Product Review: Rapha Arm and Knee Warmer: All Flash, No Substance

As some of you may know, I can be a bit of a dandy. I have collections of cashmere sweaters and handmade scarves; my belt, watchband and shoes almost always match; if I wear sneakers and a hat, they match; I have an Italian shoe fetish, both on and off the bike; when times are good, I buy clothing at Boston’s finest establishments. I race a custom white IF with matching accouterments, which also matches my team’s white road kits. My cross bike matches my team’s cross kit, thanks to Croth, JD, and Igleheart. In short, I am a sucker for finery. I am willing to drop $1000’s to look good when winning or losing a race. I believe in panache. I’d rather lose with style than win without it.
Given my proclivities, Rapha seems like a logical clothing choice for me. They are the “Gucci” of cycling clothing. Since I am a competitive cyclist, my bibs, jerseys and caps are chosen for me by my team. But I am so maniacal about aesthetics that I took over the clothing order so that I would have some say in design.
The Rapha arm and knee warmers match my team’s black and white kits. When I saw them online, I didn’t even blink at the combined $120 price tag. I thought that they would look so hot and so PRO, that I would never regret such a purchase.
I ordered them from the Competitive Cyclist instead of from Rapha directly. They were equally priced, but Rapha was charging more for shipping to the US and I had heard horror stories about Rapha’s US customer service from my good friend __________. (I don’t want to call him out, but he is welcome to leave a remark in the comments section).
They arrived quickly and were well wrapped in protective cellophane. The environmentalist in me balked, but I would be the first to complain bitterly if there was even the slightest smudge on the fabric.
The material was soft to the touch and was tight when stretched onto their intended locations. On initially putting them on, they fit snuggly but comfortably.



I wore them around the apartment for a couple of hours and they seemed comfortable and remained in place.
I assumed that the price of these warmers would be justified by their durability. Not so. In short I am very disappointed by the quality of these Rapha products. On my first ride, a thread at the bottom of the left knee warmer came loose and waved in the wind. I carefully snapped it off. Next ride a thread popped on an arm warmer. These things have been popping threads periodically ever since.





They have not actually started coming apart, though this may have more to do with my own vigilance in repairing them than to do with Rapha’s quality. I have been throwing stitches into these ever since I realized that there was a chance that they might split a seam. While I don’t mind fixing a hole, or stopping a tear, I object to having to augmenting the shoddy sewing job on an expensive item of clothing before washing them.
My next complaint has to do with stainsetting. There are white stripes on both of these items. And the white stains easily and permanently. My team’s road kits are white and I have succeeded in keeping them gleaming white, even after racing the muddiest cross races in New England.



Being a dandy, I know how to launder my clothing properly, whites with whites. The white on the Rapha warmers was irreversibly stained on the first rainy ride. And they keep getting greyer as time goes on. I have also noticed that the same thing has happened to other rider’s Rapha warmers (here in NE we have a great Rapha Continental Squad representing the goods), indicating that the phenomenon is not limited to my warmers.
The arm warmers stay in place well and are comfortable for an entire day’s ride.



I find that the silicon gripper at the top of the arm warmer keeps them in place well, even when the jersey is not snug against them. They fit perfectly and are just the right mix of warmth, softness and breathability. They also provide wind blocking and warmth when very wet. But they also resist saturating, such as when riding in drizzle. After a year of use, the arm warmers have retained their original shape. I am happy with the fit and fabric of the arm warmers.





The knee warmers are another story entirely. They are garbage, a frustrating waste of money. Rapha claims that the knee warmers are right/left specific, but they fail to include an indication of which warmer is for which knee in their packaging. Furthermore, I have switched them around and found no difference in fit or performance. And the extra stitching that they use to “articulate” the knee warmer are just more shoddily sewn stitches that pop and need mending.




The knee warmers share the arm warmer’s silicon gripper on top, which works well to keep the knee warmers from slipping down. But there is no gripper on the bottom of the knee warm and it subsequently rides up.



I have experimented with different ways of wearing these warmers and have found no method or position keeps them in place. The bottom always slips and the warmer bunches around the knee. I have used a number of knee warmers, cheap ones included, and I have never experienced this before. I asked advice from other Rapha wearers and they concurred that the knee warmers are rubbish. Notice that on the Rapha Continental site, the riders are seldom pictured in knee warmers.
I wanted to like these warmers. I wanted to enjoy wearing them. And I really wanted for their quality to justify their cost. Rapha has failed on all fronts. The warmers look like terrible up close because the fabric is not stain resistant; the quality is much lower than is found on items that are less than half their cost; and the knee warmers are poorly designed and fail to meet even a minimum performance standard.
You will still see me wearing these warmers because after buying them, I can’t afford to replace them. The dandy in me would like to replace them with a higher quality item, but the accountant forces me to continue to use and mend these subpar offerings from the “Gucci” of cycling.
The “Gucci” of cycling is actually a perfect descriptor of my Rapha items, like Gucci, they are all flash and no substance. After getting bilked out of $120, I would not even consider purchasing one of their truly pricy items, even at deep discounts.

