Is Rapha clothing worth it?

antfly

I`ve got a rapha long sleeved jersey and a spesh long sleeved jersey made of half wool stuff too .The spesh one was half the price of the rapha one.The rapha one has a hole above the pocket in exactly the same place as the one I returned after a few weeks.The spesh one is fairly new so can`t comment on longevity but in comfort,quality and fit there is very little difference.There are a few companies now doing similar jerseys and stuff to Rapha at half their prices.I would say Rapha stuff is overpriced.

bendertherobot

mrushton wrote:

You can't compare '

I can compare that the rapha one has some loose threads that could come loose. My assos certainly don't

daviesee

dodgy wrote:

I think it would have been good for a Rapha kit owner to do some direct comparison with a Rapha garment and another from a different manufacturer that they owned.

• Material weight
• Thickness
• Stitching style (double, flat locked etc etc)
• Colour fast after so many washes/use
• Fit
• Comfort

Notice I haven't included style above, we can all see the styles on the Rapha web-site and it's easily judged by looking.

But it seems to me that people would rather engage in increasingly terse responses than just say what tangible differences there really are.

Oh and by the way, this isn't an invitation to have a pop. I am actually really interested, count me as a potential Rapha customer.

As said, it is not so easy due to the material differences.
The jerseys are the main draw to Rapha and they are sportwool, not man made techical materials. As such they are heavier and thicker. Not enough to slow you down though. If a couple of grams make that much difference you really should be sponsored anyway
They are double stitched, flat locked etc, etc.
With one noteable exception they still look brand new out of the wash. The noteable exception is the white socks. Wool cannot be hot washed so mine have gone slightly grey. I now wear black socks. That'll start a new debate :roll:
For fit, I find them superb. Tight enough to not catch the wind, loose enough to be comfortable. The fit is equally nice on and off the bike.
Comfort - exceptional. This is the main reason for getting Rapha and while it is hard to convince a non-believer that they are worth the cash once tried you will at least be able to understand why people like them. Cool when the weather is hot, warm when the weather is cool, breatheable and just so nice to the skin.
The base layers are nice too and comparable in cost with other merino brands, if you buy a pack of three.
In summary, all my man-made jerseys are now consigned to the bottom of the drawer and that includes some prime brands.
Rapha prices can be made a bit more reasonable by buying out of season, or buying the bundle packs. For example, I saved a fair bit by buying a winter jersey recently and it is now one of my favourite cycling gear. And yes, I am getting the use of it. It is still bloody cold up here in Aberdeen, even in the middle of June :evil:

mrushton

dodgy wrote:

mrushton wrote:

You can't compare because in my case Assos is different to Rapha. Assos make use of technical fabrics for all their stuff, Rapha use merino wool with other fibres for much of their products. Assos base layers are polyester based, Assos are wool. Assos gilet use windblock, the Rapha soft shell gilet use a windblocking material but it's fit/design is different to Assos. Both brands are v.high quality, both brands v.expensive but well thought out and both have their own 'look'

You say you can't compare but you go on to provide more comparison data than anyone else has so far provided. So thanks

I haven't compared like with like just an overview of the product line. As to quality well they both rip when you come into contact with the road. Assos have always been great at fixing rips/tears/zip replacements. Rapha are reputedly v.good at customer service but I've not had to use it. As a user of both I'll say they are both overpriced by 20%+ but I notice that other brands are going up to Assos price not the other way. My partner will tell you that she used to dislike Assos until she started using it. Now she accepts that the women specific Assos kit is the most comfortable there is (for her), unless we get to try Castelli for free

As to washing, try a -40 wash or wool specific wash using biotex powder then a wool or handwash using a delicates liquid. Also, don't wash whites with dark colours.

Anonymous

I find the Rapha stuff I have is of a fantastic fit, very good manuf quality but the main draws for me are the thoughtful design touches and the long distance comfort.

I also really like the styling.

There is some good stuff out there for cheaper (Gore, Castelli) and of a similar price (Assos) I own a lot of cycling clothing from a lot of manufacturers including those and I find Rapha my favourite (except for Assos shorts).

pabloweaver

let me tell you what REALLY p*ss*s me off about some of the cycling fraternity .... :evil:

why should anyone who goes out , earns a crust and wants to feed a chunk of that into a sport/hobby/pastime/ fitness regime ( delete as applicable ) have to justify to ANYONE ( ok maybe girlfriends/wives/partners ...cos thats a different issue ! ) why they spend X amount of cash on products A, B or C ?

I have joined and posted to numerous topics on this forum asking/commenting on the quality or availability of an item and have picked up that it the item is beyond a certain price and im not picking up a wild card entry for one of the major tours then Im buying things purely on its high price point .....B*llocks !

