Over the last few year the cycling population of Paris (and the rest of the world) has boomed, with many of these Parisian riders - not surprisingly - style-conscious. With all kinds of cycle clubs having opened their doors over the globe, catering to the ever-growing group of cycling lover worldwide, now France's capital also has a spot for enthousiasts to gather and get their gear. With its pale wood and a granite counter, one finds the newly opened Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop at 58 rue de la Fontaine au Roi having stocked a tremendous curation of products, next to the possibility of getting a La Brûlerie Belleville coffee - the best coffee roasters in Paris according to Mr Porter. Whenever you are up for a espresso, flicking through the latest Steel Magazine or meeting other riders for a possible ride: Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop is the new place to be. [ Continue reading ]
After some hard, cold and windy cycling in Sweden, participating in the Dalslandrunt15, we look at Rapha's Travel program, which this Summer for the first time will take cyclists on an adventure in Asia. The so called Randonnée+ Japan trip is a tremendous eight days of cultural immersion and hard riding from Tokyo to Kyoto in which we would love to participate. The target behind a Rapha Randonnée+ trip is aimed at experienced ‘roadies’. With diverse terrains to tackle, from narrow tracks to steep climbs in remote locations, the Randonnée+ trips demand slightly more from their participants than standard Randonnées, making it one of the more demanding rides organized by Rapha. The extraordinary Japan trip features several days in the Minami Alps and includes stretches of almost unused access roads through the forests: it’s a truly wild adventure, running from Tokyo and Kyoto, two contrasting but equally remarkable cities. [ Continue reading ]
With competitive road cycling slowly finding restoration of its former glory by the growing popularity of the sport, the cycling universe continues to expand with interesting new projects, from fashion to a growing field of dedicated media. One of the most impressive new finds for us is: Manual For Speed - as stated by themselves - a preeminent road cycling journalism experience and cultural phenomenon. On their state-of-the-art, perfectly chaotic website they publish race reports (which aren't race reports) as well as interviews, manuals, typologies, visual showcases and bonus treasures. Subsequently they aim to release on paper whenever possible. In addition to its online focus on spectacle, Manual For Speed plainly champions human athletes; exceptionally gifted - physically & physiologically speaking - men and women with personality; meaning perspective, insight, character, context and point-of-view. All of which are what they (and we) believe make the sport of road cycling not just exciting, but interesting too. As avid cycling enthousiasts ourselves we urge everyone to step into the totally unique cycling crazed world of Manual for Speed and be inspired to ride. [ Continue reading ]
It are exciting times for cycling enthousiasts like ourselves. Although it is no secret what some of our favorite brands out there are, we are keen to see many new - elegant - initiatives making the field more and more interesting. Where maybe 10 years ago the focus was still solely on performance, many of the new names are finding ways to combine essentials for racing with an appealing aesthetic. One of those new names which we discovered recently is WarsawCycling. The young French brand was brought forth from the union of ex-bike messenger, Sven and designer, Charlotte, who both believe in prioritizing aesthetics and quality in the production of their apparel, by designing eye-catching gear that is crafted to resist the elements. Born from a desire to create garments in which one will feel comfortable and unique when riding -whether it’s in a competition or when commuting - WarsawCycling's designs embrace an alternative approach to cycling culture and sports, inspired by bike messenger life, track bike criteriums, runway fashion and underground culture. [ Continue reading ]
As the sun set over Northern Tasmania’s Tamar Valley in March of this year, the latest chapter of the Rapha Prestige rides, with the one of the yearly locations; Launceston, Australia, began. The group of riders gathered on the deck of the Barrel Room Restaurant at Velo Wines, where just a week prior the summit had unseasonably received its first snow of the year. The brutality of the Tasmanian landscape and climate would be a defining feature of the riding weekend, making it one of the more demanding rides of the series. This particular yearly Prestige ride was hosted by the earlier mentioned Velo Wines, a winery owned and managed by Michael and Mary Wilson. For those unfamiliar, Michael rode alongside former champions such as Lemond, Hinault and Fignon, and more than held his own, winning stages of the Giro and Vuelta. Not content with merely hosting and crafting the route for the Prestige, Michael had also reignited his training and formed a team to participate. The result of it all is another incredible ride caught beautifully in photographs and video, forming a tremendous new Prestige chapter [ Continue reading ]
