The new Rapha catalogue

iainf72

Anyone else get theirs yesterday with the Rapha ride in it?

I'm such a sucker for things like that - Great marketing.

kellys_heroes

i think the catalogue is great for getting my fire going.normally $@&$t doesnt burn,but their stuff takes the biscuit..anyone silly enough to buy Rapha should need their head examined...anyone read mr Mottram in this weeks cycling..what a pompous guy he is....when asked is rapha products overpriced,he says if you think they are,well they,re not for you....what a snob. he says that his fabrics are 5 to 10 times that used on the mass market....big deal..there are other makes out there the same or better and at a 3rd of the price. i mean if you have that sort of money your going to go for Assos.the stuff they sell is so bland and whats this with the colour black that they use a lot in their clothing...eh just idela for those dark winter nights or those run of the mill average short sighted driver on a saturday and sunday morning ride....dont even get me started on their £120 training manual.

ricadus

I like some of the low-key stuff but the flashier things (e.g. Paul Smith TdF souvenir jersey) are just vanity items IMO. And why would I want to buy a retro cap that makes me look like Norman Wisdom anyway?

On the plus side the merino wool base layers are comparably priced to ones available elsewhere of a similar quality (e.g. Howies) and they are infinitely better than polyester base layers both in hot and cold weather; not sure about spending upwards of £200 on a soft shell jacket though unless it is proven not to wear out within a couple of years.

But the above criticisms are a matter of taste – my main gripe is that their sizing is for hefty types: what fits me across the shoulders is just too baggy around the waist, though being stretchy wool it's perhaps just a matter of buying a size (or two) smaller than normal.

jimmythecuckoo

It is great and apparently the first in a series of "Rapha Rides" catalogues.

ricadus

"He Whom We Do Not Name"

LOL - thanks, Mr Censor.

HarryB

If their stuff is made with such top quality fabrics why can't you just chuck it in a washing machine?

popette

HarryB wrote:

If their stuff is made with such top quality fabrics why can't you just chuck it in a washing machine?

Seriously? you can't wash it? I never buy anything I can't wash in the washing machine. :roll:

iainf72

HarryB wrote:

If their stuff is made with such top quality fabrics why can't you just chuck it in a washing machine?

If you spent £800 on a suit you wouldn't expect to be able to wash it in the machine, surely. And that would be good quality fabric.

ricadus

You can wash the sportwool stuff in a machine – just no hotter than 30ªC and no tumble dry.

rjeffroy

Looks like a great ride - they should have included a map in the catalogue.

chocolateboy

I confess to liking Rapha gear, not that I can afford too much of it. I just get my wife to buy the odd piece here and there for birthday/christmas prezzies. They've all lasted well so far, despite being bunged in the washing machine!

Retro caps are cool.

APIII

kellys heroes wrote:

..anyone silly enough to buy Rapha should need their head examined...

Why exactly? I'll confess to owning a couple of their t-shirts, which at £25 have been good value, given the quality. I've not yet been tempted by any of the higher priced items, but are you suggesting they are not as good as Assos, Etxeondo, etc?

Regardless of whether or not I actually buy any of their gear, I do appreciate the fact that they offer a choice in a market seemingly full of identikit clothing.

PaulJHart

I've read 'the rider' so the catlagoue was interesting but the photos are so arty farty that you cant actually make out the clothes anyway. the old catalogues had some cool inspirational pictures but this one only has one decent picture in it.
as for their clothes I once bought their emergency gilet in their sale and though half price i felt it was a huge waste of money. I have promised myself their croix de la fer top though if I ever climb that col!

iainf72

kellys heroes wrote:

dont even get me started on their £120 training manual.

Would you spend £120 on a diary generally? If not, then it's not really aimed at you. They're more gifts for people who have a fair bit of cash to spend.

http://www.smythson.com/SmythsonSite/pr ... DD0177.htm

It's the upper end of the market for people who like "nice things" and it's a great marketing strategy.

vermooten

Rapha is just plain WRONG.

