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A two-page spread with a deep blue background. The right page features a large headline “Did it rain?” followed by several paragraphs of white text. On the left, a small figure on a bicycle rides along the curve of a large, white abstract shape.

Publication: Vulpine and The Newspaper Club release a multi-purpose cycling paper

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Date
16 July 2013

In this crazy, mixed-up, modern world we live in it seems there’s a technological solution to everything. We’ve got sat nav in our phones so we never get lost, funny little sensors on the back of our cars so we don’t crash while parking and huge industries devoted to drying our hands really fast in public toilets. For cyclists however, the solution to wet shoes on a rainy day doesn’t need any high-tech solution – the folks over at Vulpine have reminded us that there’s a much simpler option available.

Rain Not Train is a new publication produced by Vulpine in collaboration with The Newspaper Club that contains vital information for the urban commuter cyclist and a whole host of specially-commissioned illustration and design on the subject of wet weather cycling. It also has a specially engineered feature that most other cycling publications lack. Once you’ve finished reading the articles, each page can be used as a highly effective shoe drying device by simply scrunching up and inserting it into the shoe. Damp-footed morning rides will forever be a thing of the past and we’re impressed by the tongue-in-cheek disregard for technology shown by the witty bunch at Vulpine. Nice.

The first tranche of publications were available on Sunday at the Vulpine summer fete and will be made available in bike shops for free to be given out when it’s raining.

A graphic poster featuring a pattern of blue vertical stripes that shift in angle and shade. Bold text at the top reads “RAIN NOT TRAIN”, while a white block to the right contains the words “THE SHOE DRYING KIT.”
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

An illustration split into two panels. On the left, a shower head pours thin lines of water against a yellow background with the text “SUMMER RAIN”. On the right, a red bucket tips a solid block of ice against a blue background with the text “WINTER RAIN”.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

A two-page spread featuring a bold typographic layout and a close-up of a cycling shoe. The left page reads “COLD HANDS DON’T LAST” in a gradient of blue to red, with a glove and a mug replacing two letters.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

An isometric illustration of a city street scene in green and grey. A green bus stops at a platform next to a row of blue rental bikes and a set of stairs. The facing page features a grey cloud and blue rain streaks over a long poem. The text begins with the line “I’ve always loved riding in the rain.”
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

Two graphic posters side by side. The first shows a bicycle wheel with a rainbow tyre and the text “RIDE OUT THE STORM”. The second features a tangled mass of white bicycle chain links on a black background with the text “A RUSTY CHAIN IS A CYCLING SHAME”.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

A close-up of a purple waterproof jacket covered in tiny droplets of water. Text on the left describes the garment as “The Most Comfy Jacket”, focusing on its breathable performance in the rain.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

A long, wet road winds through a brown, hilly landscape under a cloudy sky. A single tall antenna stands on the horizon, and the text “#rainnottrain” is written in white across the sky.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

A pair of gold and turquoise sneakers sit side by side on a white background. Crumpled newspaper is stuffed into the toes of the shoes, next to the word “shoespapers” in bold white type.
Above

Vulpine and The Newspaper Club: Rain Not Train Shoe Drying Kit

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About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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