Rapha

Pseudonym

Flanners1 wrote:

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.

Oddly enough, I've never 'skimped' in 20 years either - I don't really see buying good value cycle clothing as 'skimping'. My 'cheap' (as you put it) gear combos keep me perfectly comfortable in all conditions, so I'm not sure what more could be achieved by spending twice or three times as much.

As for longevity - I recently binned a pair of Alexa Lombardia winter tights which finally wore out after about 15 winters of regular use and I'm into my third or fourth winter with most of the stuff I have at the moment - so your argument doesn't really stack up.

Fair enough, if you want to look the part that's fine - but don't tell me the stuff is three times better because it cost three times as much.

Mccaria

Pretty much all of my bib shorts and bib longs are Assos, expensive but good. Been wearing Assos kit since 1980s and it is still my favourite for shorts and longs, have bought other brands at times, but invariably been not completely satisfied and come back to Assos.

I like Rapha's range of tops - reasonably understated vs trade tops and some of the recent dayglo Assos offerings. Finally got to wear my Pro Team jacket last Friday - 3 1/2 hours in an average temp of 6.5'C (according to the Garmin) with just a merino base layer underneath. It was a weird sensation as the base layer/jacket combo almost felt too light to keep me warm, but felt absolutely fine.

Confession time - I bought the Assos FuguHelm, it looks ridiculous but is a fantastic piece of kit for keeping the head and ears warm. The packaging is a bit disconcerting as the white gothic writing on the black background looks like something branded by the 3rd Reich

wildmoustache

LOL at the SS outfit mccaria

Your 6.5oC experience is where I'm lucky ... at that balmy temp I would either just have a standard SS and armwarmers, or else a windlbock vest under the SS and then some armwarmers. I do wear tights and shorts though. No jacket required to quote someone I never thought I would.

On the point about Rapha being understated. In one sense it is - i.e. lots of it is understated to the non-cycling community. Certainly I'd feel better walking into a pub in plain Rapha gear than in the Liquigas outfit, though in another sense, to the cycling cognoscenti, Rapha is anything but understated because of the very strong image /ethos around which their marketing is constructed.

flanners1

Pseudonym wrote:

Flanners1 wrote:

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.

Oddly enough, I've never 'skimped' in 20 years either - I don't really see buying good value cycle clothing as 'skimping'. My 'cheap' (as you put it) gear combos keep me perfectly comfortable in all conditions, so I'm not sure what more could be achieved by spending twice or three times as much.

As for longevity - I recently binned a pair of Alexa Lombardia winter tights which finally wore out after about 15 winters of regular use and I'm into my third or fourth winter with most of the stuff I have at the moment - so your argument doesn't really stack up.

Fair enough, if you want to look the part that's fine - but don't tell me the stuff is three times better because it cost three times as much.

Firstly, I have no 'argument', just my opinion.

Spend a few more quid and see and feel the difference, I have and thirdly what state were your 15 year old tights in? :shock:

Spending more money does usually mean better gear as far as I have experienced; it is a law of diminsihing returns for the outlay granted but it has an aesthetic and functional difference. I don't begrudge what anyone wants to wear or ride on it's up to them, what I did say was if you have never purchased it would be difficult to pass any valid judgement, surely.

Mccaria

Wildmoustache - are you drinking vapour rub ?! At 6.5' C I am seriously contemplating the turbo, not sun cream.

I know what you mean that Rapha clothing can be divisive to some in the cycling community, but it is reassuringly expensive (and I bet it costs a lot of money to put that single stripe onto the one arm; white on black, black on white, classic)

wildmoustache

LoL ! Vicks vapour rub never does much for me when I'm bunged up. It really struggles to get through the wall of snot!

Resistance to cold is very individual, and all my life I've been at the extreme end, conversely I do suffer in the heat. The other thing is that I almost invariably train hard, so I'm not going out for a 100km casual ride and standing around getting cold. Also I'm careful who I ride with, and don't go with big groups of slower riders that just introduce random variables to make everyone cold :-).

It is a real advantage in winter though as you save ££££ on jackets and you can totally cane people as they are wearing parachutes!!!! :-)

Pseudonym

Flanners1 wrote:

Firstly, I have no 'argument', just my opinion.

