Laundering Rapha trousers
newlevelsofawesome
Posts: 17
Hi forum,
I just washed my rapha trousers for the first time at 30 degrees celsius. The care instructions say you can machine wash them at up to 40 degrees. The black dye has bled into the labels colouring them gray. Maybe this is normal. However, the annoying thing is that the white belt loop now looks dirty gray.
Has anyone else had this problem with these? Is this just an inevitable part of the lifecycle of these trousers?
Thanks,
awesome
edit - Not normal apparently. Rapha immediately offered a replacement when I asked if it was normal.
I just washed my rapha trousers for the first time at 30 degrees celsius. The care instructions say you can machine wash them at up to 40 degrees. The black dye has bled into the labels colouring them gray. Maybe this is normal. However, the annoying thing is that the white belt loop now looks dirty gray.
Has anyone else had this problem with these? Is this just an inevitable part of the lifecycle of these trousers?
Thanks,
awesome
edit - Not normal apparently. Rapha immediately offered a replacement when I asked if it was normal.
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Why not contact Rapha about it?Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...0
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I will do on Monday when they're available. Even then I am more interested in the experience of others. The objectives of the post are to:
1 - see if someone posts that this HAS happened to them so I can determine that this is probably normal
2 - see if someone posts this HAS NOT happened to them so I can determine something is amiss.
3 - point out to other prospective buyers this might happen with multicolour rapha clothes, with the experiences of others colouring this0 -
Fair enough - which trousers are they? I had their 3/4 length pedal pusher pants (can't remember exactly how they were marketed on the website)
I noticed no ill effects when washed - I wash everything I have on 30 degrees - they may be a slightly different material to your trousers? They were partly Schoeller 3X IIRC (put them in the charity bag as they ended up being far too big for me!)Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...0 -
They are the Rapha softshell trousers. When you first washed your 3/4s did you notice the story labels going from having a white background to a dirty grey one?0
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No - the labels seemed fine - or if they did tinge, not so much that I noticed. My trousers were grey not black though - so perhaps this is a problem with the black dye only?Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...0
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I thought the way to get Rapha kit washed was to give it to one's valet :?0
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Bobbinogs wrote:I thought the way to get Rapha kit washed was to give it to one's valet :?
Throw the item away and buy new when it gets dirty0 -
It's definitely a fault that you can expect Rapha to rectify.
I've not got these trousers but lots of their stuff has bits of white on it in prominent places and these bits normally stay white.0 -
Did you wash them with anything else that may have bled and what soap/detergent did you use. It may be a dye problem so contact Rapha first. You can buy colour catcher sheets for the wash which are quite useful to prevent the problem you had.M.Rushton0
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Definitely contact Rapha - although as a previous poster said, it may also have been something else in your wash that bled and did the discolouring. I've got quite a bit of Rapha gear, have had for several years, and one of the many things I've liked about their stuff is how good it always washes up. Never had the least problem.0
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Thanks for the responses everyone
I washed the softshell trousers on their own, on 30 degree celsius non-colourfast synthetics cycle. I used Ariel Excel Gel Colour, but only put in a tiny amount of detergent; about a 5th the normal dosage.
From the sounds of it it will be worth contacting Rapha about this.
However, I am surprised noone has encountered this issue. The reason I washed these on their own in the first place was the laundry label saying "wash light colours separately". I would have thought this would imply colour bleeding is expected to occur.
Anyway, given this is totally not the response I expected thanks very much for making my discussion with Rapha on Monday more informed. I'll let you know how I get on.0 -
Today I sent Rapha an email describing the situation, and received a response promptly. Apparently the bleeding is NOT expected, and they suggested I return the product to them for replacement.0
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Is anyone else wondering if this is a serious thread or a (really quite good) p*ss take on the one about handwashing Assos gear?0
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I am completely serious.
I am honestly not that bothered by it but I read a lot about how long Rapha products remain as-new. I could not find any mention at all of the belt loop changing colour after a wash anywhere so I figured I would ask the forum.
Rapha say it isn't expected but I am still not convinced. The loop looks like Nylon, which discolours permanently if exposed to dye from what I've read online (but I haven't checked if there's a way to prevent this). The washing label says wash light colours separately, which implies bleeding is expected. In my mind I don't see how you'd avoid this situation. However, I didn't have much information to go on and made rather a few (possibly dubious) assumptions meaning I couldn't really draw any firm conclusions.
Anyway, when I get a replacement I'll wash them cold with Nikwax tech wash and post the results.0 -
Most colours bleed - red is notorious for it. Wash a white jersey or white shorts in with eg black shorts and the white goes grey quite quickly. If you use a colour catcher laundry sheet, that will help but black is generally slower bleedingM.Rushton0
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newlevelsofawesome wrote:Today I sent Rapha an email describing the situation, and received a response promptly. Apparently the bleeding is NOT expected, and they suggested I return the product to them for replacement.
Whilst its easy to knock Rapha because of their pricing, they do actually seem to have some reasonable customer care practices.0 -
ShutUpLegs wrote:Whilst its easy to knock Rapha because of their pricing, they do actually seem to have some reasonable customer care practices.
I cannot say a word against their customer service. It is a major reason I have purchased so many items from them. In the past I've had no trouble returning items that don't fit, nor an item that became defective after a month of use. Further, the manner they deal with me is very polite and pleasant. I think that goes a long way.
I feel a Rapha purchase is a guarantee that my high expectations of a top quality product will be met, since it seems like even if they are not met (or, in this case, exceeded) they correct the situation swiftly.0 -
[quote=".
I feel a Rapha purchase is a guarantee that my high expectations of a top quality product will be met, since it seems like even if they are not met (or, in this case, exceeded) they correct the situation swiftly.[/quote]
Blimey, do you work for/endorse them?M.Rushton0 -
Never had a problem with any of my Lidl kit on the normal 40% wash...mrushton wrote:Most colours bleed - red is notorious for it. Wash a white jersey or white shorts in with eg black shorts and the white goes grey quite quickly. If you use a colour catcher laundry sheet, that will help but black is generally slower bleeding0
