As the days get shorter and the temperatures lower, Rapha has launched its new Pro Team Shadow collection, designed to deliver comfort, protection, and performance in the “toughest racing and training conditions”. Developed with WorldTour riders, the range combines PFAS-free, weather-resistant fabrics with high-stretch materials to ensure freedom of movement without compromising breathability, according to the British brand. The word ‘Pro’ in the name of course means pro-level pricing, which means you’re looking at £325 for the Pro Team Shadow jacket and £275 for the long sleeve jersey.
As with other recent Rapha launches, the Pro Team Shadow collection is now free from PFAS – a group of synthetic chemical compounds often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they break down extremely slowly in the environment.
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Rapha introduced its first PFAS-free Gore-Tex jacket last autumn and expanded the technology into the Pro Team range earlier this year. The line is designed to meet the demands of elite-level road racing – though, of course, it’s marketed to the rest of us too.
The British brand describes the Pro Team Shadow range as “a racing and training collection providing performance and protection without compromising on comfort”. So, what are you getting here?
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The Pro Team Shadow collection features a new high-stretch fabric for “optimal comfort and freedom of movement”, something we didn’t feel the fully waterproof Pro Team Gore-Tex Lightweight Rain Jacket offered.
It’s also said to feature a lightweight, breathable microporous membrane which is designed to be windproof and water-resistant, with taped seams for added protection in bad weather.
The Winter Jacket features three rear pockets for storage, plus an additional zipped essentials pocket, while double zips are designed to help regulate temperature during hard efforts.
James Stannard, Head of Product Management at Rapha, said: “When we developed the Rapha Pro Team Shadow range, we wanted to address some of the key pain points which riders experience during winter. The primary objective was comfort, which led us to focus closely on material choices.
“We opted for high-stretch fabrics for comfort across a range of body types and an all over membrane to eliminate cold-spots. This combination hits the sweet spot between protection and breathability, so you can head out and ride in changeable conditions whilst remaining totally comfortable.”
The Shadow range was tested with EF Pro Cycling, and riders have praised its performance. Lachlan Morton said that the Pro Team Shadow Gilet is “very good, very versatile and for how packable it is it provides a lot of warmth.”
We’ve yet to use one, so we can’t comment on the performance, but we have requested the Shadow Winter Jacket for a full review here at road.cc.
As we’ve already mentioned, this is a new premium line from Rapha as used by elite cyclists, so cheap it is not. The Pro Team Shadow Winter Jacket is priced at £325, the Long Sleeve Shadow Jersey is £275, and the Pro Team Shadow Gilet is £225. All of these are available in men’s and women’s sizes, and there are numerous colourways. There’s also the unisex Shadow Hat (£48) and Shadow Gloves (£70).
The full collection goes on sale tomorrow (Tuesday 29 September), but Rapha Cycling Club (RCC) members get early access. If you’re an RCC member, you should be able to browse the new gear at rapha.cc right now.
16 thoughts on “Rapha launches PFAS-free Pro Team Shadow range for rough weather conditions, claiming that it hits “the sweetspot between protection and breathability””
I’ll stick with my Castelli
I’ll stick with my Castelli Perfetto that I got in a sale for £140 recently thanks.
So let’s assume this *is* a
So let’s assume this *is* a superior product (I don’t think it is, but let’s park that) but not superior enough to be the difference between going out and not going out (which would bring into play other factors like the cost of alternative means of transport if one cycles other than purely for recreation).
Then divide the overall cost of the upgrade (the cost of this minus what the fair value of your existing jacket would be) by the number of times you would use it over its lifetime.
How does that number compare with how much you would be prepared to pay to use the superior product?
Now, I understand that life is short etc, but when I do that analysis I genuinely find I’m more likely to pay a bit more for comfort things like shorts but a new bicycle frame always seems like a dumb idea (the amount I’d pay per ride over what I have might be a pound, maybe two, but not ten or twenty!)
What’s your point?
What’s your point?
Mine is I prefer Castelli to Rapha.
You mentioned price in your
You mentioned price in your original comment, so I was just observing – hopefully in a friendly way – that there’s more than one way of looking at value if it’s purely about money. I prefer Castelli to Rapha aswell, but not necessarily for economic reasons …
Not everyone on anonymous chat forums is trying to start an argument ….
Yes they are.
Yes they are.
🤣 No they’re not
🤣 No they’re not
This isn’t an argument, it’s
This isn’t an argument, it’s just contradiction.
No it isn’t.
No it isn’t.
Complaints is down the
Complaints is down the corridor.
If these new jackets are PFAS
If these new jackets are PFAS-free, and this is an important point, could we have some insight into what the new material is, and the industrial background?
I’d like to read that too.
I’d like to read that too.
My recollection of recent articles is that the carbon-fluorine bond that makes PFA products so effective is also what makes them problematic and there was no suitable alternative on the horizon …. so either there has been a breakthrough which has gone unreported in the mainstream media or this jacket is merely a re-working of what was previously possible without using e.g. Gore-tex?
Yeah, it’s a question isn’t
Yeah, it’s a question isn’t it.
AFAICT, Gore-Tex have moved from PTFE to polyethylene (PE). I guess PE is a bit better in terms of not having anywhere as toxic chemicals involved in manufacture, nor the toxic degradation compounds (however slow / rare they are) as PTFE (????) – but it has the same issue of being extremely long-lasting and non-bio-degradable.
PFAS is horrible stuff. I’d
PFAS is horrible stuff. I’d like to see an article on PFAS in cycling, and how to avoid it (in clothing, lube and anything else).
Veritasium on YouTube has an
Veritasium on YouTube has an absolutely excellent documentary on PFAS, released earlier this year. Highly recommend watching it. Titled “How One Company Secretly Poisoned the Planet” I think.
I’m glad more weather
I’m glad more weather-resistant jerseys are becoming available. But can Rapha match the super-high quality of 7Mesh’s Tantalus and Attaquer’s Race Winter jerseys? Both are highly weather-resistant and breathable, and of premium quality without Rapha’s ludicrous pricing.
The sole advantage of Rapha’s Pro Team Shadow jersey is that some of its seams are taped. Is that worth paying almost double the price of the 7Mesh Tantalus or Attaquer Race Winter jersey, considering the two Australian brands are known for higher quality than Rapha’s recent clobber?
the tail on Rapha’s rain /
the tail on Rapha’s rain / bad weather jackets seem to b e getting smaller and smaller