Product Review: CapoForma Winter Wool: A Mixed Bag

Two winters ago, I was looking for a winter training cap. I opted for this CapoForma Retro Wool Cap, MSRS $79. I was between a few different caps, but I found this cap listed for $9.95 on a new triathlon website. I put the cap in my cart and wasn’t able to order it because my single cap didn’t fulfil the minimum amount for the site. I put a set of Keo cleats (regular price) in the cart and made the cut. I may have spend $25 on the entire order including shipping.
The first thing that I noticed when I got the cap was the softness of the material. It was finer that a cashmere sweater. It felt like high quality T shirt cotton. The bucket has two layers of material, both 73% wool and 27% Spandex blend. The outer layer is thick, about as thick as a winter arm warmer, perhaps ½ a millimeter thicker. Make no mistake, this material is not rigid or stiff, in fact it is rather shapeless. The inner fabric is very fine, like athat 15 year old concert T shirt that you can almost see through, think breathable.
The cap itself molds perfectly to the head. It is very comfortable on the head. My only complaint about the bucket is that it is rather deep. If I pull it all the way down on my head tight, the bill is too close to my eyes, resting on my eyebrows. This cap is “One Size fits All,” which always really means that one size fits most. The cap stays securely on the head when not wearing a helmet. Even 2 years and many washes later, it remains stretchy and holds it original shape.
The cap fits comfortable under a helmet. It does not feel bulky or bunch up under the helmet. The cap remains securely in place even on long rides.
The back section that is meant to keep the back of the neck warm has a tendency to bunch up at the back of a helmet when you keep your head in a logical riding position.





Perhaps this section could be made shorter on future models? But perhaps then I would complain that the back of my neck was cold. Perhaps this is a comprise that CapoForma has considered already.
The cap retains warmth even when saturated with water. I have ridden a number of 60-70 mile races in driving 35 degree rain this cap and I my head has never felt cold. In fact the cap is too warm for temperatures above 40, even with driving rain. I have not ridden in conditions that are too cold for this cap. I usually train outdoors in any temperatures above 20 degrees. This cap has served my head warmth needs well in all of the these conditions.
The bill has a great shallow shape that points down at a perfect angle for keeping rain, snow and sleet out of the eyes when traveling at standard cycling speeds. The bill interfaces well with both pairs of Specialized glasses that I regularly use.





Despite my like of the bill, my only problem with this cap is the the bill’s flexibility. Most cycling cap’s bills have rigid pieces of plastic inserted between the material so that they remain in place and retain their shape in the wind and rain. The CapoForma bill is constructed of two layers of the thicker wool material with no reinforcement. When the bill gets wet it flops down and dangerously obscures my vision. This also happens in dry conditions in a strong headwind or when descending. I usually flip the bill up, which negates the point of having a bill. I find that the bill fails exactly when I need it the most. When I am descending at 45-50 miles an hour in 35 degree rain, I NEED an effective visor to keep the rain from slipping in through the top of my glasses and blinding me.
Obviously, I seriously underpaid for this cap. Overall, I have been satisfied with the cap, though I don’t know if I’d be as willing to accept its visor’s shortcomings if I had paid anywhere near full retail price for the cap. The quality and workmanship is top notch; it is certainly a durable piece of clothing. None of the threads have popped, there are no pills on any part of the cap and there is no visible wear anywhere after two full winters of training in New England.
Some of my friends heard about the deal that I got and went on the website and ordered multiple caps. The website wised up and refused to fill their orders. I am the admiration of them all when I wear this cap, since they all know that some triathlete basically gave it to me for free.