While putting the last hand on the design of the Mobile Cycle Club Europe we are doing for Rapha, they opened a new chapter of their famous Cycle Clubs, this time in our hometown Amsterdam. In the beautiful historical center of Amsterdam, on the 9 streets and around the corner of our new gallery/studio space of Our Current Obsessions (soon more on that...), Tenue de Nîmes and the Red Wing Shoes Store the Rapha Cycle Club Amsterdam welcomes road cyclists from every continent. Tales of glory, pain or suffering transcends their memory in this historical neighborhood. Although a little challenging when tourist are flocking around, this will be the perfect place to start a ride, escaping the city for the windy northern water lands, making your round on the ‘Ronde Hoep’, or a longer ride towards Utrecht and the Amerongse Berg (Mountain of Amerongen with its 69,2 meter high, yes we have that). [ Continue reading ]
Today marks exactly the fourth year since the east coast of Japan was devastated by the so-called Great East Japan earthquake and the tsunami that it caused. To remember the disaster and pay his respects, writer and photographer Lee Basford travelled to the area only 70 kilometers away from the epicenter - named Tohoku - where after four years the locals are still rebuilding. One of the cities in the region most affected was Rikuzentakata. The ruthless waves destroyed basically everything, and what remains now is an overwhelming emptiness. The city was noted for its tree-lined coast - regarded as one of the most beautiful landscapes in Japan. But after the disaster, only 1 of the 70.000 trees remained. It became known as The Miracle Pine. A year after the disaster took place, in 2012, Rapha Continental shot a film in the devastated area, and there’s been an annual ride in Tohoku since, organized by Daisuke Kitayama, the film’s director, and Seiichi Watanabe, a Continental rider. These outtakes of Basford and his friend's experiences of riding through the area show both the beauty and hardships of riding, one never really disconnects with the surrounding you are riding in - which in this case resulted in an unfiltered perspective on the struggles of the area. [ Continue reading ]
There are no tougher tests for road racing garments than in the professional peloton, where any minor flaw or problem is amplified by all-out efforts and extreme conditions. Tested and developed by the riders of Team Sky, the Rapha Pro Team collection was born, and has been proven in, the highest level of competition. The most striking visual feature of the just released Spring/Summer 2015 Pro Team collection is the so called Data Print, a collaboration that creates graphic art from the science of modern road racing. London-based design studio Accept & Proceed used the ride data from the three weeks of a Team Sky rider’s grand tour to produce a unique graphic. Charting the story of each stage, the resulting print is made up of precisely scaled chevrons mapping the rider’s distance, elevation gain and effort, making it one of the boldest collections by Rapha till date, without losing the elegance which continues to set the brand apart from the peloton. [ Continue reading ]
On Thursday the 23rd of October a new bicycle racing specialist named Meesterknecht, opened its doors in the centre of Amsterdam. Meesterknecht is a bike shop with a cycling café focused on contemporary cycling. The shop caters to everything cycling enthousiasts dream of and on top of that one can enjoy the shop's exclusive espresso blend 'Gangmaker' (Pacer or Derny), while admiring Amsterdam's rich cycling history on the shop’s walls. The shop is proof that cycling is driven more and more by aesthetics and pleasure, instead of purely focused on performance. Due to the pervasive cycling culture in the Netherlands, cycling is not quickly perceived as being cool, even though cycling was the number one sport in the Netherlands until the late '60s. Every neighborhood in Amsterdam used to have its own criterium race and the cycling legends of the time raced its velodromes. Meesterknecht says it wants to bring back part of this lost culture and take the very best from the cycling community to Amsterdam. [ Continue reading ]
