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TECH NEWS

Rapha Team Sky replica kit now available

Jersey and bib shorts as worn by Bradley Wiggins hit the shops

London-based clothing company Rapha’s Team Sky Replica kit is now available, offering the same look jersey and bib shorts as being raced by Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome this season. And with spring in the air (almost) now you can show your support for them and hit the roads in matching team kit.

Rapha offer three levels of Team Sky kit. There’s the £140 pro level jersey and shorts that is actually worn by the team, a £40 supporters jersey with a more relaxed fit, and sliding in between them both is the replica kit we’re showing you here today. From a distance it's hard to tell apart from the top-end version but the difference is in the fabrics used and the cut. And of course the price.

It’s made from performance fabrics but not the super high-tech stuff used in the pro jersey. A lightweight breathable Lycra is used in the main panels with mesh side panels for increased ventilation. The fabric is treated with an antibacterial finish.

The side panels have been designed to hold the jersey in shape and to stop the pockets sagging when heavily loaded. Talking of which, there’s three pockets plus a zipped pocket for your house keys or other valuable time. It’s available in six sizes (XS to XXL) and costs £75.

Get the full Team Sky look with the matching replica bib shorts. They’re made from an Elastane-based fabric with a high stretch factor to provide a good fit and comfort on the bike, as well as being breathable for warmer days.

The same antibacterial treatment is used. Fit is enhanced with a multi-panel design. Inside is a high quality chamois. They cost £100 and available in six sizes.

More details 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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53 comments

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WolfieSmith | 10 years ago
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I love it. After years of complaining that Rapha is over priced and elitist the Rapha Bashers are now complaining about Rapha selling cheap stuff to the masses....  39

My club kit made by Vermarc but I suspect that as pro kit it's actually not designed to stand repeated washes beyond a season. That's why I buy Rapha shorts. That and because I don't like the way I'm supposed to act a billboard for our club sponsor who have completely smothered a fine club jersey with their brand name. That's another story though...  37

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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I gladly wear replica kit but only on the condition that is a) cheap in the sale b) of discredited teams riddled with cheats, dopers and whingers c) makes me look slightly thinner.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to betweenbikes | 10 years ago
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betweenbikes wrote:

the time has come to wear 'replica kit' with pride,
and show the world which team you support...

then watch the racing down the pub and when your team loses have a fight with your rivals
 4

Seem to recall Cav got a bit of abuse from beered-up Sky fans during 2010 Tour de France...?

(Yup, didn't imagine it: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/475511/cavendish-jeered-by-sk... )

Guess when he signed for Sky at end of 2011 they must have felt like football fans whose team signs a star player from local rivals... all forgiven very quickly.

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lycra vs lager | 10 years ago
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Does it come in size FB?

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dave atkinson replied to pwake | 10 years ago
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pwake wrote:

Thanks everyone! I knew I'd get more than a few minutes entertainment and distraction from work if I checked out the comments on a Rapha article.
Off to the latest Lance Armstrong one now; might have to get a cup of tea first...

Don't forget to stop in at helmets  4

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andyp | 10 years ago
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'if anyone feels they need to speak to me about it i will endeavour to show them the error of their ways. '

ooh, scary

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leguape replied to Fixie Girl | 10 years ago
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Fixie Girl wrote:

Who I work for is irrelevant in this context as I am passing a comment as an individual.. I don't run the company I work for. I previously worked as a buyer for an Italian cycle clothing company hence I know the price points on shorts made in italy and china.

I can't understand why when anyone questions Rapha they are criticised as whinging/knocking… I thought you Brits were all for free speech… I have spent $$$ with Rapha over the years so I am disappointed in them lowering their brand and I bet I am not the only customer who thinks so.

Skinny Latte time for me…

FG

Lots of things to pick up so far that are wrong assumptions.

1. Rapha doesn't have shareholders, it's owned by private equity.
2. Burberry never went out and tried to cheapen their brand. In the UK and worldwide the classic print (which they used for nearly 80 years unbothered) was bootlegged to an unprecedented level based on items from a couple of seasons. Their response was to stop using it in their designs until that passed. In case you hadn't noticed, they've been growing considerably in the last few years.
3. I had a look at the various Rapha lines in Evans cycles this week. The supporters range (40 quid stuff) isn't replica kit in the sublimation print on a cheaper fabric model. It's look is identical to the rest of the sky identity but it is distinctly different item which looks to be carefully targeted at people who feel they would look like a dobber wearing a normal cycling jersey in the pub.
4. You don't make a great deal of money putting kit on teams. It will have cost them several million to do so and it looks like they've had to acquire a bigger distribution centre to deal with predicted volumes. 30 riders, 800 items or so per rider, all a cost to the business.
5. Every successful luxury brand relies on principles of accessible luxury for its sales. Or lipstick and perfume as it commonly happens to be. Burberry and Chanel make a hell of a lot more from those than their clothes.

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Yennings | 10 years ago
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Any road, I'd far rather see Rapha providing kit for Sky than see cyclists wearing Adidas. That just looks wrong for so many reasons.