Spend a few more quid and see and feel the difference, I have and thirdly what state were your 15 year old tights in? :shock:

Spending more money does usually mean better gear as far as I have experienced; it is a law of diminsihing returns for the outlay granted but it has an aesthetic and functional difference. I don't begrudge what anyone wants to wear or ride on it's up to them, what I did say was if you have never purchased it would be difficult to pass any valid judgement, surely.

The tights were binned because they were proper knackered, to be fair - but the fact that they lasted that long surely is evidence that there is more to 'quality and longevity' than price alone.

I have spent money on 'expensive' gear in the past. Last winter I had a Giordana FR Carbon jacket - I thought the cut was poor, the design was impractical and the jacket was way over-engineered, which meant it was pretty uncomfortable for anything other than pootling around at a very low intensity. I've since gone back to my Lusso windtex - which incidentally is a third of the price of the Giordana and other similar 'full-on' winter jackets...

daftcol

hi i'm new to the site but love it,i just wondered where's best(and cheapest)place to buy CASTELLI gloves,shoe covers and hats,i cycle three times a week mondays,thursdays and sundays,the first two i'm finding difficult because of the often extreme conditions,rain wind etc,we go on canal and it's wet and very muddy,i bought a decent bike but can't afford too much on clothing,but i want to enhance my rides

sloppyschleckonds

daftcol wrote:

hi i'm new to the site but love it,i just wondered where's best(and cheapest)place to buy CASTELLI gloves,shoe covers and hats

Probikekit, Ribble, Merlin and numerous others

Monty Dog

Best deals for Castelli is Storeforcycling.com or All4cycling.Com, both from Italy.

mrushton

It's really all subjective. I've got enough Rapha kit to be in their 'Imperial club'. My g/f rates their womens shorts as the best she has tried (incl Assos/Castelli), similarly with their base layers/gilet. Imo is that the kit is overpriced but nicely made, the customer service is good. Prendas cater for those on a lower budget/with more sense ( ) with some great items and Castelli can often be found on offer

jimmythecuckoo

I like the brand and the marketing but own nothing other than a couple of t-shirts.

If I could afford more would I buy it?

I am not sure. I get some great kits from other brands thanks.

Simonhi

Went out Saturday for the first time in the cold.

Merino long sleeved base layer under long sleeved jersey under wind jacket, with Rapha collar (merino buff type thing) around neck.

Classic bib shorts under winter tights.

Super toastie and very comfy for what turned into a five hour ride at 0 degrees Celcius.

Rapha Winter hat arrived in the post last week (don't like the peak) and Winter Gloves also (not as good as my £10 Snow and Rock jobbies) and the y will both be going back.

No worries there as they have a free postage return service, instant re-credit my account with no questions asked.

I reckon that is a fair service. Some of their stuff is great, some not so good but hey, different strokes for different folks.

giant_man

The Rapha winter gloves are an absolute waste of money imo. Utter rubbish. Mine went back too.

othello

I really like the whole Rapha thing, but then I'm a designer and I totally get what they are doing. Still doesn't put me off though, as I love the attention to detail (which some people don't get or see the point of).

I still don't have a complete Rapha wardrobe though. I have 2 country jerseys which are amazing and wearable in any temperature (I use one as a mid layer over a long sleeve merino and under a shell in the deep cold). If I had the money I might buy more, but I'm happy with what I have

Pseudonym

othello wrote:

I really like the whole Rapha thing, but then I'm a designer and I totally get what they are doing.

so you get the fact that their pricing is punitive and aimed at the gullible....and you still buy it...??

giant_man

othello wrote:

I really like the whole Rapha thing, but then I'm a designer and I totally get what they are doing. Still doesn't put me off though, as I love the attention to detail (which some people don't get or see the point of).

I still don't have a complete Rapha wardrobe though. I have 2 country jerseys which are amazing and wearable in any temperature (I use one as a mid layer over a long sleeve merino and under a shell in the deep cold). If I had the money I might buy more, but I'm happy with what I have

You don't have to be a designer to see what they're doing lol. I'm a designer too btw.

wildmoustache

yes, lol at the "I'm a designer so I get it" type remark.

What they are doing is on one level supremely crude, blunt marketing, and on another very very effective. It's easily possible to be both.

on-yer-bike

giant man wrote:

The Rapha winter gloves are an absolute waste of money imo. Utter rubbish. Mine went back too.