After O Editorial released its first set of collaborations a year ago, when they celebrated their two years of existence, this summer the platform of our friend Álvaro Tavares Ramos presented a new project: a special edition bicycle in an exclusive collaboration with Portuguese bicycle builders and shop Velo Culture. In addition to being the dominant mode of daily transport in their hometown of Porto, O Editorial selected a bicycle as its next project, it being an elegant object of impeccable design, pairing shape and movement exemplary, with which we can only concur. As with everything, there are bicycles more appealing than others and for this special edition O Editorial collaborated with a like-minded company championing both craftsmanship and aesthetics. Founded by three friends: Miguel Barbot, Sérgio Moura and Hugo Cardoso, the Porto-based Velo Culture was a pioneer in Portugal when it comes to presenting the most elegant classic and urban bicycle brands, making them the perfect partner in creating this beautiful bicycle. [ Continue reading ]
Rapha has just released its imagery for the upcoming winter and we really like it. The new seasonal winter collection caters to all weather conditions with a broad selection of garments, perfectly tailored for everything from early autumn which will bring the rain to the Netherlands to the upcoming winter, which is set to be cold, wet and frosty. The pieces we really like include returning items like the rainproof hard- and softshell jackets, jerseys which show new and advanced moisture-wicking and warmth-retention capabilities and a perfect line of base layers. Accessories include cycling caps with an all new Pro Team Winter hat, neck warmers, gloves and more. You will be ready for everything with this cycling collection. [ Continue reading ]
Cycling is a very significant part of the Dutch culture and it has been for many decades. However, an affordable, contemporary Dutch bicycle disappeared from our streets a while ago. The explanation is reasonably simple; a bicycle is a labour intensive product, and for this reason, almost all bicycle manufactures, and with them a lot of other fields of production, moved their production to low-cost labor countries, mostly in South-East Asia. This impressive graduation project by Design Academy Eindhoven alumni Bob Schiller, which he named Epo, aims to revive the local industry and bring production back to the Netherlands. We are very impressed by his design and attached ambition, which also gained him a nomination for the Keep an Eye grant which will be awarded to one graduated student on the 18th of October. [ Continue reading ]
From December to February, if one takes a trip to the countryside of the Japanese town of Tsukuba, known for its science industry, Siberian winds meet the moist air of the Pacific and innundate the peaks and valleys with snow. Temperatures drop far below zero, and rural inhabitants must plan carefully to survive the long, hard months of winter. These icy temperatures and the sentiment of finding ways in bearing the hard atmosphere, inspired to yet another stunning series by regular collaborator Ben Ingham and Rapha for The Road collection Autumn / Winter 2014 which was designed for riding in extreme condition like the countryside of Tsukuba. The images of Ingham translate the Japanese countryside to a highly grainy aesthetic, as if the winter-cold needed to be feelable directly through the photographs, and overall spoken resulting in one of the rawest series to date which we really like. [ Continue reading ]
Philippe Brunel’s painstakingly assembled anthology of tales and photography named 'Kings of Pain: Masters and Convicts of the Road' quickly became a touchstone for fans of road racing, capturing the ethos and aesthetic of decades of the sport. It is a book born of days in the archives and from countless hours of interviews, making it an indispensible companion for anyone drawn in by the golden age of professional cycling. After spending many years out of print, 'Kings of Pain: Masters and Convicts of the Road' now has been republished by Rapha, featuring re-scanned, duotone photography on Fedrigoni paperstock, bound in high-quality Buckram. All the original Kings of Pain are captured by Brunel like you rarely see them, the book consistsing of some of the peloton’s most compelling stories and images. Be they brave, fragile, or a touch crazy, this book celebrates the riders as human beings making it a perfect celebration of the sport. [ Continue reading ]
