soft shell.
I'm 67kg 6ft tall and normally wear size small in all the pro team kit. The fit on the PTSS is a proper race fit, no flapping material etc. I personally think it's a great fit, but if your a bit like Jan Ulrich in the off season and pile on the pounds get a size up or a different jacket!
Technically the jacket is great, the average temp for 3 hours this morning was 5oc, I wore a long sleeve merino base under it and was pretty comfortable.

on-yer-bike

Chris! wrote:

Just thought I'd throw my 2p in re the pro team soft shell.
I'm 67kg 6ft tall and normally wear size small in all the pro team kit. The fit on the PTSS is a proper race fit, no flapping material etc. I personally think it's a great fit, but if your a bit like Jan Ulrich in the off season and pile on the pounds get a size up or a different jacket!
Technically the jacket is great, the average temp for 3 hours this morning was 5oc, I wore a long sleeve merino base under it and was pretty comfortable.

Is the PTSS a small too?