Review: Rapha Pro Team Shadow

Jersey – Rapha Pro Team Shadow, Black link
Bibs – Rapha Pro Team Shadow, Black link

Rider – Height 185cm (6’1″), weight 69kg (152 lbs). Wearing size small jersey and small bibs.
PhotographyBlake Norrish

The Rapha Pro Team Shadow kit has been a bit of a game changer for my lycra cupboard, and in it I’ve found a new go-to garment for cold mornings and unpredictable forecasts. It’s a big step in technical fabric development. It’s not necessarily the first time we’ve seen this kind of fabric, but I would say it’s the first time it’s been used and engineered in the way we see here.

I do get sent a lot of great kit here at Kitwatch, and pretty much all of it I keep as part of my rotating collection of wearables, but every now and again something comes along that I truly love, and I’d have to say the Rapha Pro Team Shadow fits into that category.

Versatility, wearability

The beauty lies in its winter versatility. You’re protected by rain, wind can’t get through, and you’re just as happy punching out quick kilometres as you are using it to ride at a more forgiving pace. If I’m going on a ride with friends who don’t know how to take it easy, this is the choice instead of a jacket.

You can rely on it to not be a sauna but still protect you from the elements if things don’t go as hard as you thought they would. Even if it’s not crazy cold – say 13º-18ºC this is still an easy fall back. If I’m doing a winter road race – again this kit is a major go to – hard to overheat but easy too keep out cold and wet. It’s just such a great feeling having something to confidently reach for when you know it’s going to be windy and cold, and it’s either already raining or there’s a good chance of it. It’s not as bulky, hot and heavy as a jacket. It’s much more fitted and aero feeling, and it has just the right amount of breathing capabilities.

Technology

Until now, most rain and foul weather garments centre around laminate technology, which is all about creating a some-what (read: not really) breathable water-resistant membrane that is sandwiched between a durable outer fabric and comfortable inner layer. The Rapha Pro Team Shadow gets rid of the laminate and instead uses a thin, water-proof fabric that is both stretch-woven (to allow heat to escape via tiny air holes) and twice treated with a durable water repellant (a treatment that means water beads and rolls off rather than soaking in) at the actual fabric manufacturing process.

This means you get the same protection without the need for as many layers or membranes. It might not sound like much, but this process has been one of the biggest break throughs in outdoor wear in the last 40 years and is the reason that you’ll see a lot more water-proof, stretchy and breathable garments being released in the near future (and currently for that matter).

Now all this is not exactly why this particular piece of gear is so good. The fabric technology is similar to some other materials and garments on the market, and I’m sure many will inevitably liken the material to the Castelli Gabba (that infamous no label black jacket that everyone pulled on that year of Milan-San Remo). First of all it’s quite different than the Gabba, but the brilliance in the Rapha Pro Team Shadow lies in what Rapha have done with the material. So they’ve developed the fabric so that it breaths well and blocks out rain and wind almost no matter what the thickness and then they’ve made it into a thin, jersey like thickness and cut it close to the skin to turn it into a true race-ready foul weather weapon.

When and where

As I’ve alluded to, this garment is perfect for bad weather races and all-out-effort like rides similar to those seen in The Spring Classics (for which you may have noticed many Team Sky members use this as an all day attire, that they never need to slip back to the team car to change). Rolling hills and ups and downs where you overheat then need to roll through the cold are great places to really test this kit. However it’s not really an ideal layer if you’ll be doing an hour-long climb in the high mountains, (although it’s great for going down) where you’d probably be better suited to a climbers jersey and packable rain jacket or gilet, something that Rapha also caters for well.

Jersey

The jersey sports extra long 3/4 length sleeves that give that extra bit of protection from the elements. Although I found them a little loose on my scrawny arms (and slightly bunchy around my chest, but quite tight around the belly), this seemed to work well at not closing off the air flow completely, so I never felt like I was in a sauna. I pretty regularly pair arm warmers here too for a little extra versatility and warmth and unless I’m racing or it’s raining a lot and I don’t want a wet piece of material they seem to pair for the Pro Team Shadow kit really well.

Waterproof

The material is truly waterproof – as you can see in the pictures where I have poured a constant stream of water over it several times and kept completely dry. Another good fact to note is that I have machine-washed this kit at least 15 times now, and it still holds exactly the same waterproof properties as it did on first wear.

Extras

There are plenty of trademark Rapha details to admire, from drill holes in the back pocket to let out water to a large easy to grab at zipper. There’s an elastic gripper on the the rear of the jersey which holds it nicely in place, so you don’t need to deal with ride-ups, and is obviously great for water splashes.

Fabric

The inner fabric is brushed and fleecy-soft, meaning you can wear it directly onto your skin, however I still like pairing with a base layer for a little extra sweat-wicking qualities and warmth. The outer material is thick and hardy, so it’s a bit more protective against abrasions also.

Bib shorts

The bibs need to be talked about as well, although you can apply most of what has been said above here too, as the benefits of the fabric flow throughout the kit. And I think because of those benefits, the kit should almost be considered as just that; a complete piece. That’s not to say that you won’t love the jersey alone, but having soggy bottoms and dry tops in my mind isn’t ideal. In fact on the note of wetness, you could probably almost justify the bibs as much as the jersey – purely for the fact that they’d pair really well with all your other winter tops. They’re thermal, waterproof and stealth black – perfect to pair to your current range of jackets water proof gilets.