Last Friday marked the grand opening of the beautiful Richard Sachs exhibition which was designed by House Industries at the Rapha Cycle Club NYC, and will run for the upcoming month. The inspirational exhibition walks through the bicycle builder’s personal industrial revolution from his early days as an apprentice to becoming a modern folk hero in the cycling community. The show highlights the balance of tradition and innovation with which Sachs has built a loyal following and profoundly influenced cycling culture worldwide. House Industries, an internationally-recognized graphic, product and type design firm, has been a long-time supporter of the Richard Sachs program and therefore makes for the perfect partner of this inspirational overview. [ Continue reading ]
In 2012 Rapha initiated this inspiring factory visit to Italian knitting company Manifattura Italiana Tessuti Indemagliabili or in short Miti shot by the talented English photographer Gavin Karl Campbell. Miti has been an innovator in the knitting industry since its foundation in 1931 and is located in the Northern Italian town of Urgnano, not far from Bergamo. The first and foremost innovation made by the company was the nationwide introduction of wrap knitting techniques, which allows for the construction of durable and stretchy fabrics, introduced by founder Vincenzo Polli through his fascination with the technology and his decision to acquire the German-made machines which would carry it out; establishing Italy’s premier fabric mill. Today the raw fabric is milled six hours away in Hungary, near the border with Slovenia, close enough to monitor total consistency in the highest possible quality after which processing, dyeing and finishing takes place in Urgnano by this major supplier for almost all the cycling brands. [ Continue reading ]
At the very start of Rapha, in 2004, they initiated the beautiful 'Kings of Pain' exhibition in the Old Truman Brewery, on London’s Brick Lane, which featured a collection of photography and memorabilia devoted to six iconic riders. Riders who epitomize the key elements which make the sport of road cycling so beautiful. Their stories and images of exploits have come to define road cycling. The original Kings of Pain: Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Tom Simpson, Fausto Coppi, Raymond Poulidor and Bernard Hinault, remain, a distillation of road racing’s most celebrated qualities. They embody the glory, suffering and drama of the sport, and their unmistakable styles defined their respective eras. Now, ten years later a capsule collection has been created in honor of the original Kings of Pain, and everyone who has and still does enjoy the, sometimes painful, ride with Rapha during the past decade. [ Continue reading ]
The Rapha Continental project began in 2007 with the clear ambition to explore the road less travelled, discovering the things you only find out when cycling the open road. That sense of camaraderie which comes from sharing the effort and the adventure of meeting new places and people along the way has been the key motivation for a string of beautiful rides through the years. Last year it brought a group of riders to the Dutch shoreside called Hoek van Holland, in weather conditions making it a rather typical ride for our little country. Wind, rain, followed by some sun and always those returning threatening packs of grey clouds. Typical Dutch circumstances, and therefore contrary to many other countries, stopping very few Dutchmen and -woman from actually getting on a bicycle when it is needed. This culture of dealing with nature despite its hardships was also translated to a beautiful iconic poem written in 1936 by Hendrik Marsman named 'Remembrance of Holland,' which inspired the whole feel of the The Rapha Continental — Hidden Europe: Holland, resulting in a beautiful film by e r t z u i ° film serving the spectator a ride ones loves to hate. [ Continue reading ]
'Cy-collage' was the great pop up exhibition by the London-based collective Colectivo Futuro during last Spin London. Housed inside the iconic Old Truman Brewery building on Brick Lane, the exhibition featured works from both International and local, London-based, artists, most of which had been previously featured in the inspirational colectivo futurist series on their online platform. Each artist was commissioned to interpret cycling through the use of collage as a technique. In the eyes of Colectivo Futuro, like the act of cycling, a collage piece is made up of carefully assembled parts that harmoniously fit together to achieve their purpose, which resulted in beautiful raw works with a somewhat punk aesthetic. The unique and limited pieces by the artists are from now on for sale through Colectivo Futuro's webstore. [ Continue reading ]
