Rapha kit?

lm_trek
lm_trek Posts: 1,470
edited April 2013 in The cake stop
Just wondered does anyone use it? is it any good or just overpriced compared to normal??

Was looking at the merino wool t-shirts £90 ago, anyone got one or experience of them?
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Comments

  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Yes, lots of people use Rapha kit. It is extremely good gear. It is also, as you note, expensive. I have quite a bit of their stuff (bought on sale!) and like it immensely. Their long sleeve sportswool jerseys are excellent, as is their softshell jacket. They also have a policy (which I am about to test out) that if you damage your clothes in a fall they will repair for free. (Assos, I believe, does this as well)

    Rapha is also somewhat controversial - at least among a certain minority of the cycling community. The company gleefully creates an English toff image for itself, the cycling gear for the upper classes. Whatever you think of the imagery in the ads and artfully created style, it has done them no harm; they would seem to be raking it in.

    I cringe a bit at the ads and imagery, but love the clothes. They are very well made, look nice, last forever, have an understated elegance to them and perform exceptionally well on the bike. Expensive yes but well worth the money. A case of getting what you pay for.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • raymondo60
    raymondo60 Posts: 735
    Agree with the above. I'm still happily wearing Rapha items that I bought 5+ years ago, so well do they last. Again, as above, I tend to select the 'On Sale' items to maximise on the savings. The soft-shell jacket (which I was fortunate to buy with a £50-off voucher) is probably the finest item of cycling clothing I've ever owned. I do have other brands - nearly all my bib-tights are dhb, which are great value - but to slag off Rapha as 'the expensive/snob' brand (as many do) isn't doing justice to the design and quality of much of their clothing.
    Raymondo

    "Let's just all be really careful out there folks!"
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Went for an order last night, im not sure why but went for a polo replica sky t-shirt (might get grief for that!) and the blue merino polo which looks great in the pic's, and had to get some socks! lol im not even a proper roadie but thought for blasting on the commute bike, and the polo should do for the mtb during the summer as well.

    Shorts are a bit tricky, notice they don't do a casual.baggy option not fully conviced with the full lycra look just yet. I really do like the design, and if the kits as good as the reviews say etc... should be well worth the purchase.
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    lm_trek wrote:
    ...Shorts are a bit tricky, notice they don't do a casual.baggy option not fully conviced with the full lycra look just yet....
    ""If you don't want the Lycra budgie-smuggling look or equally unflattering "baggies", Rapha's classically tailored touring shorts tick all the right boxes."
    – The 50 Best Cycling Gear""
    http://www.rapha.cc/touring-shorts-1-2
    Not cheap mind but I dare say the quality will be top notch.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    daviesee wrote:
    lm_trek wrote:
    ...Shorts are a bit tricky, notice they don't do a casual.baggy option not fully conviced with the full lycra look just yet....
    ""If you don't want the Lycra budgie-smuggling look or equally unflattering "baggies", Rapha's classically tailored touring shorts tick all the right boxes."
    – The 50 Best Cycling Gear""
    http://www.rapha.cc/touring-shorts-1-2
    Not cheap mind but I dare say the quality will be top notch.
    The quality is top notch. I have a pair.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    It's good but it's also very expensive. Something to bear in mind is that things like shorts (in particular) and jersey cuts vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Someone that is comfortable in Castelli shorts may not like Rapha, assos, endura, dhb etc shorts and an endura jersey may suit ones figure. It is not the be all and end all of comfort.

    Using myself as an example, I'm much more of a rugby player in shape and things like castellis just don't fit. I'm much more comfortable in endura kit (the new Equipe and MTR ranges are superb, dare I say equal in quality too).

    Also, lets not pretend that all the moody advertising, the special boutique shops etc are free. When you buy Rapha you are contributing to those costs. Yes the quality is good, but the value for money is better elsewhere. If Rapha shorts fit you like a glove (or even the Rapha gloves) then it's worth the money, if not, then not.
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    ddraver wrote:
    It's good but it's also very expensive. Something to bear in mind is that things like shorts (in particular) and jersey cuts vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Someone that is comfortable in Castelli shorts may not like Rapha, assos, endura, dhb etc shorts and an endura jersey may suit ones figure. It is not the be all and end all of comfort.

    Using myself as an example, I'm much more of a rugby player in shape and things like castellis just don't fit. I'm much more comfortable in endura kit (the new Equipe and MTR ranges are superb, dare I say equal in quality too).

