Rapha

primalcarl

How do you find their customer service generally? Do you find dealing with them good, bad, mediocre?

Just wondering if it matches up to their premium prices and fancy marketing?

thegreatdivide

A) Great service, great kit and they do a free repair service.
Overpriced tat! I prefer to spend exactly the same amount of money but on Assos so people wont take the pi$$ (even though I now look like Buck Rogers in the Blue Oyster Bar )
C) Gore, Shutt, Castelli etc etc etc
D) Lidl

ajb72

I own a fair bit of Rapha kit and have had cause to deal with their customer service on a few occasions. I have to say I cannot fault their service at all. I have had replacement items with no quibble whatsoever, and if anything has gone wrong with an item or order I have received a personal email and a discount code. My washing machine trashed a base layer earlier in the year and put half a dozen holes in it. I used their free repair service and within in a couple of weeks it came back as good as new. They have also repaired a couple of items for my brother despite him not having bought directly via their website.

I get frustrated with the marketing and hype surrounding the brand, it's a shame as they leave themselves open to ridicule when the products are generally very good in practice. Assos costs at least as much and sometimes more, but they seem to get far less stick despite some equally cringeworthy marketing on their site.

thegreatdivide

On a serious note - I agree with all of the above.

On one occasion they phoned me to let me know the piece I wanted to exchange wouldn't be in stock for a while.

I really like buying direct from the source.

marcusjb

Brilliant company to deal with - sort out problems quickly in my experience.

Luckily I've never had the opportunity to test their repair service - but I hear it is good.

Everything I own of theirs is exceptionally well-made, incredibly well-designed etc.

Worth the money, as are Assos (I have never tried Rapha shorts as why take the risk when I know a pair of Assos shorts will be comfy for anything up to 400km (by which time, it's best to change into a clean pair!)).

The only other brand I have a lot of faith in is Gore - I like their stuff a lot. One of their jackets (can't remember the model off the top of my head) is probably the item of clothing I wear the most on a bike.

When the Rapha boys came out with the idea to ride PBP this year, I am afraid the audax world did ridicule them a little. But, they proved themselves to be the nicest guys who are passionate about cycling and it's totally core to everything they do - so it's not all hype and marketing jibberish, but based on real cycling (though there are a few of their products that are a little out there and easy to take the mickey out of!).

bendertherobot

Had a pair of Rapha classic bibs. Personally the most comfy shorts, period.

But they sprung some stitching and I thought them less well made than Assos.

Sent back, refunded with no quibble at all.

ajb72

bendertherobot wrote:

Had a pair of Rapha classic bibs. Personally the most comfy shorts, period.

But they sprung some stitching and I thought them less well made than Assos.

Sent back, refunded with no quibble at all.

Shorts are the one area I would always look to Assos for first too, with one exception. The new pro team thermal shorts are absolutely fantastic - great fit & pad and thicker than the Assos 607 equivalent. I wore mine yesterday in 5 degree temperatures and through rain showers, the legs stayed warm throughout. I am less impressed with the classic bibshorts, they are ok but I wouldn't pick them over Assos Uno or Mille which you can often find cheaper.

cedar404

Apologies for tagging onto this thread but thought I would
do so rather than start a new one.

Anyone got any discount codes for Rapha at the moment
that they want to share ?

Thanks.

yaya

Will probably never be discounted but if you're into espresso you might consider this one as your x-mas gift :idea:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2011-12/01/100-best-things-in-the-world/rocket-espresso-machine#ContentTop

sloppyschleckonds

cedar404 wrote:

Apologies for tagging onto this thread but thought I would
do so rather than start a new one.

Anyone got any discount codes for Rapha at the moment
that they want to share ?

Thanks.

WNT11 gives 10% off and free delivery.

on-yer-bike

primalcarl wrote:

How do you find their customer service generally? Do you find dealing with them good, bad, mediocre?

Just wondering if it matches up to their premium prices and fancy marketing?

