The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey stops the wind to keep you warm when it's dry and it also looks amazing doing it. Just don't expect to use the pockets much and watch out for non-standard sizing.
Pros
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Stylish
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Excellent fit as long as you ignore the label
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Easy to operate zipper
+
Very comfortable at the wrist
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Gore Infinium is the perfect long sleeve jersey material
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Surprising amount of reflectivity
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Extra venting under the arms
Cons
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Non-standard sizing
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Pockets are too narrow
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Bottom front needs structure
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As the seasons change and the riding gets cooler, there's a lot of options for finding just the right clothing. The weather encountered can swing drastically and, in some locations, there are times when it starts sunny and ends rainy. We represent that variation in our list of the best cycling jerseys available by offering a lot of choices. At some point though, it gets cold, even though it's not quite winter, and you've got to decide how you are going to handle it.
Some strategies will look at a whole wardrobe as a system and look for ways to double up. Another option is to specialise and look for just the right piece of clothing for just the right situation. If that's the direction you are considering, then a long-sleeve jersey with an integrated membrane is a likely candidate. There are not a ton of options available but Rapha has a new entry. The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey is a specialised piece of gear but how does it excel and who is it best for? We spent time riding in the cool fall weather to figure out exactly that. If you are looking to ride hard this fall and spring, keep reading to see if this is the right long sleeve jersey for you.
The fit at the shoulders and upper back is fantastic and while the pockets are small they do have just enough room to fit everything (Image credit: Josh Ross)
Design and aesthetics
Understanding the design of the Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey has to start with Gore, not Rapha. This might be a Rapha piece but it comes from the tight partnership that Rapha has built over the years with Gore. It’s a relationship where Rapha handles making a product that cyclists want to wear but Gore creates the technology that dictates what Rapha can do.
Gore is often known by the name of their primary product, Gore-Tex but the company encompasses a wealth of products beyond that. The disconnect is why for the model year 2018, Gore rebranded their model lineup and changed the naming conventions. The change meant that while previous products would have carried a label saying Gore Windstopper, the new naming is Gore-Tex Infinium.
To be very clear, the two fabrics aren't different and there is no technological change. Most, but not all, Gore fabrics use a membrane that allows water vapour through but not liquid water. The mechanism for that magic has to do with a series of holes in a material called PTFE or, commonly, Teflon. If the product is Gore-Tex, then the holes are as small as possible. That limits breathability as well but if you want waterproof then that's the price to pay. If you want to make a garment more breathable, you can do so by increasing the size of the holes so that water vapour can more easily escape. That's Gore Windstopper.
The problem Gore identified was that not everyone understood that the name of the company is Gore, not Gore-Tex. Consumers would see products with Gore Windstopper and they wouldn't make the connection. At the same time, Gore is very committed to the idea that Gore-Tex is completely and totally waterproof. They want consumers to clearly understand that some Gore products are not waterproof but that's not a failure. In an attempt to solve all this confusion, the brand name Gore-Tex Infinium came to market and cleared very little, but a change is as good as a rest, as they say.
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Infinium is the non-waterproof version of Gore-Tex(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Only some of the seams are taped but the inside of Infinium feels great against the skin(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The reason I feel the need to cover all this backstory for a Rapha garment is that it's very important to understand what you are getting because this design is not about adaptability. The idea is perfection in the right scenario. Gore-Tex Infinium is not waterproof and it's not meant to be. This piece won't get you through a prolonged rain storm but it does have a degree of water resistance. It's also not a great choice as the basis of a layered system. Because there is a membrane already, it's not ideal to pair it with another membrane over the top. Use it as the final layer and it's highly breathable but it stops wind. If you need to go warmer, add warmer base layers.
The other side of this section is pure aesthetics and this is where Rapha steps in. Rapha knows how to make a good-looking piece of gear and they've absolutely nailed it yet again. Colour options include black, dark red, and lime green and branding is pretty minimal. Rapha toys with getting rid of their well-known arm cuff but it's still there. Instead of a solid colour, it's an outline with the brand name in the centre. On the lower left, and the back of the right arm, there's a series of six bars that signify the Pro Team sub brand and there's also a single bar on the peak of each shoulder. The last bit of visible branding is a large logo on the bottom of the extended drop tail. You can also see the Rapha wordmark on the elastic at the wrists but the rest of the branding is highly reflective while those logos, on the wrist, use a ghosted black on black design.
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The drop tail logo is a big spot of high-reflectivity but it's not always visible(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The Rapha arm band isn't a solid colour in this instance but it's there and it's providing another spot of reflectivity(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Not everyone does but I love these little tags that Rapha puts on their garments(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Performance
As always, it's important to judge a design by what it's meant to do. The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey is not a piece for layering and it's not a piece designed to do everything. Instead, it's a highly specialised tool for a very specific type of riding. In my part of the word that means the days when it's not raining but there's no chance of seeing the sun and there's always a chance of rain. In other parts of the world where it's dry but gets chilly, you might even be able to ride right through the winter with this piece. It's also cut tight and with an eye on high-intensity riding.
