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It’s fair to say Rapha arrived on the mountain bike scene with a fair bit of baggage. Not literally in the form of luggage, but in terms of an indelible image that has been built up over almost twenty years making road bike kit. Middle-aged lawyers and hedge fund managers grovelling up grainy black and white climbs on their £10k Pinarellos might be my first thought when you hear the word Rapha, but there’s sufficient integrity to its new mountain bike line-up that it deserves our serious consideration.

These Trail Pants, for example, compete squarely against Troy Lee Designs’ popular Skyline trousers, and are a well worth consideration if you’re looking for the best trail pants on the market.

Rapha Trail Pants

Fabric

Rapha has used a fairly thick fabric that mixes nylon and elastane to give a dextrous four-way stretch throughout. To ward off splashes, it’s been treated with a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating – just don’t expect it to keep you dry in really wet conditions as this doesn’t perform anywhere near as well in the winter as something like the Troy Lee Designs Resist pant. Rapha has specced a lovely soft inner facing to the fabric that feels really good against bare skin.

Sizing  and cut

Sizing is good, with my medium sample true to its claimed 33in waist. The cut is relatively generous without being baggy – they are not ultra-tight drainpipes like the Fox Ranger pants for example. At the end of the tapered legs there are elasticated hems, which makes pulling them on and off easier even when wet and muddy, and there are reinforced inner ankles to add protection from the drivetrain. Having said that, I didn’t experience any problems with the fabric touching the chain or chainring during testing.

Waist adjusters help customise the fit, and there are loops in case you want to take a belt and braces approach. At the zip fly, the waist is fastened with a keyhole fastener – locate the male part of the popper in the keyhole and slide so that the two lock together.

Mountain Biking product shot in the studio

Features

Rapha has been generous with its pockets on the Trail Pants – there are two ‘handwarmer’ pockets that are great for, well, putting your hands in, but also deep enough to be able to use for a phone or car key without worrying about losing them. If you’re really paranoid, there are also two zip pockets lower down the thigh, both of which incorporate a further internal phone sleeve. To round out the features there’s a hanging loop at the rear of the waist – useful for hanging up to dry

In the field

In use, I was impressed with the performance of the Rapha Trail Pants. They are really comfortable and offer great freedom of movement, even when wearing pads. Warmer than the Troy Lee Skyline pants, they’re more at home in spring and autumn than a scorching summer day, especially given the lack of any ventilation. And while they don’t stay dry in sustained rain like a proper waterproof pant, the DWR works well enough on damp winter rides to be make them a viable option.

There is a premium to be paid over some rivals such as Endura’s MT500 and Fox Ranger, but this is partly offset by the included Repair Kit and free crash repair service. Overall then, this is a quality riding pant that fits great, feels comfortable and works in a wide range of conditions, but it does command a premium over similar pants from brands like Troy Lee Designs, Endura and Fox.

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