Rapha has teamed up with designer Robyn Lynch for a high fashion capsule collection, including showpieces such as a £450 cycling windbreaker/knitwear jacket combo made of repurposed garments from deadstock and pre-existing fabrics. The collection was teased at London Fashion Week back in summer, but is now available to buy exclusively at Browns Fashion.
> Review: Rapha Men’s Classic Winter Gore-Tex Jacket
Rapha is no stranger to collabs, recently causing one of the biggest cycling kit crazes in living memory with the Rapha X Palace collection as worn by EF Pro Cycling at the Giro d'Italia - the unique jerseys were popping up on eBay for £600, and many of the items sold out in minutes. We're guessing that this collection won't inspire quite so much excitement, and it's gear that definitely looks more at home on the catwalk than in the saddle.
Useful if you're prone to dropping bits of cake down you at the cafe stop
If you need to stay dry and don’t need to stay dry all at once and have £450 that you need to part with, then the Panelled Jacket (main pic) is the one for you. Made of 'reappropriated' garments, the jacket appears to be largely made up of a fluorescent Rapha windbreaker with some sections cut off to make way for ribbed knitwear. There's also the Hybrid Knitted Bib tee (above, £250) that is made up of a crew neck technical t-shirt and a detachable bib made from "surplus knits". If the curious sports gear/knitwear combo is not for you, the there's always the Zip Pocket or Panelled t-shirts, both costing £115 each.
The item that looks the most practical for actual cycling is the Hybrid Shorts set (£250), that is "double the fun" according to Browns Fashion thanks to the cycling short under layer, with a casual pair of relaxed shorts on top - you can also detach them to wear the cycling shorts separately.
Speaking to GQ about her creations, Robyn Lynch said: “Rapha’s level of construction on all of its garments really fascinates me.
"The team has specific pattern-cutting techniques which follow the form and function of a body when moving and cycling and these manipulation techniques are really interesting. The secret pockets for different functions are an inspiration to me when I am in the early stages of design and research."
The collection is available exclusively at Browns Fashion; but if you prefer your cycling gear completely new and a bit more conventional then you can always head over to Rapha's own website. The brand isn't taking part in Black Friday this year, instead running a 'Black Friday Ride' challenge with the aim to ride one million collective kilometres between participants, then donate 1,000 bikes to those who need them afterwards - you can find out more about that here.
£2400 up from £2000 is a 20% price increase on the previous version. That's not a small thing, that's insane.
You're confusing whether there should be a controversy (or whether you think there should be one) with whether there is one.
Because "you can't carry a sofa on a bike!" (apologies - that's two bikes, so here's a bonus bed and washing machine).
The BikeSnob has him covered (along with being pals with Lance...) so you don't have to.
This professional driver who carries members of the public should have their PSV license removed for good.
I'm just waiting for the new Ultimate..... what is everyone's guess as to when it will be released?
Only one of these two parties is a criminal threatening to murder the other. That's why your analysis is completely wrong.
After finishing my first ever driving lesson, the 'instructor' drove me home, reaching 40mph in a 30mph zone. 'I'll get you home quickly' he said....
What I want is not to be close passed, so despite having the excellent Varia Radar and a Fly-6, all that tech is not as effective as a £1 white...
There is an unfortunate irony in the suggestion that less cycling to school is part of the solution here.