If I get up early on a work day when it’s mostly dry, then the Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey is a perfect companion. It's not for the days when I don't know if I'll see sun or heavy rain. It doesn't have that kind of adaptability. Instead, it works best when I want to ride my hardest for an hour or two. It will never leave you a sweaty mess but it's also not going to handle heavy rain. It just feels really comfortable, as long as you get the fit right.
When it comes to the fit, the sleeves are long and feel just right when leaned over the front of a bike. There's never any pull at the shoulder and it begs to ride long and low and as hard as possible. At the wrist is a wide elastic band that works perfectly with whatever gloves you need and the neckline is a joy. If you do find yourself getting too warm, the large plastic zipper is easy enough to undo with a single hand even though it's not a double-sided zip.
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The cut of the arms is a high point overall but the sleeves really stand out as being a joy to wear(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The zipper Rapha uses will never degrade from sweat and is generally a joy to use(Image credit: Josh Ross)
There's plenty of gripper material on the drop tail(Image credit: Josh Ross)
There are also some mistakes with fit. Rapha garments run a range of sizes and don't match the rest of the industry. Nothing has changed on that front. I almost always wear a small although there are a few brands, including Gore, in which I need an XS. In this piece from Rapha I'm wearing a medium and it fits perfectly. I also have Pro Team bib shorts where small seems to work and I have a Brevet gilet where I need an XS. The sizing discrepancies are a challenge, but I’ve done the legwork for you. Forget the label. If you wear small elsewhere, that's a medium here. The other issue isn't as simple though and that's the bottom section of the front panels.
Rapha uses a "high-stretch woven nylon under arms and around the hem." Under the arms it's a perfect addition adding even more breathability exactly where you need it. Around the hem, it's less advantageous. It's a very low structure fabric and, particularly in the front, it looks better to have a high structure material. Some brands use a big wide band of elastic that's more successful than the Rapha solution. The spot where that high stretch, low structure, fabric is perfect is in the pockets.
Rapha uses a pretty standard three pocket design in the rear. They've picked excellent fabric and they've done an amazing job of reinforcing every corner so that it won't tear loose. Unfortunately, the pockets are also too narrow and the centre pocket is too high as well. I can only barely fit the Rapha rainproof essentials case I carry my flat repair in and there's no room for a pump in the same pocket. A side pocket is just a little bigger than my Pixel 6a and the last pocket fills pretty quickly with a couple of packages of Bonk Breaker energy chews plus the pump that's had to move from the centre pocket. There ends up being just enough room, just don’t expect extra.
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Rapha has done an amazing job making the pockets durable(Image credit: Josh Ross)
They've also used just the right fabric for the pockets(Image credit: Josh Ross)
That same fabric shows up under the arms where it does a great job adding extra venting(Image credit: Josh Ross)
The front hem would benefit from more structure vs the stretch Rapha used(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Sizing varies a lot from piece to piece with Rapha and for this one, medium seems to do the trick(Image credit: Josh Ross)
Verdict
There are two sides to the Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey. On the one hand, it's perfect in a lot of ways. Gore-Tex Infinium is a brilliant choice for a long sleeve jersey. With no wind to worry about, you can be comfortable in surprisingly low temperatures. In the American Southwest, I think a range of base layers and this piece would probably be enough to get me through a full winter.
Rapha has also made a jersey that just looks good. It's stylish even though it's simple and while I would ask for more structure in the front hem, it looks great. The arms are a real high point in the cut and more companies should use the wide elastic at the wrists. Rapha notes it's there for glove compatibility and they are right, it's brilliant for that.
Still, there is room for improvement. Rapha sizing is always a challenge and it's no different here. Swinging between a medium and extra small in products from the same company isn't ideal. It's also not awesome to have pockets that are so small.
In the end, I think the good outweighs the bad. The Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey ends up being a joy to wear. Add some of the Rapha Cargo winter tights that we included in our list of the best winter tights to solve any issues with storage and make sure you have time to swap sizes. Once you get your size, it feels great and at the heart of everything Rapha is a brand with designers who understand how to get the best out of a material. Rapha doesn't make Infinium but the design shows an understanding of how to make it look and perform the best it can.
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Testing scorecard and notes
Design and aesthetics
Conceptually this is a great piece. Rapha knows what riders need and they’ve done a great job executing then they’ve made it look fantastic.
10/10
Thermal management
This is another spot where Rapha has nailed it but they can’t take all the credit. Gore makes some of the best technical fabrics available and Infinium will handle a lot of situations.
10/10
Storage
I was technically able to get everything I needed to carry into the pockets but it’s not comfortable and there’s no room to spare.
6/10
Comfort and fit
Super comfortable but the fit doesn’t match the rest of industry and it doesn’t match up with Rapha sizing in different pieces. Expect to spend time swapping sizes.
7/10
Value
It’s expensive to use Gore fabrics and you can see that reflected in the price. Castelli has their own take on an Infinium top and it’s priced similarly. Even with the price understandable though, it’s hard to call it a bargain.
8/10
Overall
Row 5 - Cell 1
82%
Tech Specs: Rapha Pro Team Long Sleeve Gore-Tex Infinium Jersey
Price: £215 / $290 / €255 / AU $375
Weight: 235 grams in size medium
Size availability: XS-XXL
Colour Options: Black/Black, Dark Red/Red, Lime Green/Green
Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes.
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 140 lb.
Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx
