Review: Rapha Technical Trousers

My Outlier OG Climbers have officially reached end-of-life after nearly 5 years. They're still in great shape, but they're a bit worn looking, and I've lost enough weight that they don't fit.

Unfortounately, Outlier stopped making the OG Climbers, so I'll have to figure something else out for a technical pant.

Rapha's Technical Trousers seemed to check all the boxes - they look nice, aren't terribly technical looking, have lots of stretch, and they're Rapha, so I'll get to engage in some of that delightful conspicuous consumption. Rapha's jerseys have been phenomenal, and I keep trying their other stuff, usually to be disappointed - there's often just one thing wrong that ends up being a total dealbreaker.

Let's start with the positives.

The pants look great. I ordered the navy color, and the fit is excellent. I have larger legs and hips from powerlifting in the past, and the pants have a flattering fit without being too tight. A much skinnier person might find them to be too roomy. The cut is attractive and flattering, but again, not too tight, so it's not obscene. Definitely would be something you can wear to the office. The zippered pockets improve the silhouette of the pants when zipped up, which is a surprisingly nice side effect. 

The stretch is fantastic. I can easily get into a full squat, and experience absolutely no restriction when I am cycling. This gets an A+.

The roll-up reflective details are excellent. In fact, all of the riding details are excellent. For on-the-bike pants, these things are pretty much perfect. The pockets are small, but they zip up, which fixes one of the huge problems I had with the Rapha Commuter Shorts that I sold - tiny pockets are useless while riding without some sort of closure, and those shorts didn't have nearly enough zippered pocket space.

Well, that's the sales pitch. The Rapha pants deliver an excellent on-the-bike experience. Unfortunately, one of their features is a double edged sword. Or a double edged zipper, to be less metaphorical. The zipper pockets are painful! The zippers are somewhat rough and sharp, and I found myself constantly hurting my hands with the relatively common task of grabbing my phone or keys. 

Maybe I'm just a delicate baby, but I don't really want to experience any pain because my pants are sharp.

Besides, the entire reason for zipper pockets is to prevent things from falling out. If the pockets are just slightly larger, then that completely solves the problem.

Alas - the Technical Trousers will be making their way back to their home.