Review: Challenge Grifo Tubular Tires 32c

I bought these tires from the Echappe Equipment people at Gloucester after I flatted one of my Tufo's in the last lap of the Sunday race. Turns out that the Tufo took tire sealant moderately well and after a full bottle of Tufo sealant (twice the recommended amount) the tire is still rolling 2 months later.
I stretched the Grifos for one week each, re inflating them to 60 psi every 48 hours, since the Grifos loose air quickly due to their latex tubes. Both tires were keep in clean, dry conditions throughout my pre-mounting ownership. They appeared to be clean and free of dirt when I purchased them.
I dry mounted the tires twice on their intended homes, Edge Composites 2-68 rims (review to follow) so that I would be able to foresee difficulty and minimize mess when I was mounting them with glue on them. They were a tight fit. But the tires were supple enough that they were able to rolled over so that you could "flip" the base tape into place on the final section.
On initial application, the basetape absorbed lots of glue. The exposed cloth basetape has no coating on it, which eliminates an annoying and time consuming step in tubular mounting, scraping the protective coating off. But this lack of coating means that the tires must be stored and transported in dry, clean conditions before mounting. the tires do not arrive wrapped in any covering at all, which maximizes opportunities for contamination before the tires are mounted.
I found it necessary to apply a second layer of glue to the basetape, which I normally do not have to do, but thought prudent considering the low intended tire pressure and the forces involved in cyclocross.
Mounting the tires was certainly not easy, but if one used a hand over hand method of pulling away from the stem on one side then the other, the final section had enough slack to allow the mounter to use the afore mentioned roll and flip method of finishing the mount. The tire sat fairly well even before adjustment. The tight fit makes me feel that the chances of rolling a tubular while cornering is low.
Since the tire is supple, it was easy to adjust the lateral alignment of the tire. Furthermore, the basetape is symmetrical, so that one can sight line the tire; there should be an even amount of basetape showing on either side of the tire.
After adjustment, rolling around with low pressure and a rider on a bike and then inflating to high pressure, the tire was very evenly round.
The ride quality of the tire is hard to get used to for someone coming from a road background. I have ridden tubulars in cross before, but the Challenge is a different experience. At low pressure (under 30psi) the tire feels unstable, squishy. It moves laterally when out of the saddle on a straightaway. On my first ride, I had to stop and check my quick releases three times, as I thought that my wheels were loose. At this low pressure the tire deformation in a corner was disconcerting. The tread would roll up onto the braking surface. I did not loose grip in the corner, but this was a true test of my gluing job. No failures.
I found that I am more comfortable running these tires at a higher pressure than I normally run my cross tubulars. Normally I run about 32psi in back, 28-29 up front. With the Challenge Grifo's I found that my 175 pounds feels perfect with 38 psi in back, 34 up front. Obviously these numbers are tweaked to reflect course conditions. At the aforementioned pressure, I bottom out the tire infrequently, which is desirable when you are riding wildly expensive carbon tubulars.
The tread pattern is a good balance between high grip and low rolling resistance. I have the chevrons pattern on the tire pointing forward on both the front and the rear. Reportedly, you can run the chevrons pointing backwards in the rear if you want more traction, but in doing so you will increase rolling resistance. The open tread pattern sheds mud well, while the sidewalls tend to collect a thin layer of grime in their fabric. The only tire that I have ridden with better grip is the Michelin Mud 2.

There are problems with these tires:

First, the thread began separating from the casing almost immediately after being ridden for the first time. This ride was in dry conditions, on a buffed out course, with high tire pressure (50 psi). A friend of mine has multiple sets of Challenge Grifo's and Fango's where the tread was seperating from the casing when he removed them from the box that they were shipped in. Clearly this is a manufacturing defect that Challenge should be ashamed of. I was able to address the problem with a tube of vulcanizing glue and some patience. I felt that my fix was less trouble than trying to warranty a tire that had already been mounted. After I ruined one of these tires in a race, I was easily able to remove the tread from the base tape with my bare hands. As I have stated, the problem can be fixed, but should you really have to fix a $100 MSRP tire before riding it?

Second, the supple casing is thin and vulnerable to puncture. In my second race with these tires, I sliced the sidewall of my rear tire in a corner. The tire was unable to be repaired. I am convinced that if I had been riding my Tufo Elite30's I would have ridden away without a puncture. Obviously, suppleness is a function of this sidewall thinness; its a tradeoff. Some vendors recommend using Aquaseal sidewall sealant to make the sidewall more robust. I find this option unpalatable for a number of reasons:

1. Should I really be required to fix a $100 tire before riding it?
2. If Challenge wants the sealant on there, can't they just do it in the factory and save me the trouble?
3. Aquaseal adds significant weight. I just spent $1000's to shave precious few grams off of my rotating rims, why am I going those grams back in the form of latex?
4. The Aquaseal often peels and looks horrible. Peeling latex on your sidewalls is the opposite of PRO
5. Since you can't really create a true seal with this stuff (are you really going to paint it up onto you rims to seal it for real?), this Aquaseal works to seal in the water instead of sealing it out. Go take a look at a set of Dugasts that have been sealed, don't they look rotten near the rim where the water has gotten in and caused the cotton sidewall to decompose?

Third, latex tubes don't take standard tubular tire sealant well. Obvious, they are lighter and they may offer lower rolling resistance, so this is a tradeoff. If you flat them, you are probably out of luck. Some reviewers have suggested trying Stan's Sealant on these tubes or even Vittoria's PitStop, I can not comment on the effectiveness of either remedy.

The short story is: If Challenge could deal with the issue of the tread separation, they would have a world class set of tires. The tires offer great ride quality, good deformation and grip in corners, low rolling resistance and good mud shedding, but the quality issue would prevent me from choosing Challenge tires in the future.