More Than Toilette Fodder

I recently received the first four copies of Rouleur, the gorgeous black and white cycling quarterly put out by the British cycling gods of style, taste and elegance, Rapha.

Rapha has long held my interest — their aesthetic is exactly what I had been looking for in cycling clothing for a long time. However, their prices have caused some controversy, but I say that you’ll pay for quality anyway so while I can’t quite bring myself to buy most of what they sell, I do appreciate quality when I see it.

Sample spreads from Rouleur. Gorgeous.

However, Rouleur, which some consider simply a magazine, is far more affordable but more expensive than your regular newsstand trash. It’s a quarterly! If there were a version of McSweeney’s for the two-wheeled set, this would be it.

Featuring gorgeous photography, anecdotes and stories and a design that Massimo Vignelli would be proud of (and not to mention my friend Khoi), the mostly black and white magazine is just ace.

I’m slowly digesting the issues at a leisurely pace, enjoying the words and photography that accompany each piece, both of equal weight, with relish.

I recommend picking it up if you can.