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Stumps replied to andyp | 10 years ago
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andyp wrote:

'if anyone feels they need to speak to me about it i will endeavour to show them the error of their ways. '

ooh, scary

HAHAHA LUSH, you want to hear what my wife says as well  21

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notfastenough replied to brackley88 | 10 years ago
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brackley88 wrote:

As a result of this discussion I have decided to wave particularly cheery waves to people in replica Sky team kit for the rest of the year..even (sharp intake of breath) last years kit!!!! ..(though not if they run red lights of course, heaven forbid)...

In fact, I am going to give every (law abidding) cyclist in any team kit particularly welcoming waves, especially if they look new to the sport (you know, unmatching shorts and jersey, slightly..er...odd helmet perched quite far back).

Think I might join you in this! When I got back into cycling I rode for a few weeks with trainers on while I got my confidence back. I passed some of the Academy squad going the other way in their GB kit. They nodded an acknowledgement, but the one at the back looked at my trainers like I was wearing polka-dot furry wellies or something.

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kevarino replied to Yennings | 10 years ago
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Yennings wrote:

Any road, I'd far rather see Rapha providing kit for Sky than see cyclists wearing Adidas. That just looks wrong for so many reasons.

Does that mean the old ones aren't retro cool?  16

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andyp | 10 years ago
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'HAHAHA LUSH, you want to hear what my wife says as well Laughing '

[avoids the obvious response]  3

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Simon E replied to fretters | 10 years ago
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@fretters- you were doing so well, but let yourself down with citing some poxy 'rule'.

TBH I am not into wearing pro team kit but I am comfortable with it. Was marshalling a time trial last October to see Mark Cavendish's doppelganger cross the junction. Yep, the Sky world champs jersey. And I thought "Hey, that looks good. He must be a Sky & Cavendish fan". The potential for a faux-pas was negated by the facts that it looked great; it was our supertastic Cav's jersey he so admired he bought one; and that yes, Sky is a British outfit with many supporters in a country which has shunned and mocked cycling for so long.

It's Rapha's brand, they can 'cheapen' it any way they wish (though I doubt Mr Mottram would do it). Let them charge what they want.

My stock answer to "You don't pay road tax" is "Neither do you". But in the end you can't fight wilful ignorance.

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mikeprytherch | 10 years ago
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Who would of thought a British company selling goods and actually doing well would get so much debate.

Choice is a wonderful thing, lets use it, to buy or not to buy, but don't criticise choice, it would be a horrible world is only one thing existed, imagine... only one brand/model/colour of bike !

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Cooks | 10 years ago
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I have a replica Omega Pharma Quickstep jersey that I wear quite regularly.

Not because of the team, I'm just really into drugs and laminate flooring.

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notfastenough | 10 years ago
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I've always thought it was slightly hilarious that a pharmaceutical firm should choose to sponsor a cycling team - what are they trying to sell, and to who, precisely?!  4

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Simon_MacMichael replied to notfastenough | 10 years ago
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notfastenough wrote:

I've always thought it was slightly hilarious that a pharmaceutical firm should choose to sponsor a cycling team - what are they trying to sell, and to who, precisely?!  4

Even more curious was Omega Pharma choosing its Predictor brand as the one to lend its name to Lotto-Predictor a few years back. Products? Pregnancy testing kits.

The one that has me scratching my head is Amgen sponsoring the Tour of California.

Here's a Washington Post article about how Amgen made huge amounts of money through EPO...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/amgen-anemia-drugs/index.html

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jijiandnoah replied to Cooks | 10 years ago
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Cooks wrote:

Man, even cyclists hate cyclists.

Bit late to the party on this thread but this totally deserves another quote  4

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seabass89 | 10 years ago
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Can't people just cycle with whatever they want to without being given the stink eye?

I quite like the EBH Jersey, as a faithful Norwegian I might buy it and wear it proudly on the English roads where I live. Ha take that! Championship jersey AND replica!

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Fixie Girl replied to leguape | 10 years ago
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1. All UK limited companies have shareholders.. In the last report filed they have 15 shareholders including Nicholas Evans, wonder why Evans Cycles in the UK are the only retail outlet for the Sky Kit wonder no more...

2. Burberry went to attract a younger market by providing garments to mainstream celebrities in the UK and it went a bit wrong from what I read in the NYT. But that is only an opinion...

3. The samples we were sent in the US look and feel decidedly poly cotton like a polo shirt.

4. So Rapha is now a charity? Surely its picked Sky as the top team to sell kit, there are 47 Sky items available on the US site.

5. Yep, I understand the principle of the on ramp product, Rapha already had plenty of these before the sky kit went online.

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seanieh66 | 10 years ago
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As a Sky Rider said recently...no one died;-).

Take it easy peeps.

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seanieh66 replied to jijiandnoah | 10 years ago
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jijiandnoah wrote:
Cooks wrote:

Man, even cyclists hate cyclists.

Bit late to the party on this thread but this totally deserves another quote  4

The list is endless  3

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Cooks replied to seanieh66 | 10 years ago
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seanieh66 wrote:
jijiandnoah wrote:
Cooks wrote:

Man, even cyclists hate cyclists.

Bit late to the party on this thread but this totally deserves another quote  4

The list is endless  3

I might put it in my sig.

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