Rapha has four new pieces of kit out this summer: designed for what it calls gravity riding the new line includes updated pants with a snugger fit, a windproof jersey and tougher gloves.

The new Trail Finale range sits alongside the existing clobber from Rapha, which includes the best mountain bike knee pads we’ve ever tried, and the best mountain bike trousers on the market right now.

The new Trail Finale collection has been tightened up for 2025, with more protection and a less XC focus

Rapha new gear need to know

• Updates to the riding pants, shorts, gloves and jersey, with a more ‘gravity’ bias
• Trail Finale range runs alongside existing Rapha kit, including kneepads
• Pants, shorts and gloves get reinforced Cordura panels for protection
• Finale pants and shorts now feature side closure buckle for more comfort
• Prices are still high, with the pants now £180 (€205, $230)

Once familiar just to roadies, Rapha launched its original mountain bike clothing line four years ago. It was an instant hit with mbr, the attention to detail and design proving the brand must have been mountain bikers at heart all along.

The new range is named for Finale in Italy, and Rapha has introduced new colours and logos to honour the enduro mecca. There are technical improvements too though, it promises, including better breathability and fit for starters.

The Rapha Pants get a reinforced seat and lower legs for durability

The Trail Finale Pants and Shorts look like the pick of the range, they get a snugger fit overall to reduce flapping, but roomier knees to make more space for pads. And let’s be fair, the original Rapha Trail Pants were excellent in almost every way, except their parachute pant design. Rapha also says it’s introduced a novel side closure system, presumably to stop chaffing as you’re bent over and descending.

Rapha’s Trail Lightweight Pants work brilliantly, but flapped too much for my tastes

There’s more protection in them now too, with Cordura panels on the bum and lower legs, something YT introduced with its pants a few years back and a feature that’s really useful when the trails are bogging. Rapha’s side pocket storage is still there.

The jersey updates include building in wind proof panels to the front and arms, and a lighter main fabric so it doesn’t run as hot. The Windblock also gets more lower back coverage – presumably a more dropped hem, from the look of the pictures – and an updated collar and sleeve design.

Rapha’s new Windblock jersey

The Rapha Windblock jersey was probably the one ‘miss’ from the brand’s original range, in that it didn’t really work as a proper riding top. The back was too short and the cut was far too XC for my tastes, while the front panel just didn’t stop the wind well enough to negate the need for a base layer underneath it.

Rapha also says it’s made the whole thing from a more breathable and lightweight main fabric, so it should be breezier… at least from behind.

Finally the gloves feature a recycled suede fabric palm for grip and a Cordura reinforced back to protect your hands.

Rapha Trail Finale collection, tested by Scottish enduro racer Ella Conolly, who took her first win of the season at the Loudenvielle

How about those prices then? Back in 2021 you could get the original Rapha pants for £130 – today the new version is  £180 (€205, $230). There’s more going on with the Cordura panels now, and inflation has ripped pretty hard in the past four years, but that’s still a high price compared with the competition – the Fox Flexair Pants are now £130.

The rest of the range is high end in terms of pricing too…

• Trail Finale Windblock Jersey – 110 GBP / 125 EUR / 135 USD
• Trail Finale Shorts –  130 GBP / 150 EUR / 165 USD
• Trail Finale Pants – 180 GBP / 205 EUR / 230 USD
• Trail Finale Gloves – 45 GBP / 51 EUR / 55 USD

Launching an extended clothing line and adding more cost complexity to its business also seems like an odd choice for a brand that published a pre-tax loss of £22.7 million in 2024. It’s the seventh seventh consecutive year in the red for the UK brand.

However it does fit into the company’s stated intentions of “delivering a steady stream of product innovation” and essentially design its way into the black.

Rapha Trail Finale collection

“The management team remains focused on further improving business profitability and resilience while the sector remains challenged,” it said in October 2024. “Meanwhile, our marketing, creative and product teams continue to strive to make the Rapha brand more visible and engaging to cyclists, as well as delivering a steady stream of product innovation to increase customer lifetime value.”