Fabrics and features

If you’ve ever worn Rapha’s Pro Team Thermal bib-shorts, then you’ll be familiar with these, as they share the same (nice, long and warm) leg length, fit and chamois pad. There’s also the fleece/thermal lining in the shorts, but with that added water protection on the outside. The Pro Team gripper on the hems keeps the shorts in position well, without cutting off circulation. The straps are soft and comfy, using a lightweight and breathable material thats unobtrusive, rather than being thick and adding more warmth – which the rest of the kit takes care of. The elastic used on the straps is also soft, thin and pretty unnoticeable, everything you’re after in a bib strap.

Fit

I find the fit pretty true to size, if not slightly on the tighter side – true to a race cut. So with that being said, if you’re on the fence in sizing in general I’d recommend sizing up.

Photo 31-05-2016, 5 07 06 PM

Summary

One thing which I haven’t mentioned, (and generally try to stay away with in my reviews) is price. I know this will be a bit of a contentious issue, but what you need to remember is you’re paying for some real development, not just a pretty looking design and a name. What you get is an Armani suit of cycling kit. The kit won’t disappoint – it does what it states it will extremely well, and you’re in some of the latest and most advanced fabric of cycling wear but on top of that it goes far past just being a piece of material.

The Rapha Pro Team Shadow kit is cut well, has a strong design brief and really thinks everything through, down to the last stitch to fulfil that brief. It’s great for winter, looks good, and if you’re like me you’ll totally fall for this kit and find yourself wearing it on the regular – just being out in heavy rain and watching every drop bead and bounce straight off you is a pretty awesome feeling. So although the price might be up there, you can be sure you’re getting something pretty next level.

Some Post Script bullet points about the process of the fabric DWR coating:

Step 1: Individual yarns are selected for the fabric.
Step 2: Each individual yarn is coated with a dwr(durable water repellent) treatment.
Step 3: The yarns are then woven together to create the fabric.
Step 4: The fabric is dyed at high temperature and shrinks by 50%. *
Step 5: The finished fabric is given a second dwr treatment.

5 COMMENTS

  1. > The Pro Team Shadow gets rid of the laminate and instead uses a thin,
    > water-proof fabric

    How is it waterproof without a laminate? Frankly it seems like you are just making things up.

    > The material is truly waterproof – as you can see in the pictures
    > where I have poured a constant stream of water over it several times and kept completely dry.

    Ummmm, no. That proves nothing, other than you can spill a Coke on it, and it will run off your leg. Any decent DWR will do that.

    What is the hydrostatic head on the fabric?
    What is the air permeability in CFM?

    • Hi VeloKitty,
      When I say it gets rid of the laminate, it means that it’s not one layer of highly un-breathable, but still water proof material over another piece of material like most traditional jackets often are. Rather the DWR is applied to the thread to attempt to achieve more breathability and water repellant. I thought I made that clear but sorry if I didn’t. It’s not like Rapha are the only people to do something like this, but they have done it very well.

      As far as how waterproof the material is, yes I’ve poured water on the kit to give an example of its waterproofing qualities, and have described how it went in rainy situations when I was riding in it. I don’t know about its hydrostatic head or its air permeability in CFM, you’ll have to research that for yourself. I’m just trying to give my opinion based on experience.

      I don’t get paid for this post, or anything I do at Kitwatch so have no bias or need to ‘sell’ a brand and their technical features, all I do is react to what they say about a product and try to demonstrate that through real-world testing.

      – Kitwatch

  2. Thank you for responding.
    It highly unlikely that Rapha has developed some miracle fabric.
    You claim the material is “truly waterproof”. However it is *not*, and even Rapha does not claim that it is. The fabric is just water-resistant.

    Not surprisingly, air permeability and the level of waterproofing are inversely related. Take a Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody, a lightweight and very breathable mountaineering softshell, for example. The air permeability of the fabric is 40 CFM, and it has a hydrostatic head of approximately 500 mm. The water beads off for a while in a drizzle, but in a heavy downpour, the fabric will wet out quite quickly.

    At a hydrostatic head of around 1,000 mm or greated, fabrics start to become effectively waterproof from rain. But it depends on factors such as the size, direction, and velocity of the rain.

    Polartec PowerShield Pro has a hydrostatic head of 5,000 mm (when new), yet Polartec only claims it to be water resistant.

    Splashing water on the garment looks cool in the photos, but it is not a test of waterproofness. The real test is riding out in rainstorms.

      • You’re right, I should have used to term water-resistant instead of proof. Thanks for the extra links and material, it makes for good reading.
        I’ve worn it out through quite a few downpours and I’m still super into it, if you’re in endless rain it’s not going to stay dry for ever, but it keeps a lot at bay, and keeps you dry for a long amount of time before getting soaked through.
        In my opinion this works out pretty damn well, because you don’t get a heavy and not fitted bit of garment, you get a race-ready, versatile, breathable and well cut bit of clothing. Thanks for your comments.

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