Do you work for Rapha?

thegreatdivide

yaya wrote:

Will probably never be discounted but if you're into espresso you might consider this one as your x-mas gift :idea:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2011-12/01/100-best-things-in-the-world/rocket-espresso-machine#ContentTop

This gets the usual Rapha hater flak, but considering a Giotto costs almost the same amount without the logo it's pointless gum bumping.

cubicboy

Just got given a 20% code from a friend: 'TURKEY11'. It's for 20% off and works! Valid until 24th December.

giant_man

I would never buy from them again. Overpriced and overhyped rubbish imo. Customer service a complete joke, and they took it personally when i returned their badly designed winter gloves. Never again!

gbr236

I like it and was just tempted to order more
sadly turkey11 does not work for me....

APIII

yaya wrote:

Will probably never be discounted but if you're into espresso you might consider this one as your x-mas gift :idea:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2011-12/01/100-best-things-in-the-world/rocket-espresso-machine#ContentTop

£380 extra for a Rapha logo and a pink gauge? I really do wonder sometimes. It's even £100 more than the 'evoluzione' (which has a rotary pump and a brew pressure gauge). Yes, I do like coffee btw.

sloppyschleckonds

cubicboy wrote:

Just got given a 20% code from a friend: 'TURKEY11'. It's for 20% off and works! Valid until 24th December.

A girlfriend of mine has just sent me this 'GOBBLE11'

Must be a coded christmas message, but also gives 20% off

Pseudonym

APIII wrote:

£380 extra for a Rapha logo and a pink gauge? I really do wonder sometimes. It's even £100 more than the 'evoluzione' (which has a rotary pump and a brew pressure gauge). Yes, I do like coffee btw.

"..this is not just coffee - this is Rapha coffee.." (with apologies to M&S)

cubicboy

Sorry, my mistake on the code, it is GOBBLE11. 20% – bonzer.

TMR

The brands I spend my money on and consider to be the best are:

Rapha
Castelli
Assos

I also have a few items from what I consider to be intermediate class suppliers:

Torm
Shutt VR

Pseudonym

The Mad Rapper wrote:

The brands I spend my money on and consider to be the best are:

Rapha
Castelli
Assos

I also have a few items from what I consider to be intermediate class suppliers:

Torm
Shutt VR

as a matter of interest, how did you establish that Rapha, Castelli and Assos were the best..?

I spend my money mainly on Lusso, Endura, Aldi and Howies, incidentally.....couldn't tell you if they're the best or not, but they certainly do the job...

wildmoustache

thegreatdivide wrote:

yaya wrote:

Will probably never be discounted but if you're into espresso you might consider this one as your x-mas gift :idea:

http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2011-12/01/100-best-things-in-the-world/rocket-espresso-machine#ContentTop

This gets the usual Rapha hater flak, but considering a Giotto costs almost the same amount without the logo it's pointless gum bumping.

Yes, that makes the machine without the logo look comparatively very good value.

primalcarl

on-yer-bike wrote:

primalcarl wrote:

Do you work for Rapha?

Nope, absolutely not. I just wondered how people find them generally. I sent something back to be exchanged for a different colour which I knew was out of stock. Didn't get any message or call to say they'd received my return or when they would be likely to have stock. Had to use the royal mail website just to check they'd received it.

They're also pretty slow at updating their stock status on their website and replying to emails. On the buying/ordering side though they've always been prompt

Dodger747

The Mad Rapper wrote:

The brands I spend my money on and consider to be the best are:

Rapha
Castelli
Assos

Fully agree with this. IMO, best materials, best cut, best fit and stylish on the bike. Shame it's reflected in the price though!!!

sloppyschleckonds

Pseudonym wrote:

as a matter of interest, how did you establish that Rapha, Castelli and Assos were the best..?

I spend my money mainly on Lusso, Endura, Aldi and Howies, incidentally.....couldn't tell you if they're the best or not, but they certainly do the job...

AWOOGA

Pseudonym

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Pseudonym wrote:

as a matter of interest, how did you establish that Rapha, Castelli and Assos were the best..?

I spend my money mainly on Lusso, Endura, Aldi and Howies, incidentally.....couldn't tell you if they're the best or not, but they certainly do the job...

AWOOGA

Are you John Fashanu..?

Dodger747

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

A girlfriend of mine has just sent me this 'GOBBLE11'

Must be a coded christmas message, but also gives 20% off

Thanks! Just ordered a casual jacket!

