Just a few weeks ago the new Canyon//SRAM launched to take on the inaugural 2016 Women’s WorldTour. While we don’t cover pro news very much, it’s great to see more technical development being put into women’s kit at the highest level that is being made available to everyday riders right away.
Rapha teased at that November launch with a stylized graphic that we didn’t anticipate would actually have just been a close-up of the final striking team kit design. Now they’ve released images of the team training in Mallorca in the design they developed to stand out in the bunch. Take a closer looks at the team Canyon Ultimate WMN CF SLX and the full Rapha kit…
all images courtesy of Rapha & Canyon. photo by Tino Pohlmann
Canyon and SRAM backing the team as title sponsors was a big move for women’s cycling, ponying up not just money but cutting edge products so the team will race on the newest and best gear, something that hasn’t always been the case in the pro women’s peloton. Canyon will provide their new carbon Ultimate WMN CF SLX as the team’s primary race bike, that combines light weight and stiffness in an aero package. SRAM will also supply the team with their new sought after Red eTap groupset and a selection of Zipp wheels.
With the team partnership, Rapha is moving a big part of their R&D to the design of top-level women’s racing kit. By essentially getting a new development pool of some of the best women riders in the world, Rapha is looking to step up their game by refining their well received men’s Pro Team line, and expanding it into their women’s Souplesse clothing available to consumers.
From a practical side, Rapha wanted to make sure that the women of Canyon//SRAM stood out in the peloton, so the striking design makes a lot of sense. Rapha’s in house designer Ultan Coyle talked a bit about the unconventional kit design:
“We wanted to create a design that wasn’t gender specific, just a strong visual that had energy. I’ve long been drawn to the warning tape you see used on building sites and along the street; specifically when there are multiple layers wrapped around scaffolding poles or broken lamp posts to highlight potential dangers. I liked the idea of wrapping the body in the tape to suggest an athletic threat or danger to add attitude and which would come in handy when racing….so the tape formed the basis for the print which we then we re-coloured, or electrocuted it, to make it more striking.”
Is that an Aerolink direct mount caliper in the first pic?
I really like it, nicest team kit I can remember seeing in a while.
@Bike Rob No, just a regular centre mount caliper.
With two Canyon-sponsored teams on SRAM this year (Katusha is the other), I suspect/hope we’ll see a direct mount brake from SRAM pretty soon. Katusha had Aeroad bikes at their launch, but I couldn’t make out what front brake they had on.
Wow! Lovely colors, I wouldn’t mind riding in these myself as a male.
Not a fan of the Rapha, but they deserve full credit for sponsoring a top women’s team. Nice work and also great to see this amazing team continue.
I’m a dude and i’d rock this or the Strava-SRAM kit that Elle Anderson wears.
Liv it up! Digging the graphics on recent women’s stuff.
Sigh … the more excellent work I see from Canyon, the sadder it is that I can’t buy it in the USA. Kudos for Canyon, SRAM and Rapha supporting women’s cycling, which, by the way, rocks.
It’s a good looking kit, would wear, 8/10.
very refreshing to see a kick-ass bike and kit for these ladies. Rapha can be tiring, but putting their $ on women’s cycling is a fantastic idea. btw, this team and katusha have the best looking and best-bestest bikes, period. canyon + sram wireless + zipp=goodness.
Stendhal, it is known that Canyon has already hired people here in US for their move here. What isn’t known is exactly when you can buy one here, but 2017 is spoken of by more than a couple in the know. Start saving !
Roy, that’s great news! Actually I am at a multinational firm and could ask overseas colleagues for help in purchasing a Canyon, but it’s best not to be selfish and root for all Americans to have the same option.
Nice to see the boys getting jealous about girls high-end kit, rather than the reverse. OTOH, those of us with spouses/so’s are looking at this and going “hmm, this could cost me!”
Wow…. best kit I’ve seen in a looooooong time!
Cute girls in great shape rocking some awesome colors! Ummm, YEAH!
Yep best new kit and bike color combo I have seen in a long time. Huge props to Rapha for sponsoring a women’s team and kitting them out spectacularly.