Recently the fascinating 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' was brought to our attention. The project is a visual document of the myriad avatars of bicycles in the rural and urban landscape of India by Mumbai-based illustrator Sameer Kulavoor, who works under the name Bombay Duck Designs. The linchpin of 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' is to lay emphasis on the framework, structure, decoration and design of the cycles of India. Ergonomically these cycles may not be the best examples of bicycle design, but they have the strength to carry the hopes and aspirations of a big section of the Indian population. No wonder they are called ghoda, which translates to sturdy or durable, cycles. In India basic necessities like cooking gas, milk, bread, newspapers and tiffin are delivered to people's homes on a cycle. And next to this activity, there are the mobile cycle shops that sell, among other things, tea, vegetables, waist-belts, ice-creams, SIM-cards and so on. Bicycles in India are truly multifunctional beyond Western imagination, which is caught perfectly by Kulavoor. [ Continue reading ]
We really like the recently released City collection of Rapha, with its beautiful lookbook shot in Mediterranean Barcelona. This season is the premiere of a new Italian-milled fabric, more breathable and faster drying, for the Long and Short Sleeve Shirts, and the addition of the Randonnée Shorts, technical and lightweight for city riding in hot and humid conditions. Overall spoken; there are new garments, colors, and redesigns across the Women’s and Men's collections, and updates to luggage and accessories. Barcelona with its gothic splendor, beautiful beaches and Mediterranean vibes proved to be the perfect backdrop for the collection that goes way beyond just cycling wear. Some of the beautiful places the riders are caught for the lookbook are the beautiful neighborhoods El Raval, El Barri Gotic, L’Eixample and Gràcia, and at the former Olympic village; the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, Jardí Botànic and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. [ Continue reading ]
This amazing video by Christopher Kippenberger for German bicycle producer VANDEYK catches the sentiment of solitary cycling on a snowy day perfectly. Named after VANDEYK's top of the line carbon fibre road bike collection; 'Machine for Riding' captures the almost spiritual cyclist moments when the sole rider, the wide landscape and trustworthy bicycle hybridize into perfect unity. With a minimalistic 'code' at the core of the design concept, this particular bicycle collection of VANDEYK patronizes the optimal alliance of man and high-performance machinery. The Machine for Riding bicycles were engineered by Formula 1 proven engineer Ralf Brand and fully manufactured in Germany by ax-lightness, making it an amazing product of the finest in carbon fibre technology. The clear goal for the Machine for Riding was to create perfect balance between rider and road, which was immaculately intepretated by Kippenberger. [ Continue reading ]
The Cévennes, a range of mountains that are part of the Massif Central, in the South of France was this year the backdrop for the beautiful lookbook of Rapha's Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Rapha traveled to the Cévennes for the first time already in 2004. Not surprisingly so, as the area is forever connected to cycling as it is also the setting of Tim Krabbé’s 1978 cult road racing novel 'The Rider'. At that time, in 2004, two riders and a photographer shot the first ever Rapha products along the route of the book’s ‘Tour de Mont Aigoual’, a mythical race upon which the narrative is set. In this remote part of France the terrain is beautifully rough. Desolate gorges, empty roads, steep climbs, wild scenery and windswept plateaus. 'The Rider' is one of the finest books written on the sport of cycling, rooting very close to the fundament Rapha was founded on. This year the brand returned to the almost mystical area, this time with nine riders and the same excellent photographer, Ben Ingham, to shoot the latest seasonal collection and celebrate 10 years of Rapha. [ Continue reading ]
We are very proud to have had a part in the creation of this remarkable project: Minute, a fast, powerful, compact and maneuverable bike for the city. A mini commuter with remarkable small wheels and a durable steel frame. Based on the idea of the Mini Velo, a popular choice in large Asian urban areas, Minute is the ultimate city bike made to last a lifetime. Minute is the first non-custom bike produced by Behave Bicycles, a small Dutch company with big ambitions. The brains and the craft behind the company and therefore Minute is Elian Veltman, a young talented, yet very experienced designer, best known for his handmade custom bikes and acclaimed Cargo bike. Elian is not afraid to opt for alternative solutions in the service of the outcome, which is exemplified in his creation of Minute. [ Continue reading ]