They arent anymore:
There were some issues with our Winter Gloves when they were first release last year.
The lining was indeed one of them, which was not securely fitted to the main outer material. This has been rectified for this season, along with a few other tweeks.
Barney Ingram Customer Service

I sent your last post on the gloves to Rapha asking them if there was any point in buying their gloves.

I have bought a pair and i have never seen better cycling gloves. Had to send them back though as too small.

on-yer-bike

I guess if you are the kind of person who buys your civvy clothes in M&S then you arent going to appreciate Rapha. Im glad there is a company like Rapha that sells tasteful, stylish cycling clothes that work and fit well. And, with good customer service.

thegreatdivide

They posted an interesting story on their website today

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Pseudonym

on-yer-bike wrote:

I guess if you are the kind of person who buys your civvy clothes in M&S then you arent going to appreciate Rapha.

what a complete load of 'fashionista' elitist bollox - did you actually read that back before clicking on 'submit'..??

petemadoc

thegreatdivide wrote:

They posted an interesting story on their website today

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

What a load of BS, this is simply a big long article trying to justify to their customers why they have their clothes made in the far east. This part made me laugh

"Much of this snobbery is based on ill-conceived perceptions of manufacturing in the Far East."

Surely a big part of Rapha's marketing relies on snobbery. And the simple fact is that they use China because it's cheaper. Trying to convince us that the China is somehow better is just patronising.

Personally I quite like Rapha's style but their prices are way over the top and they keep it that way as part of their marketing strategy.

giant_man

on-yer-bike wrote:

giant man wrote:

The Rapha winter gloves are an absolute waste of money imo. Utter rubbish. Mine went back too.

They arent anymore:
There were some issues with our Winter Gloves when they were first release last year.
The lining was indeed one of them, which was not securely fitted to the main outer material. This has been rectified for this season, along with a few other tweeks.
Barney Ingram Customer Service

I sent your last post on the gloves to Rapha asking them if there was any point in buying their gloves.

I have bought a pair and i have never seen better cycling gloves. Had to send them back though as too small.

well you know the saying, 'a fool and his money are soon parted' ...

aloadofpants

I buy Rapha because:
1. The cut and fit is the best for me
2. I prefer dealing with a company's customer service directly when there are problems (Rapha's is the best in my experience.)
3. I prefer their designs.
4. Rapha is expensive compared to other cycling brands but not when compared to Prada, Gucci, Tommy etc. I wear my Rapha everyday, so 'cost per use' is ok for me.
5. The quality is the best out there - and therefore the skilled workers are up to the task. The racist bigotted anti-Made in China brigade have never been to Modern China (I suggest that you travel a bit). China pretty much owns the USA (and pretty soon Europe) - didn't you know?
6. I work-hard

gwillis

Im a recent convert much to the disgust of a few mates of mine . I see it like this, in the past ive bought Mavic and Girodana and probably still will as I love the styling and quality . However there is something about the fit and quality of Rapha that I personally like more, I work hard dont smoke and hardly drink ... cycling is my passion and I enjoy riding and spending my hard earned on things I personally like. That being said if things change financially ill cut my cloth accordingly.

on-yer-bike

Pseudonym wrote:

on-yer-bike wrote:

I guess if you are the kind of person who buys your civvy clothes in M&S then you arent going to appreciate Rapha.

what a complete load of 'fashionista' elitist bollox - did you actually read that back before clicking on 'submit'..??

Absolutely.

Pseudonym

on-yer-bike wrote:

Pseudonym wrote:

on-yer-bike wrote:

I guess if you are the kind of person who buys your civvy clothes in M&S then you arent going to appreciate Rapha.

what a complete load of 'fashionista' elitist bollox - did you actually read that back before clicking on 'submit'..??

Absolutely.

that just makes it worse....

itboffin

Yeh i'm a recent convert but still have a firm foot in the castelli for more long days in the saddle stuff rather than the smarter rapha casual stuff, i've also found specialised & gore kit a pretty good fit & good quality.

I have to say though it's been a nightmare journey finding kit that A fits and B does the job esp. shoes.

I wouldn't have dreamed of spending so much money on so little material a few years ago but then i wouldnt have thought i'd buy a plastic bike either