I Want to Ride My Bike: Rapha and SMS Santini

My older brother is an avid cyclist but my knowledge doesn't extended past the Tour de France... and just the fact that it exists, and that there is a polka dotted jersey, and Lance Armstrong. So every now and then I send him links to miscellaneous cycling-relating...things, mostly chic bike racks. Most recently I sent him a link to Rapha, a British based cycling clothing company and he returned the favor by introducing me to SMS Santini. Who knew cycling clothing brands could be so stylish!

Let's take some time to appreciate the dashing men and women on two wheels.

Rapha is a pretty all-inclusive brand, seriously, they provide everything from clothing to gear to skincare products. They organize road races and even offer book and brochures on cycling. It might even be safe to call it a "lifestyle" brand. Rapha started back in July 2004 which means this July will mark their 10 year anniversary - congrats! They started out with a simple selection of cycling jerseys, jackets, and caps. They have since expanded and are currently the official clothing sponsor for Team Sky Pro Cycling, the first British team to win the 2012 Tour de France. There is a lot to be said about Rapha, they are very involved in the cycling world and sponsor many cycling clubs and teams. If you have an interest in cycling check them out. Although they are based in the UK they have crossed the pond to the US and also host road races across the world.

Their Spring/Summer 2014 is out now and it's worth checking out. I like their color palette, the mens' club jersey colors are inspired by famous Italian road races which I thought was clever, and overall the designs are clean but stylish.

Rapha Spring/Summer 2014 collection

The composition of each garment isn't overly complicated. They use performance fabric one would expect to find and offer a range of fabric weights to accommodate all seasons, like +50 sun-block treated fabric, great for those awkward cycling tan lines. Or Sportswool, a nifty fabric that has all the moisture control benefits of wool with the wicking features of polyester, (you gettin' your own post Sportswool). There were a few things I found interesting like the "O" shaped zipper pull they use on their back rear pockets which makes reaching behind and grabbing the zipper easier, and gives you more control when opening and closing it - smart. And what in the world is a chamois... well in addition to being a goat-antelope species, a chamois is the piece of foam that is sewn into the riding shorts, it is placed at the crotch and protects the rider when in the seated position. A chamois has four-way stretch to move with the body and different levels and density of padding for protection. It also looks like Roger from American Dad.

Chamois, Roger is not impressed

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SMS Santini is an interesting contrast to Rapha. It's almost like you can see the difference between the brands as "young and old" - not the most elegant way to put it but what I mean to say is; Rapha is young and very globally driven, producing films, creating a very interactive multi-media cycling community. Santini is deeply rooted in heritage and very technical, focusing on improving their product with cutting edge fabric innovation and design. Santini started specializing in performance cycling clothing back in 1965 and have been involved in the cycling community since then. They are a small and dedicated team who work and manufacture exclusively in Italy, they are almost a vertical company, still kinda rare to find today. Roughly said a vertical company is one that produces the fabric, creates the designs and patterns, and manufacture everything in-house. Now I say "almost" because their fabric comes from an outside source, although credit to them that it is Italian fabric. There is a huge advantage to designing and producing everything in-house, it gives you excellent quality control. They even refer to themselves as "purists" because of their dedication to staying in Italy.

I found their website very easy to navigate and super informative. They provide an excellent breakdown of all the different materials they use. They even list their innovative achievements throughout the years which is worth the read. Most recently they designed the first eco-friendly jersey made of recycled polyester, (2010) and developed the first "strategic" cut jersey especially designed for the "tuck" position, I assume that is what you call the position the riders take, (2012). Also check out their extensive chamois technology... HA since we know what that is now.

Overall I'm really impressed with this brand. And I like the designs of the products, clean, European, purposeful. It has a lot of the characteristics that excite me about performance active wear. Specialty in one area, innovative fabric and design, and strong sense of team-work. This was a cool little discovery.