This sleeveless base layer from Rapha is designed for the much more serious business of road cycling… but don’t let that put you off. Because base layers are much more of a staple for road than MTB and something most roadies wear on every ride, road apparel brands have bigger ranges, do more R&D on them and ultimately pack more technology into their line ups. For these reasons, I reckon they also make the best cycling base layers you can get.

Rapha has a reputation for high-end kit with a price tag to match, but at £55, this new base layer is no more cash than many MTB brands’ gear and uses fully recycled polyester that should be better for the planet.

Rapha’s a roadie brand first, but don’t let that put you off one of the best makers of mountain bike clothing

Despite some snobbery (and inverse snobbery) around Rapha and the brand being synonymous with a certain type of punter with all the gear, I’ve had excellent results with its kit over the years. That tells me it’s popular for all the right reasons. The brand now has a well thought out MTB range – check out the brilliant Rapha Trail Gore-Tex Infinium jacket for starters – but with no base layers to go at, you need to dip toes into its roadie line up to find one like this.

Design and specifications

Like many second-skin tops aiming to wick moisture away from flesh, Rapha’s vest uses a textured fabric that’s kind of like a honeycomb mesh if you zoom right in. This means a slightly thicker woven matrix of threads for the ‘honeycomb’ part, and wafer-thin fabric suspended in each slightly raised fabric capsule.

The mesh fabric is made from a matrix of holes that feel softer than most ‘string vest’ designs

The lightweight, open mesh structure aims to let air circulate and also lift sections of the fabric off the skin to help sweat wick through the mesh to evaporate and dry. Obviously, being sleeveless, the design is more like a vest, although the shoulder parts are wide enough to sit under bib straps (if you wear them) without any overlap or fabric clashes and wrinkles.

Rapha’s thin material is almost transparent against flesh and has a branded logo in a vertical band down from the crew neck collar so everyone knows you are rocking the ‘right’ kit unzipping at the café on your road bike. Don’t worry though if you’re not wanting to shout about it, as this will be hidden by an MTB jersey or T-shirt anyway.

“Rapha”… just so everyone in the cycling cafe knows you’re part of the club

There’s a double-layer panel down the flanks from waist to arm pits and also a thicker crescent shape panel at the back of the neckline with a loop for hanging it up and drying. My best guess for this is it’s mostly for looks/styling or even durability, as you wouldn’t necessarily want an extra layer of fabric under arms where body temperatures are higher than on the front of the torso. There is also double and triple-layer stitching on all of the seams for extra durability.

Neckline hook is actually pretty usefil for letting the Rapha base layer dry, because it doesn’t stink and you can just ride in it again the next day

Performance

Sleeveless designs are a good shout when it’s hot and sweaty, as they still allow as much air to pump onto armpits and upper arms as not wearing a base layer at all. A successful one will prevent the outer jersey or T-Shirt from becoming a sweaty, heavy mess by managing air movement and drying fast where it’s close to the skin. This aspect is really useful as once riding jerseys ‘wet out’, they no longer reman porous and get hot and sticky to the point you can’t get any air flow onto skin for cooling and drying. Then if the temperature drops you’re stuck in a cold, wet mess. Rapha’s top works well in this regard and while you’d assume more layers automatically means hotter, in this case, more layers can keep you cooler longer.

The moisture wicking aspect here is fantastic and sweat definitely moves through the fabric to sit on the outer face, but it just seems to sit there longer than some others before evaporating or drying off. The pores in Rapha’s material aren’t as open and airy as some, while the thin and flat fabric hugs your skin closely so there is less air moving through and less air trapped between you and the fabric to improve drying time.

Castelli’s Core Mesh uses far bigger holes, and is more effective at drying out and wicking

The result of the fabric staying a bit damp for longer means you run a little hotter while working hard as it stops the material from breathing as well and it’s also a bit colder and damp if you stop. I often finished high intensity rides with this base layer soaked through, whereas others (with a coarser string vest style weave) like Castelli’s Core Mesh 3 SS base layer keep you drier by dumping moisture better and keeping a cooling waft of air circulating.

The Rapha base layer is well made, feels soft and keeps you warm or cool, but it’s just not good enough at wicking sweat to score top marks

Rapha’s fit is very ‘roadie’ and, even with a 42in chest that’s bang on the brand’s recommended L size, my bigger MTB shoulders and back made it too tight to the point I’d likely be comfier in the XL. Having more stretch in the fabric could also help with this.

If worn with a more airy, porous riding top (like Troy Lee’s Skyline Air) Rapha’s top can be a very effective, as it shifts moisture to the outer face very effectively. But worn under a closer fitting jersey like a long sleeve thermal, it doesn’t work as well as it seems to need more air flowing over the outside face to keep it drying out continuously.

One hidden bonus here is the anti-bacterial finish does seem very effective at stopping it get too stinky, so you can just let it dry out and use the next day on riding trips without stinking out your buddies.