    Also, lets not pretend that all the moody advertising, the special boutique shops etc are free. When you buy Rapha you are contributing to those costs. Yes the quality is good, but the value for money is better elsewhere. If Rapha shorts fit you like a glove (or even the Rapha gloves) then it's worth the money, if not, then not.
    The marketing and image creation isn't free with any of the things you buy, not with Rapha nor any of the big bicycle makers whose carbon fibre toys are ridden by pros in the Tour, nor with anything else. Nothing new in that.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Rapha seems to hold more cache with those new to cycling - I see a Rapha-clad rider and it's hard not to think 'all the gear, no idea'. I have one or two items - quality is OK, but they haven't worn better than Assos, Castelli or Gore stuff. My mate has a bit and all it does is induce mirth and merriment all round. It's the faux-heritage stuff that grates though , best parodied here:
    http://internationale.teamjva.com
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • lm_trek
    lm_trek Posts: 1,470
    Im def not all the gear no idea, :) still rocking my hybrid Giant Rapid, although have spotted the Canyon Road Al i quite like.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Monty Dog wrote:
    Rapha seems to hold more cache with those new to cycling - I see a Rapha-clad rider and it's hard not to think 'all the gear, no idea'. I have one or two items - quality is OK, but they haven't worn better than Assos, Castelli or Gore stuff. My mate has a bit and all it does is induce mirth and merriment all round. It's the faux-heritage stuff that grates though , best parodied here:
    http://internationale.teamjva.com
    I dunno. I've been cycling for nearly 50 years now, since I was a small kid, and although I have never raced I wouldn't exactly describe myself as having no idea about bicycles or cycling. I ride for pleasure and have done extended expeditions and touring all over the world. i like the understated look, without the garish advertising and logos one finds on a lot of cycling gear. Rapha happens to have tied their image with that faux old world snobbery, but that means little to me. It's irrelevant.

    I like gear that wears well and looks nice . RApha does both and is useful. When I am touring being presentable can open doors. Their quality is excellent - as is Assos and Gore, as you note, and indeed both of those names can also be found in my wardrobe. Neither of those clothing manufacturers are what you would call inexpensive. In fact Assos stuff is frequently more expensive than Rapha.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    Do we really have to have another feckin Rapha thread???
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    It's good but it's also very expensive. Something to bear in mind is that things like shorts (in particular) and jersey cuts vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Someone that is comfortable in Castelli shorts may not like Rapha, assos, endura, dhb etc shorts and an endura jersey may suit ones figure. It is not the be all and end all of comfort.

    Using myself as an example, I'm much more of a rugby player in shape and things like castellis just don't fit. I'm much more comfortable in endura kit (the new Equipe and MTR ranges are superb, dare I say equal in quality too).

    Also, lets not pretend that all the moody advertising, the special boutique shops etc are free. When you buy Rapha you are contributing to those costs. Yes the quality is good, but the value for money is better elsewhere. If Rapha shorts fit you like a glove (or even the Rapha gloves) then it's worth the money, if not, then not.
    The marketing and image creation isn't free with any of the things you buy, not with Rapha nor any of the big bicycle makers whose carbon fibre toys are ridden by pros in the Tour, nor with anything else. Nothing new in that.

    Yeah, but the sheer amount of it with Rapha stuff does...

    I ve never seen anything like the same with Endura/assos/gore/castelli/anyone else as there is with Rapha.
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    ddraver wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    It's good but it's also very expensive. Something to bear in mind is that things like shorts (in particular) and jersey cuts vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Someone that is comfortable in Castelli shorts may not like Rapha, assos, endura, dhb etc shorts and an endura jersey may suit ones figure. It is not the be all and end all of comfort.

    Using myself as an example, I'm much more of a rugby player in shape and things like castellis just don't fit. I'm much more comfortable in endura kit (the new Equipe and MTR ranges are superb, dare I say equal in quality too).

    Also, lets not pretend that all the moody advertising, the special boutique shops etc are free. When you buy Rapha you are contributing to those costs. Yes the quality is good, but the value for money is better elsewhere. If Rapha shorts fit you like a glove (or even the Rapha gloves) then it's worth the money, if not, then not.
    The marketing and image creation isn't free with any of the things you buy, not with Rapha nor any of the big bicycle makers whose carbon fibre toys are ridden by pros in the Tour, nor with anything else. Nothing new in that.

    Yeah, but the sheer amount of it with Rapha stuff does...

    I ve never seen anything like the same with Endura/assos/gore/castelli/anyone else as there is with Rapha.
    True, but they came out of nowhere to be a multi-million pound business in just a few years and in a lousy economy. Whatever you think of it, it worked for them. They are in business to make money. They're doing it. As Mickey Spillane once observed when told how much the critics loathed his blood and guts novels: if the public likes you, you're good
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • slowmart
    slowmart Posts: 4,516
    I have to say I purchased a classics bundle and base layer. The bundle included a classic jersey, cap and socks.

    The quality is superb, the cut and fit are great and while you can purchase cheaper kit that may offer better value i would suggest Rapha offers good value for what you're acquiring.
    “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring”

    Desmond Tutu
  • cornerblock
    cornerblock Posts: 3,228
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    Do we really have to have another feckin Rapha thread???

    Oh come on, we haven't had one this week.
  • petemadoc
    petemadoc Posts: 2,331
    ddraver wrote:
    It's good but it's also very expensive. Something to bear in mind is that things like shorts (in particular) and jersey cuts vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Someone that is comfortable in Castelli shorts may not like Rapha, assos, endura, dhb etc shorts and an endura jersey may suit ones figure. It is not the be all and end all of comfort.

    Using myself as an example, I'm much more of a rugby player in shape and things like castellis just don't fit. I'm much more comfortable in endura kit (the new Equipe and MTR ranges are superb, dare I say equal in quality too).