I was 50/50 about the brand til I saw the 'rider's journal' - and then the leg-shaving kit really showed me who they are. And that guy in the catalogue, exhausted in the shower after a long ride... what a wuss.

Good for them, though, almost as clever marketing as the people who persude us to pay for bottled water. I might start selling my turds for £50 a piece - any takers?

shanexs

I like rapha products. I like the brands 'image'. Can I afford most of the products? Nope. But I still like rapha products. So it's expensive. Your point being? If it's way overpriced and no wants to buy it then no more rapha. Simple market forces at work. If you think it's overpriced rubbish then don't buy it!

vermooten

In their favour they're trying to do something different. Cycling's such a conservative world, so it's great when companies go against it and bring about change. Shame in this case that it's overpriced rubbish but that ain't nothing but a thing. Change is good, and gawd knows cycling needs change right about now.

APIII

vermooten wrote:

In their favour they're trying to do something different. Cycling's such a conservative world, so it's great when companies go against it and bring about change. Shame in this case that it's overpriced rubbish but that ain't nothing but a thing. Change is good, and gawd knows cycling needs change right about now.

But what makes it overpriced rubbish? What are the products you've used that you rate so poorly? Like I say, I've only bought a couple of items which have been top quality. I'll probably buy more in the future unless I hear some horror stories about their quality or customer service. The fact that they will repair or replace worn out items for free does offer some reassurance given the cost of the stuff.

vermooten

APIII wrote:

But what makes it overpriced rubbish? .

This.

shanexs

It's a nice diary from a premium maker of diaries and pricey. I prefer to buy from WhSmiths but I still like rapha products. The same way I like ferraris but drive a vauxhall.

overmars

I recently (14 oct) got knocked off my bike, knocked unconscious... anyway the nurses cut my Rapha and Assos roubiax 3/4 shorts stuff off. Rapha said they would replace the cut off items (winter jersey, fixed T).

Personally I think that's more than pretty damned f***ing decent.

So guess where I'm going to buy my next 'overpriced' pair of shorts from?

andyp

That's very decent of them Overmars.

It amuses me how people get so het up over Rapha. I don't know any other cycling brand that provokes such a response.

I've got a lot of their kit and most of it is superb.

davidlaurel

What's up with you lot are you all inverted snobs or don.t you know whats value for money ? Yes the softshell jacket is big bucks at £200 plus a go but once you've used it you realise that the quality of it shines through. No need for loads of layers just one base layer will suffice, no need of a waterproof, it keeps the rain off no problem, no need of a gillet it stops the wind like nothing else...You've just saved yourself a load of money on extras you don't need with this jacket. Then try the winter hat there's nothing out there this good at any price. Ok some diary's £120 I ain't buying it..It won't protect me from the elements. Get real you lot good the gear is good, unless you've tried it you can't really comment on it, let alone slag it on price !

overmars

andyp wrote:

That's very decent of them Overmars.

It amuses me how people get so het up over Rapha. I don't know any other cycling brand that provokes such a response.

I've got a lot of their kit and most of it is superb.

At first it was amusing.

Cr@p. Chear myself and post more in the girls in lycra thread!

mrushton

davidlaurel wrote:

What's up with you lot are you all inverted snobs or don.t you know whats value for money ? Yes the softshell jacket is big bucks at £200 plus a go but once you've used it you realise that the quality of it shines through. No need for loads of layers just one base layer will suffice, no need of a waterproof, it keeps the rain off no problem, no need of a gillet it stops the wind like nothing else...You've just saved yourself a load of money on extras you don't need with this jacket. Then try the winter hat there's nothing out there this good at any price. Ok some diary's £120 I ain't buying it..It won't protect me from the elements. Get real you lot good the gear is good, unless you've tried it you can't really comment on it, let alone slag it on price !

