Rapha bib shorts are they worth £150

skinnydog1973
skinnydog1973 Posts: 114
edited August 2013 in Road general
Hi Im the big 40 in a few weeks and was gonna treat myself to a nice pair of bib shorts from rapha for £150, would this be money well spent or is there some cheaper shorts that are just as good cheers

Comments

  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    Worms, can of, opened.

    FWIW, I think Castelli are the dog's nuts, and a bit cheaper.
  • MattC59
    MattC59 Posts: 5,408
    I currently have three pairs of bibs:
    Assos - £150
    Craft - £110
    Endura - £70

    The order also reflects the quality of fit and pad, from best to worse. To be fair, there's not a lot between the Assos and Craft, on shorter rides, but on longer rides the Assos pad comes into its own.
    I've not tried the Rapha, but they get excellent reviews and are certainly a pair I'll be trying in the future.

    Having said that, I've got friends who have the dhb Aeron Pro shorts, £60 from Wiggle, and think they're fantastic !

    Just bear in mind that you may get called a fat dentist if you're wearing Rapha. :lol:
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  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    Yes, they're better than Assos and almost as good as Castelli Body Paints.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    I'm not sure they are worth £150 though. Assos Mille & Castelli Free Aero hover around the £100- £120 mark.
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • itsnotarace
    itsnotarace Posts: 518
    Yes
  • pitchshifter
    pitchshifter Posts: 1,476
    I have the Pro team ones which I got in the sale. Brilliant shorts, not sure I'd ever pay full price for them though.
  • jaxf
    jaxf Posts: 109
    Well, I really like mine, and my Assos shorts too. I now won't get anything else.
  • tilesey
    tilesey Posts: 14
    I prefer my Castelli Free Aeros to my Rapha Pro Team bibs. There's not much between them, but the Castellis are just a little bit more comfortable.
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    I think it's very subjective as well. MattC59 rates his Craft shorts very highly whereas a guy in our club has a pair and he hates them.

    Neither opinion/assessment is wrong.

    I wear own two pairs of the Classic bibs (shorts and 3/4) and they're great.
    Ben

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  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    The problem with asking this is:

    1. For people who have never bought Rapha the answer is likely to be no.

    2. For people who have bought Rapha the answer will be yes, even if the answer should be no just because they are too embarrassed to admit they were gullible enough to be sucked in by the marketing and image.

    On that basis the answer is no. :evil:

    I have a pair of the Endura Pro and find them very comfortable and can't imagine any other shorts be that much more comfortable that I would spend an extra £80.
  • nickponty
    nickponty Posts: 61
    Those that have them, are they noticibly better than the DHB Aeron Pro? Have only used those up until now but considering a sale purchase of the Rapha ones...
  • Grill
    Grill Posts: 5,610
    I think they are, not to mention they'll last much longer.
    English Cycles V3 | Cervelo P5 | Cervelo T4 | Trek Domane Koppenberg
  • binsted
    binsted Posts: 182
    Are Rapha and Assos the only manufacturers that offer a repair service ?
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    nickponty wrote:
    Those that have them, are they noticibly better than the DHB Aeron Pro? Have only used those up until now but considering a sale purchase of the Rapha ones...

    I have both.

    Rapha Team Pro are slightly comfier for the longer day in the saddle.

    They are better made and have a repair service etc.

    Are they worth the difference? Maybe. Maybe not.

    I know which bibs come out of the drawer first when I am packing for a long weekend. It's neither of those....Assos Mille.

    I have to say though, the DHBs are very comfy and well made for the money. I've done up to 300km in them and found them to be good. They are hard to not like for that sort of money.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • itsnotarace
    itsnotarace Posts: 518
    Navrig wrote:
    2. For people who have bought Rapha the answer will be yes, even if the answer should be no just because they are too embarrassed to admit they were gullible enough to be sucked in by the marketing and image.

    On that basis the answer is no. :evil:

    I have a pair of the Endura Pro and find them very comfortable and can't imagine any other shorts be that much more comfortable that I would spend an extra £80.

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  • VmanF3
    VmanF3 Posts: 240
    Great birthday treat, knock yourself out!
    Big Red, Blue, Pete, Bill & Doug
  • stueys
    stueys Posts: 1,332
    Personally I've tried Craft (pad doesn't work for me), Bontrager (comfy but pad is too big), Castelli (used to be my favourite) and now Rapha. Rapha are the most comfy by some margin. Clearly it's down to how their cut fits your body but I won't buy anything else now. For me the bibs are worth it (pro, lightweight and 3/4's which I have).

    I stock up on Rapha whenever the sale is on. I find all of their stuff that I've tried to be excellent.
  • djfleming22
    djfleming22 Posts: 116
    I have Rapha .. Assos and DHB pro the Rapha is slightly better made than the Assos but think both rate the same ... did 140 miles on Assos they other day butt a little sore on the ride itself but the next day i was fine did 100 miles in Rapha the other week again good worth the extra ...only time will tell but overall would spend the money again in a heartbeat....as for the DHB for me they are good for a ride upto about 3 hours after that dont feel them as comfy as the rest ... so all in all it depends how you feel after the ride DHB then decided if you can live with them or want to pay the extra ... but last point both the Assos and the Rapha are very well made and should last a very lot longer than my DHB.... also i have the backup if either gets damage its not a case of throw in the bin and that they can be repaired
  • bus_ter
    bus_ter Posts: 337
    I have Assos Mille and Rapha Classic bibs. The Assos bibs are better made (I've had problems with the stitching coming undone on the Rapha shorts needing a return). The Assos pad is better as is the overall fit with my chunky thighs. The straps on the Rapah bibs do feel more comfortable and not as tight, however apparently the Assos straps are supposed to be tight when stood up straight. I also have DHB Pro bibs. They're ok but the overall shape is a little off for my body shape and the label on the inside at the lower back drives me nuts. Castelli free Aeon are also very good but had to buy a size larger than all the others and they're still too tight on my legs.

    Overall Assos are my favourite bibs and Rapha are my favourite jerseys.
  • Alitogata
    Alitogata Posts: 148
    I have Rapha and are really good. But I think that they are overpriced even for the very good quality that indeed have. Mine were a gift.
  • FatTed
    FatTed Posts: 1,205
    You can try the Rapha Classic bibs for free. If you don't like them just send them back. All 3 Rapha bibs have a similar pad (Cytech). They did not fit for me, I have not found a better bib than my Assos. But each person has a different bum.
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    I have Rapha, Castelli, DHB, Adidas, Nike and fake Chinese (ranging from £170 to £12) and I honestly can't tell the difference between any of them in terms of comfort. The quality of manufacture and fit is better with the more expensive stuff, but in terms of comfort I really can't notice, go figure :lol:
  • VeloPeo
    VeloPeo Posts: 23
    I've done several 24 hour events in DHB Aeron Pro. They're bloody excellent for the money - and I bought two pairs for the same price as a Castelli Aero race. I love Castelli stuff - the Gabba and Nanoflex stuff saved my sanity on RideUk24 this weekend but haven't found one of their shorts that fit me well

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