Quality does not always equate to cost , but the bottom line is ... I work, pay my way and have a responsible job , I dont have a wardrobe full of designer clothes as i can find better styled stuff for me cheaper and IF i can apply this to bike stuff i will ( in fact i do )

when it comes to my cycling , i will spend my money how I see fit , I ask for advice on items fully aware that the true value of something is determined by the amount somebody is willing to pay for it !


and yes .... I am referring to some of the posters on this topic with this rant

there are some really helpful folk on here, who " get " this ...there are a few who dont and never will

if their logic applied we would ALL be riding these ....

http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricula ... rthing.jpg


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WIYkmR1j9wg/S ... icycle.jpg

and dressed like : http://www.communigate.co.uk/ne/cardboardcity/php4eh0KJ

rant over

or maybe i should say im getting bored now
zzzzzzzzzzz



ps .....No i dont own any Rapha stuff ...yet , but who knows what the future holds ? 8)

pabloweaver

and........................................relax

I've had my coffee and now the world is at peace ....

must be the fact that I've blagged a working from home day ( ) only to find i need to trade the bike for a canoe .....


do Rapha make canoe apparel ?

my points still stand in the rant though !

antfly

You should have checked the forecast first.

pabloweaver

antfly wrote:

You should have checked the forecast first.

I did ..............


last week

oh well , will just have to get wet .....

now should I wear the cheap stuff ..mm?

softlad

pabloweaver wrote:

rant over

or maybe i should say im getting bored now
zzzzzzzzzzz

obviously too bored to actually undestand what I've written then.....because if you had, you would see that I have not actually criticised anyone for buying Rapha.

But don't let the facts get in the way of a good moan, eh...?

softlad

antfly wrote:

There are a few companies now doing similar jerseys and stuff to Rapha at half their prices.I would say Rapha stuff is overpriced.

aaagh!!!! antfly is a non-believer - stone him...!!!! :shock:

Anonymous

Antfly, have you a link? If I can get something the same quality etc for less then I'm game!

softlad

NapoleonD wrote:

If I can get something the same quality etc for less then I'm game!

not been into a good cycle shop before, then..?

Anonymous

Oh FFS softlad, give it a rest with your sarcasm.

softlad

NapoleonD wrote:

Oh FFS softlad, give it a rest with your sarcasm.

sorry, but you make it so easy......

Anonymous

Anyone can find mindless sarcasm easy. Even my 5 year old.

Anonymous

Antfly, can you give me a link to the clothing you found like rapha but cheaper?

softlad

NapoleonD wrote:

Anyone can find mindless sarcasm easy. Even my 5 year old.

if they are anything like you, then I'm sure that's not true......

Anonymous

Now it gets personal. Oh dear.

Please can you stop detracting from my question to Antfly.

antfly

Ladies please!
Well i`ve never actually seen one of these but they look nice and got a mention on roadcyclinguk.
http://colomba.cc/product_info.php?cPat ... ucts_id=28
There is also this one http://www.shuttvr.com/products.php but I`m not so sure about the designs,myself.They got a good review on roadcycling uk though and made in England.

daviesee

Hi,

None of this is helping the OP

He gave up on page 1.

Maybe we should all agree to disagree.

Some people seem to like disagreeing :roll:

Anonymous

Cheers Antfly. I've seen the Colomba stuff and really like the look, I may give one a go. Not so sure about the designs of the Shutt stuff...

softlad

daviesee wrote:

None of this is helping the OP

He gave up on page 1.

to be fair, he got his answer on page 1 as well.....

daviesee

antfly wrote:

Ladies please!
Well i`ve never actually seen one of these but they look nice and got a mention on roadcyclinguk.
http://colomba.cc/product_info.php?cPat ... ucts_id=28
There is also this one http://www.shuttvr.com/products.php but I`m not so sure about the designs,myself.They got a good review on roadcycling uk though and made in England.

Now that is what I call a useful post! :P

Anonymous

daviesee wrote:

Hi,

None of this is helping the OP

He gave up on page 1.

Maybe we should all agree to disagree.

Some people seem to like disagreeing :roll:

No we don't!

Anonymous

Hello all,

Can we put the handbags away please?

If you've got no useful input, don't bother posting.

Ta

Anonymous

Colomba Peace race jersey ordered...

Look forward to giving it a go and comparing it to the Rapha club jersey.

antfly

Bloody hell you don`t waste any time.Have you ever seen one in the flesh before?

dodgy

Was that a protest purchase NapoleonD?

They look very nice, I'm quite tempted to make an impulse purchase to be honest. But think I'll wait for your mini review

PeteinSQ

I've seen someone wearing a colomba jersey in SE London a few times. It looks good on him.

I have a few Rapha things (all bought at sample sales for bugger all e.g. Criterium gloves for £15 rather than £90) and they've all been pretty good.

I don't think I would buy everything they make; I'm not convinced that you really need to spend a great deal on a jersey or armwarmers or even a gilet. I would really like one of their jackets though as they have had fantastic reviews and I like the way that they look.

I suspect that Rapha products are slighlty overpriced but once you get into the luxury/premium end of the market you start to pay more money for smaller increase in performance/quality. So Rapha gloves are excellent quality but whether they are 300% better than Specialized BG gloves is debateable.

I think that what attracts people to Rapha is that until very recently they were the sole occupiers of a particular aesthetic niche and that they do make genuinely good quality items. A sort of cross over between fashion and cycling. There is nothing wrong with liking Rapha things even if they don't necessarily give the best ROI in terms of bang for buck.

The same can be said of certain makes of car, regular clothing brands etc.

I wear suits from M&S but they can't ever be said to be as good as a Saville Row suit but then whether the suit from Saville Row is 1000% better than an M&S suit is debateable.