Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

apologies to the immaculately turned out rapha advert that cycles down garret lane every day, me and my mate shouted things like "fakenger" and "condorman" at you from an upper storey window a few months back. How do you manage a London commute without collecting a spec of dirt?

That's the point. The material resists some of that stuff and the dark colour hides the marks you do get. The flashes of white and pink restore visibility of the cyclist that would otherwise be lost by all the dark shades.

I've worn Rapha fixed shorts and the fixed black shirt into nightclubs last year and no-one batted an eyelid. There is no Assos wear that could've done the same (though they have shirts that could, they lack shorts that do... and the Rapha shirts look more similar to Fred Perry's than a cycling shirt) and definitely no Pearl Azumi that looks that good.

Yeah you could wear jeans and t-shirt. But then, you'd be all soggy from sweat and uncomfortable and hot. Wearing cycling clothes is more comfy and better on the bike than jeans, there's just no two ways about that... sure jeans look better, but cycling wear feels better. So I got to cycle 15 miles to a club, danced for ages, cycled 15 miles home. And the Rapha wear suits all occasions and the next day can be worn into a restaurant.

It's the type of clothing I want.

Though unfortunately, their quality control is less than is desired and some of their stuff just falls apart. But don't doubt the fact that for performance cycle wear that you can live in and go clubbing, dining and cycling in... the stuff does rule.