Rapha Explore Technical T-Shirt Review

The Rapha Explore Technical T-Shirt is made for the cyclist who is ready to head out on an adventure ride or any other pedal pursuit. Rapha is known for making his end cycling gear for city riding commuters all the way to Tour de France teams. After getting our hands on one, we thought this would be a great shirt to ride around town on our electric bikes on some hot summer days.

The Rapha Explore Technical T-Shirt is made of 100% polyester fabric that is anti-odor treated to keep it smelling fresh all day in the heat. This fabric is lightweight and breathable created with a gradient knit structure of effective wicking and sweat control. The side panels are stretchy to help you have more freedom in your movement. The armhole is turned and bonded for all day comfort and durability.

All the logos on the Explore Technical T-shirt are reflective to help add visibility when the light gets low and you are still out there pedaling. Some other nice little details are the hanger loop in the back of the shirt to help with quick drying, as well a little memo on the inside of the front stating “GO UNTIL YOU’RE LOST”.

Conclusion

The Explore Technical T-shirt was designed with the gravel and adventure rider in mind, but we thought this would be just at home riding around the city on these warm summer days on our electric bikes. Along with wearing it on various rides around town, I did take it on a mountain bike ride and it felt just as home in the mountains as it does in the city. The shirt is pretty slim in the fit department so it feels snug and hugs your body when wearing. The fabric does have a nice stretch to it so it does not feel restricting when moving around. It is also very lightweight which helps make this a great shirt for those hot days. The fabric is very breathable as well, and once you are cruising around at speed you can feel the breeze come thought the shirt. After a long, sweaty day out on the bike the shirt did not smell at all.

Very minimal branding on this shirt makes it not look like a technical t-shirt, which is a bonus. It doesn’t stick out like some bright technical outerwear, but if that is your thing, then Rapha has a colors that will stick out in any environment. The color featured here is Dark Grey/Dark Navy, and leans more towards to Gray spectrum in my eyes. From afar you would never know this was a technical T-shirt and it fits right in with any slim fitting shirt.

The sleeves on the Explore Technical shirt run on the longer side. They cover most of the bicep and come close to the elbow. This does help with coverage from the sun but personally I prefer a shirt that has a shorter sleeve length. This way I don’t get various stripes of farmers tan during the summer. The Explore Technical T-Shirt overall is an awesome shirt that fits right in out on the trails as it does in the city. The price is up there for a technical shirt, but you do get a great looking shirt with nice Rapha styling and technical fabrics that hold up to the heat.