Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

Cheers - I'll take a look at it.

I think the hard shell is the one that's won all the review's so I'll prob just have to try them on and see. I prefer the idea of a soft shell for a bit more comfort and mobility.

Not wanting to stereotype (but I will) I'd expect Mavic sizing to go down well in Jpn. IME it's another size down from Italian sizing.

i think thats because for some reason they go with international sizing so an int L is a uk M. i got a mavic espoir for 25 quid from bike-discount.de (cheers DJ) and its been fantastic so far. up until i got knocked off i was riding with arm warmers, gilet, and short sleeve rapha base layer and was toasty warm even when it was feckin freezing