There's no disputing it: Rapha is to cycling apparel what Prada is to haute couture. If there were an annual New York or Paris Fashion Week for cycling apparel, the paparazzi would be tripping over themselves to get shots of Rapha's models. Rapha is just so much more than cycling apparel: it is cycling fashion. Rapha speaks to the cult and culture of cyclists; it is the essence of the lifestyle of a sport that can be brutal, cruel, unrelenting, demeaning and yet beautiful and glorious at the same time.
Sure, Rapha designs--many of which are done by British fashion king Paul Smith--are rugged and display obvious hints of cycling's blue-collar childhood, but at the same time Rapha is beautiful in its simplicity and superior quality materials. So it's no surprise that among those "in the know" Rapha is the coolest name in cycling lifestyle apparel. With vintage flourishes, Rapha harkens back to the glory days of cycling when icons like Lapize, Coppi, Bartoli, Koblet, Bobet, Robic, and Gemiani made competitive cycling a colorful sport full of personalities as dramatic and unpredictable as the brutal roads they raced.
Despite the vintage touches, Rapha is anything but old fashioned. Rapha use innovative natural fabrics to keep you cool, warm, dry, and comfortable as necessary. Using Scottish and Italian Merino wool, couture styling, and first-class craftsmanship, Rapha's jerseys can be worn on the bike or for a night on the town.
Bicycling magazine wrote that, "Rapha...created the best bike jersey the world has ever seen." What warrants such an accolade? The Rapha Sportwool jersey. Like all Rapha apparel, this jersey brings new standards to the cyclist's standby and finally pairs high-end quality and fashion with high-end bikes. Available in both long- and short-sleeve versions, this Sportwool article offers optimum performance to keep you warm and dry better than most any other available fabric.
As the name suggests, Sportwool is based on Merino wool. This gives the apparel a beautiful look and feel. Wool fiber has evolved over 25,000 years to create a uniquely complex structure of interlocking protein molecules surrounded by electrically charge lysine side chains. Through a natural process called "hydrogen bonding," these side chains electrically attract water vapor molecules, a quality refered to as hydrophilic. The wool fibers actually pull the moisture vapor away from the skin.
As well as keeping you drier and cooler, Sportwool has lower air permeability than 100% polyester, giving you greater wind and chill protection. It's also naturally anti-bacterial and odor resistant. It has natural elasticity for comfort and natural UV protection. With Sportwool you get the best of both worlds. It looks and feels nicer than polyesters but works harder, too. And it's durable and easy to care for: machine washable and quick to dry, with minimal ironing required.