    Also, lets not pretend that all the moody advertising, the special boutique shops etc are free. When you buy Rapha you are contributing to those costs. Yes the quality is good, but the value for money is better elsewhere. If Rapha shorts fit you like a glove (or even the Rapha gloves) then it's worth the money, if not, then not.

    You have hit on the head of the nail

    Rapha makes good kit, no doubt. Worth the price tag, almost certainly not.

    http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/Case-studies/Rapha/

    It's more about the marketing, image and branding

    I actually quite like the styling but I find the brand stuffy and elitist, plus Castelli fits me better.
  • dmclite-3.0
    dmclite-3.0 Posts: 845
    I like the rapha fights due to the fact I have an internal struggle with Rapha, "do, don't I etc". :D
    I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, but I'm intercontinental when I eat French toast...
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    Cornerblock wrote:
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    Do we really have to have another feckin Rapha thread???

    Oh come on, we haven't had one this week.

    LOL. OK then :lol:

    I do like the fact that it confuses the hell out of riders when you zip past them on a climb and leave them puffing away in their Assos disco space suits ;-)
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    Cornerblock wrote:
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    Do we really have to have another feckin Rapha thread???

    Oh come on, we haven't had one this week.

    LOL. OK then :lol:

    I do like the fact that it confuses the hell out of riders when you zip past them on a climb and leave them puffing away in their Assos disco space suits ;-)
    Or when they zip past you...
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,719
    Do you have shares in Rapha or something Hoop?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    ddraver wrote:
    Do you have shares in Rapha or something Hoop?
    Nope. I don't have shares in anything. I like their gear and the styling, don't particularly care for their advertising style but I like the price moaners even less. Yes, they are expensive - but no more so than Assos and to some extent Gore. The stuff wears well, lasts well and they (like Assos) have a crash-repair for free service. I look at that, figure the wear and use I get out if the stuff over the years and see good value even if the up front cost is high.

    I can look past the poncy image making
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    So to summarise....

    Some like it, some don't.
    Some think it's worth it, some don't.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    daviesee wrote:
    So to summarise....

    Some like it, some don't.
    Some think it's worth it, some don't.

    Case closed. Lock the door. Bye!
  • cornerblock
    cornerblock Posts: 3,228
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    daviesee wrote:
    So to summarise....

    Some like it, some don't.
    Some think it's worth it, some don't.

    Case closed. Lock the door. Bye!

    Yeah right! Same time next week?
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    Rapha is putting something back into the sport - in the form of Rapha Condor JLT, which is now effectively a youth development squad. So as far as I'm concerned, they can charge whatever they like and advertise however they like. I may even buy some of their stuff this year...
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    Imposter wrote:
    Rapha is putting something back into the sport - in the form of Rapha Condor JLT, which is now effectively a youth development squad. So as far as I'm concerned, they can charge whatever they like and advertise however they like. I may even buy some of their stuff this year...
    +1
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • Yellow Peril
    Yellow Peril Posts: 4,466
    I'd buy it if I had free access to Vtech's bank account but at the price it is pitched I can't justify it. Anything close to £100 can only go on cycling hardware in my psyche.

    However, I'm lucky enough to be in a bike club that has good quality subsidised Giordana kit thanks to our sponsor Appleby.
    @JaunePeril

    Winner of the Bike Radar Pro Race Wiggins Hour Prediction Competition
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Yellow Peril wrote:
    I'd buy it if I had free access to Vtech's bank account but at the price it is pitched I can't justify it. Anything close to £100 can only go on cycling hardware in my psyche.

    However, I'm lucky enough to be in a bike club that has good quality subsidised Giordana kit thanks to our sponsor Appleby.

    Giordana kit is very good. I have two pairs of bibs - one "normal" weight and one summer weight (with the perforated thigh panels) alongside a few other pairs and more notably - keeping OT - my Rapha bibs. The Giordana and Rapha pairs fit like a glove, but the Rapha ones are certainly wearing in rather than out. You can tell I've worn the Giordana kit.

    But then the prices vary wildly!
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Imposter wrote:
    Rapha is putting something back into the sport - in the form of Rapha Condor JLT, which is now effectively a youth development squad. So as far as I'm concerned, they can charge whatever they like and advertise however they like. I may even buy some of their stuff this year...

    I think most cycle clothing manufacturers are invloved in sponsorship of teams in one form or another. Rapha are hardly unique in doing this. You could equally buy Endura or DHB for example.

    Not sure Aldi/Lidl do though, scumbags!
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    For what its worth I'm fan. Have bought from them a bit of stuff and added to collection over time, yes I purchased from first staring in cycling & liked their style and quality and still do. All of the items I have bought over the last 4 years have lasted very well, backed up by good customer service (had to send an item back for repair, plus emailed them after an order went wrong).

    I have no issue if others want to laugh or ridicule me for wearing 'pretentious" gear when I could be wearing Assos for the same money.

    I do also have some DHB gear & a bit of Endura and find the fit is slightly different but good for the money.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.

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