Where are people getting these codes from, I've bought Rapha before and they haven't e-mailed me about the offer? :?

flanners1

Pseudonym wrote:

The Mad Rapper wrote:

The brands I spend my money on and consider to be the best are:

Rapha
Castelli
Assos

I also have a few items from what I consider to be intermediate class suppliers:

Torm
Shutt VR

as a matter of interest, how did you establish that Rapha, Castelli and Assos were the best..?

I spend my money mainly on Lusso, Endura, Aldi and Howies, incidentally.....couldn't tell you if they're the best or not, but they certainly do the job...

I have spent twenty odd years cycling and always skimped on clothing. In the last three years I have spent a lot of cash on assos, rapha, castelli, Shutt, Santini et al It has been worth the cash as almost all the gear has worked kept me warm or cool, dry, comfortable etc. The materials and cut have been top notch and have allowed me to enjoy my cycling in all weathers and terrain, I would never go back to cheap stuff it just is not worth it either in longevity or function.

wildmoustache

I doubt Rapha or Assos have better longevity than many cheaper brands - Edura, dhb and so on. Probably better than the really cheap stuff I would agree.

Fit is personal so one has to find out what works. Lots of people like Assos it seems.

As for style, again that divides opinion. Some people think they look the dogs nuts in Rapha cycling around with their bold white stripe for the moody skunk/badger look, some people would rather wear anything but.

I'm lucky as I don't have to wear that much in winter as I don't suffer in the cold. In fact I've never owned a cycling jacket, which has saved a small fortune. Gore windproof vest, SS jersey and armwarmers for me through the winter!

flanners1

wildmoustache wrote:

I doubt Rapha or Assos have better longevity than many cheaper brands - Edura, dhb and so on. Probably better than the really cheap stuff I would agree.

Fit is personal so one has to find out what works. Lots of people like Assos it seems.

As for style, again that divides opinion. Some people think they look the dogs nuts in Rapha cycling around with their bold white stripe for the moody skunk/badger look, some people would rather wear anything but.

I'm lucky as I don't have to wear that much in winter as I don't suffer in the cold. In fact I've never owned a cycling jacket, which has saved a small fortune. Gore windproof vest, SS jersey and armwarmers for me through the winter!

I feel the cold and that has been the biggest Holy Grail of a search: a jacket/soft shell that breathes is both fairly waterproof and windproof, is comfortable etc. When I look at some of the 'bin liners/spinnakers' people wear and sweat their n*ts off in they cannot be comfortable.

Rapha is nice, i like it. it is however overrated and overpriced (their PR and marketing works wonders), but it works well and looks good. If I cycle up around the Kent/London borders it does appear that London has a Rapha army.

I have dhB, endura, lusso etc as well there is some good stuff.

wildmoustache

Flanners1 wrote:

wildmoustache wrote:

I doubt Rapha or Assos have better longevity than many cheaper brands - Edura, dhb and so on. Probably better than the really cheap stuff I would agree.

Fit is personal so one has to find out what works. Lots of people like Assos it seems.

As for style, again that divides opinion. Some people think they look the dogs nuts in Rapha cycling around with their bold white stripe for the moody skunk/badger look, some people would rather wear anything but.

I'm lucky as I don't have to wear that much in winter as I don't suffer in the cold. In fact I've never owned a cycling jacket, which has saved a small fortune. Gore windproof vest, SS jersey and armwarmers for me through the winter!

I feel the cold and that has been the biggest Holy Grail of a search: a jacket/soft shell that breathes is both fairly waterproof and windproof, is comfortable etc. When I look at some of the 'bin liners/spinnakers' people wear and sweat their n*ts off in they cannot be comfortable.

Rapha is nice, i like it. it is however overrated and overpriced (their PR and marketing works wonders), but it works well and looks good. If I cycle up around the Kent/London borders it does appear that London has a Rapha army.

I have dhB, endura, lusso etc as well there is some good stuff.

Fair play. I'm not a Rapha hater as life is too short so live and let live, though yes I do find their marketing crude (if very well targetted at a particular segment I might add) and their image is not one I'd like to share in.

Whether one needs a winter jacket or not is quite significant perhaps as it's a big chunk of change to put down and from what people say the products vary quite a bit if seems, and maybe there are fewer really outstanding products???

I've got a few brands that work well for me such as Giordana, Sportful, and dhb (the shame!) and tend to stick with them as they're reasonably priced and do what I want well.