Soft-shell jkt - superb bit of kit, stowaway jkt - looks great, is waterproof but can get hot, but in full on rain storm, it works a treat. Base layers - superb. It's all well-made, well marketed and they are trying to be different. If you want to wear £10 team copy jerseys that's fine, but the Rapha stuff is like a Pinarello Prince or Serotta Ottrott in that you've got something special and not run of the mill. Sure that diary or razor kit is mad, but look at the publicity it has generated on here and the only thing worse thanbiing talked about is NOT being talked about. don't forget they also run a team as well, so keep up yhe good work , Rapha

sonicred007

Rapha is a brand? Yes

From my marketing lecture...

A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol, or design which is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.

Brand equity is defined in terms of the marketing effects uniquely attributable to the brand.

Brand equity relates to the fact that different outcomes result in the marketing of a product or service because of its brand name, as compared to if the same product or service did not have that name.

Determinants of Customer-Based Brand Equity - Customer holds some strong, favorable, and unique brand associations in memory

Basic premise: Power of a brand resides in the minds of customers

For some, the power of Rapha is greater than others. For some it has no resonance whats so ever, it's just expensive

markyboy2005

I am always amazed with comments about how people spend their money. As mentioned earlier it is a kind of reverse snobbery.

My opinion has always been that people should be free to spend their money how they see fit. Lets face it, if you only have a tenner, then a fiver is a lot of money - i.e. the value of money is relative.

I find comments like "anyone who spends x on y needs their head examined" as offensive as say " what those trainers only cost 20 quid - yah pikey etc". Either way it is someone out there making a decision that their assesment of the value of something is the definitive correct value and all of the assumptions they have made are correct for the entire population.

Of course it would be nice if all wealthy (realtive) people shared their extra cash equally amongst the others and did not waste their hard earned or soft earned on frivoulous items - however, I am sure this ideology has been tried and it does not quite work.

If there was no market for Rapha, then Rapha would not exist - that is it in a nutshell. So why do we cristicise people who spend "too much" or "too little" on certain items??

I am no psychologist or psychiatrist (possibly a little psychotic!!), but I think it helps people to define their principles to a wider audience and say hey, these are my principles, I think they are good, I am one of you......or not as the case may be.

Lets face it, by making the statements above and by contributing to such a debate I am pretty much doing the same thing in some respects........

el_presidente

vermooten wrote:

And that guy in the catalogue, exhausted in the shower after a long ride... what a wuss.

He looked to me as if he'd just seen the horrific state his flatmate had left the crapper in

star_rover

Folk must be buying that diary, it's sold out.

Their stuff does look much, much better in the flesh, so to speak - on the website it looks a bit bland.

OllyBianchi

Actually quite a lot of the attraction of cycling is the that stuff like Rapha, Assos etc is attainable for mere mortals, rather than the super rich.

I like bikes a lot, I also like cars a lot. One day it would be lovely to have a Porsche 911GT3 RS, Sparco race suit, etc etc and spend weekends thrashing it on the Nurburgring. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to afford this.

However, it's quite likely that at some point in my life I'll be able to afford a Colnago C50 (or whatever), a warderobe of Assos, Rapha and Gore kit and thrash it up and down famous roads.

We should be pleased that there are people about who are prepared to make things up to the quality and style which they can sell, rather than everything being made down to a price, and pleased that buying the very best in cycling is more attainable for more people than in many other hobbies.

rampax

I have just bought myself the Classic Softshell Jacket, after umming and ahhing about it for months, and reading reviews etc. Today is the first REALLY cold day I have used it, and it was great with just an M&S base layer underneath. The material is much thinner than I was expecting, so I was worried about its windproofing, but in actual use its pretty amazing. Is it a good jacket? - YES. Is it worth £200? - NO. But its defo worth £100, and I will get a lot of use out of it. And, its sufficiently stylish that you can wear it "off the bike" too (without looking like a cyclist). This is useful to me as I cycle to my girlfreinds house, and need to travel as light as poss - dont really have space for two jackets.
For me its the styling that attracts me to the Rapha stuff.
Only the idividual can decide weather an item is worth the money to them.