Mid winter riding means staying warm and dry, but also a sunny outlook towards spring. Café du Cycliste wants to keep the spirit bright (and dry) with a new Suzette rain jacket. Santini is still deep in the mountains and knows their Vega line will keep riders warm for the several months of remaining winter riding. And Rapha just wants to tease us with gravel ready road shoes, better women’s bib shorts, fancy special editions, and more cargo pockets….
Café du Cycliste Suzette keeps you dry & seen
The bright new yellow rain jacket from Café du Cycliste is named Suzette. This 100% waterproof jacket isn’t your old rubber rain slicker, but a breathable, cycling cut jacket that can pack down small into a jersey pocket when not in use.
Suzette gets a 3-layer construction with a super thin membrane inside to find that perfect balance of water resistance & breathability. 20:20 performance – 20,000mm water column waterproofing and 20.000 g/m2/24hr breathability.
Taped seams, waterproof zipper, anti-leak wrist closures, and a light & bright ripstop exterior with a DWR treatment. High tech water protection isn’t cheap, but its $288 / 230€ pricetag is competitive. Find Suzette in Nice, London & Mallorca Café du Cycliste shops starting today, or online direct.
Santini pedals through the coldest days in Vega winter kit
Right now in Italy, the Days of the Blackbird are about to forecast how long winter will stick around (think: Groundhog Day in the states). But Santini is prepared for anything with their Vega winter riding collection to keep you warm & cosy. The 230€ Vega Xtreme jacket with its Polartec Windbloc & alpha fabrics makes up the core of keeping winter roadies warm.
Then throw in a set of matching 150€ Vega bibtights, 60€ Vega shoes-cover, and 50€ Win XF gloves to round out your first line of defense against whatever the blackbirds throw your way. Insulate up with a techy, seamless long-sleeved wool blend baselayer, cozy Primaloft/wool/synthetic blend PRLX socks, and accessories like the Windstopper X-Free 300 XF Underhelmet cap, and you’ll stay warm out on the road until the spring thaw arrives.
Oh, and since we’re already mid-way through winter, Santini is offering around 25% off some of this new winter kit now.
Rapha teases 2019 kit: all-road shoes, cargo shorts & more!
Rapha is totally a tease. Just as much as they continue to crank out high-end classically styled, understated road riding gear they are not afraid of the absurd. My favorite line out of the teaser PR is about those cargo shorts, “They might have been labelled ridiculous but they’re quickly becoming ubiquitous.”
New for 2019 Rapha promises a new top-level carbon Explore road shoe with unique lacing as “the world’s most comfortable” that can also handle putting a foot down in the dirt. Actually, we just got word to actually expect two styles of new road shoes. One will be a Classic sole with road cleat compatibility, and the other an Explore sole for SPD mountain bike cleats to suit more gravel!
Back to clothing, there’s a complete overhaul to the women’s pro bib shorts with a new nature break friendly magnetic clasp design & all-new women’s chamois. And yes, more cargo shorts are coming to the affordable Core range for both men & women.
Plus there will be an RCC collaboration with designer Paul Smith, a limited edition Brevet Insulated vest with stitched contours, and special edition Nelson “The Cheetah” Vails & Marco Pantani memorial Il Pirata kit too.
Then plenty of off the bike kit too. Keep your eyes peeled, as we will detail the more interesting or innovative bits when they do make it to market.
