Rapha Bikes

MattC59
MattC59 Posts: 5,408
edited February 2011 in The bottom bracket
I don't care how much they cost (IF SX frame and forks $6795 !!), and I don't care whether you like Rapha or not, I want one :D

http://www.rapha.cc/bicycle
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Comments

  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Great!

    Go out and buy one. Then share what it is like.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Are you sure you've seen the specs on those bikes? Thought this through? Maybe you better go look again.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • EKIMIKE
    EKIMIKE Posts: 2,232
    They set their Campag up wrong - why are the levers in the brake release setting :roll:

    Granted the IF and Cinelli look fairly nice. Clean set-up. But 7k and 3.5K respectively - no thanks!
    Canyon Endurace CF 2014 | Canyon Ultimate CF 2010
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I didn't like any of them. Am I a bad person ?
  • nickwill
    nickwill Posts: 2,735
    Why not go direct to Independant Fabrication, Cinelli et al and buy from them. That way you'll get yourself as good a bike for less money without the stigma of the Rapha badge. I can just imagine the abuse I would get if I turned up for the sunday ride on one of these.
    http://lakescyclist.wordpress.com/
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    edited February 2011
    Nickwill wrote:
    Why not go direct to Independant Fabrication, Cinelli et al and buy from them. That way you'll get yourself as good a bike for less money without the stigma of the Rapha badge. I can just imagine the abuse I would get if I turned up for the sunday ride on one of these.

    Yup! Frame & forks only from IF:-

    Rapha = $6795; IF = $5995. That's an $800 paint job.

    Edit:- And that is from someone that has spent a fair few pounds on what is their good gear. Stick to the core business, please.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    The savings would be more than that - if you look at the specs on those bikes you can see you're paying way over the odds; Tektro brakes on a bike costing £3400? Huh? You could go to those same framebuilders, buy much the same thing, put your own paint job on it, and spec it the way you like, and still save hundreds of pounds, perhaps even a thousand.

    I say this as someone who likes Rapha gear in general. I have quite a few of their jerseys, and their softshell jacket - all brilliant stuff - but this kind of thing is just absurd. They really need to stick to their knitting, so to speak, which is turning out excellent performance clothes. When they do that they are great - when they decide to get 'creative' and branch out they inevitably come a cropper, embarrassingly so to the point where you want to cringe on their behalf because they clearly lack the sense to do so themselves; remember their ludicrous £3000 gentleman's cycling outfit? And the £135 training diary? The shaving kit? Now it's skin care products, and the absurdly overpriced Paul Smith line, and over-branded bicycles.

    God, it must be a hoot to sit in on one of their product development meetings.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • tx14
    tx14 Posts: 244
    It IS a marketing heavy industry, look at all sponsorships and stuff.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    True, but does anyone have to be so elephantine about it?
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    dmclite wrote:
    I didn't like any of them. Am I a bad person ?

    I think I must be another bad person.
    The Master
    The Moser
    The VN
  • Monkeypump
    Monkeypump Posts: 1,528
    The problem with Rapha is separating the quality of their core products (clearly very good) from the nonsense of their 'lifestyle' branding (opinion is obviously divided on how good this is).

    Unfortunately there are enough people who buy into the branding to warrant these superfluous (and price-inflated) secondary products.

    To echo Hoopdriver's sentiment, oh to be a Rapha product manager. Despite the mockery from those who see past the branding, those guys can seemingly do no wrong. I'd love to see the potential products that were rejected for being too ostentatious!
  • freehub
    freehub Posts: 4,257
    I'd rather have my crap winter bike that I use all year round than those at least it looks better than em and costs ALOT less.
  • mroli
    mroli Posts: 3,622
    I like the IF bike and the Cinelli Crit bike. The other two not so fussed about. TBH - I'd rather get the Condor Leggero in team colours.
    http://www.georgesfoundation.org
    http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
    http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/
  • Harry B
    Harry B Posts: 1,239
    €3,500 for a Cinelli steel frame and fork :shock:

    Style over substance, nothing more
    www.justgiving.com/thetwodaves
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    Overpriced bling build with the likes of David Beckham in mind.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Harry B wrote:
    €3,500 for a Cinelli steel frame and fork :shock:

    Style over substance, nothing more

    But it is a fairly expensive substance to start with, €3050 here http://www.slanecycles.com/cinelli-xcr- ... rrency=EUR

    So a €450 paint job for that one.

    They are overpriced but overpriced paint jobs on expensive frames to start with. You takes your choice and pay accordingly. I think it is obvious that most will simply choose to not buy.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.

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