Rapha Pro Team Shoes Review

Rapha has launched a new road bike shoes called Rapha Pro Team. And it has already been actively used since the beginning of this season by the Education First team. En esta Rapha Pro Team Shoes Review, analizaremos en profundidad sus características y rendimiento.

Rapha Pro Team Shoes complementan los Classic Shoes y Explore Shoes, introducidos el año pasado y desarrollados internamente. Si recuerdas las Grand Tour y Climber boots como la creación de Rapha, entonces nos apresuramos a decepcionarte: este es el desarrollo de Giro, producido bajo la marca británica. Pro Team está diseñado para proporcionar un alto rendimiento. Classic es versátil y Explore es para aplicaciones en grava.

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Rapha Pro Team Shoes

Cycling shoes with fabric uppers are nothing new in the cycling industry. Back in 2017, Giro launched Empire Knit, followed by DMT, Fizik and Bontrager. 

It starts to seem that Rapha just wanted to stay in trend, but this is not entirely true. The manufacturer emphasizes que la principal diferencia con las marcas mencionadas anteriormente es el uso de poliéster tejido, no de tela de punto.

A new material was developed in collaboration with Avery Dennison y se le llamó Powerweave, y según Rapha, esta tela jacquard se está convirtiendo en “el nuevo estándar para zapatos de ciclismo”. Strong statement. Time will tell.

The Powerweave fabric creates the Pro Team’s one-piece woven upper. The tongue is microfiber, a plastic cup reinforces the heel, and inside is a footbed with adjustable arch height. Two Boa dials take care of the closure.

The sole is carbon, of course, and employs a “trapezoidal cross-section inspired by box-girder bridges,” says Rapha. But unlike most high-end shoes, the Pro Team’s sole has no vent/drain holes.

There’s also a replaceable TPU pad on the heel, a TPU toe bumper, and titanium cleat mounting nuts (fixed, not slotted or adjustable).

What is the difference between knitwear and fabric?

Knitwear is made from a single thread that creates many weaves. As an example, just look at a knitted sweater, where the same technology is used. The woven fabric contains many individual strands that cross each other at right angles. 

If this is translated into a more understandable language, the knitwear is quite stretched, especialmente en ancho. The fabric is less susceptible to this effect, allowing you to provide the required level of rigidity mientras se mantiene un nivel aceptable de comodidad.

According to Rapha, this solution, along with the low profile of the sole, allows them to achieve el efecto de guantes ajustados, y la densa trama del tejido no debería ser un problema en días calurosos; los zapatos están bien ventilados.

The new material is distinct from the uniform stretch of a knit upper. By weaving polyester threads with different levels of stiffness, Rapha designers created an upper that is stiff in areas crucial to power output, with give in others to fit comfortably and move with the foot as you pedal.

It’s similar to the way bike manufacturers tune carbon bikes by stiffening the layup in certain areas and adding flex in others. 

 In addition, the shoe is water-repellent, although its performance is questionable, as the fabric is still breathable. 

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Rapha Pro Team Shoes Veredict

The Pro Team Road Upper is interesting for its unconventional approach, but that's not the whole shoe. As strange as it may seem in 2020, this pair of boots fue el primer Rapha en implementar los sujetadores BOA. 

Previously, the company used laces and Velcro. And here it is no muy claro si no hubo desarrollos frescos durante tanto tiempo, o la compañía no pudo, por alguna otra razón, usar giros de moda, porque tales sujetadores han estado disponibles durante mucho tiempo incluso en zapatos que están lejos de ser profesionales. 

These shoes look rad and feel great, especially if you have a narrow foot. The Boas are well-placed and easy to adjust, and the padded tongue is a nice comfort touch. I love the stable heel cup and the ventilation from the woven upper. In other words, there’s a lot to love about the Pro Team Road Shoes and this Rapha Pro Team Shoes Review está aquí para destacarlo.

In any case, the transition to a new type of lacing from BOA came in very handy, porque el sistema permite ajustar el apretado sin la necesidad de desabrocharse de los pedales , solo gira el regulador en una dirección o en otra.

The outsole is, as you would expect, made of carbon. The Rapha is inspired by bridge beam designs, so the outsole has a trapezoidal cross-section, which means a high level of rigidity. 

It is not possible to objectively assess this stiffness, porque cada fabricante inventa su propia clasificación de rigidez, en la que los zapatos producidos por él son los más duros.

Be that as it may, it was not in vain that the boots were developed for two years, and, for sure, respected people in the sports community were involved in this event, so let's take Rapha's word for it.

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I admit: purple wouldn’t have been my first choice, but these Pro Team Road Shoes from Rapha pull it off nicely. With an all-black kit, the color contrast on the single-piece woven uppers adds just the right amount of flair.

Looks aside, though, the Pro Team Road Shoes have a lot of race-oriented features to get excited about. Most notably, the woven upper offers an incredibly comfortable fit.

Equipped with a sole and bumpers on the toes and heels to proteger el zapato al caminar o bajar los pies en una intersección. The rear bumper looks like it's replaceable by releasing a screw somewhere in the outsole, but that's not certain.

Insole. There is nothing special about it, except for impregnation with a special antibacterial coating, si es que se puede considerar una característica en absoluto. Removing the insoles reveals the arch pillows. 

Hay hasta tres de ellos en el set (para cada zapato), así que puedes elegir la opción más conveniente para ti.

The new Pro Team weighs 220 grams in size 42 (one boot), and at 43 it will already weigh 267 grams. A very strange runaway, provided that the size has changed by only one unit.

The color scheme is very attractive, because in addition to the classic black, light gray and black-purple colors are offered. El último es especialmente efectivo.

If you’re looking for the stiffest race shoes out there, these aren’t what you’re looking for, nor are they exceptionally light. Pero si la confluencia de estilo, comodidad y rendimiento importa más, entonces los Pro Team Road Shoes valen tu tiempo.

The Rapha Pro Team is priced at €310,00

By: Berthy Perez

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