From assos to rapha

markyone

Long time assos user but fancy a change to rapha, so have ordered some summer kit hope its as good as thet say it is.

ugo.santalucia

I can't compare like for like, but for what I have owned, Assos seem to be better made. My 851 jacket only now after 5 winters starts showing the first signs of wear, with stitching needing to be fixed here and there. Minor issues. My Rapha bib shorts had stiching coming undone almost from day one. The pad was great when new, but it seems now to be a bit tired and the lycra is not the best out there either and wears out pretty fast. I had an old pair of Pearl Izumi (mid range) lasting a lot longer... sadly the following one I bought was nowhere near the same quality, hence the move to Rapha.

On balance, I think my Rapha days are over, firstly because I can no longer afford the stuff, but also because in my experience is not as good as other (often cheaper) stuff out there. This is based on a pair of bibshorts and two jerseys I own

TheHound

Mods just deleting posts they don't like?

This will just turn into another Rapha slanging match.

ugo.santalucia

TheHound wrote:

Mods just deleting posts they don't like?

This will just turn into another Rapha slanging match.

Mods deleting trolling posts... if you are not interested, you don't need to take part... if it becomes a Rapha slashing thread, we will deal with it... it's a moderator job... if you want to moderate, apply within

flasher

Assos shorts, Rapha tops, best of both worlds.

sloppyschleckonds

Probably what Flasher says, Rapha do make some good stuff and probably more stylish than Assos, but Assos does stand the test of time.

cougie

I love your optimism ordering summer kit at the start of February. I hope you don't forget where you put it before you need to use it.

You do need good shorts - but in summer - when a top doesnt have to keep the wind or rain off - I cant tell the difference between one lycra top and another.

thegreatdivide

Hey Mark - what did you buy?

I've tried dhb, Santini, Etxeondo, Castelli, Assos and both Rapha pads but the Rapha Pro Team pad is the one for me. It was a no brainer when they put it in the PT bib longs.

No issues with quality/stitching and after a couple of crashed (shredded mitts, torn jersey) and an accidental snag on a pair of bibs the repair service has been superb. In the case of the latter it was on my Imperial Works bibs which they couldn’t fix correctly (that line’s been discontinued) so they sent me a voucher for £190 and said that if I really wanted it fixed they would be happy to do it although it wouldn’t match the blacked IW design. It’s service like this that makes me go back to Rapha.

Ugo - could we merge this thread with the dic brake thread and I’ll start one about tyre width and the new Campagnolo chansets?

cookeeemonster

cougie wrote:

I love your optimism ordering summer kit at the start of February. I hope you don't forget where you put it before you need to use it.

You do need good shorts - but in summer - when a top doesnt have to keep the wind or rain off - I cant tell the difference between one lycra top and another.

That's why sportswool is soooooo good

Buy what you want and don't worry what other people are wearing is the best advice I can give.

bendertherobot

I used to be a bit obsessive. All Assos, then I changed to all Rapha, etc.

It's not necessary.

FWIW I'm mostly Castelli at the moment but I don't let it limit me. So I have the Rapha Hardshell because it's better than any of the Castelli or Assos offerings (for the price of £170). And the Castelli Alpha jerseys/jacket are better (at their prices) than the rest.

And I have 3 pairs of Castelli Free Aero. As good as Mille? Yes. But particularly at 60 notes each.

But, shortly, I'm going to need summer kit. Annoyingly the Rapha large is about a cm too small on me, and the XL voluminous. So that kind of rules them out. The Assos jerseys are, well, hideous. The Castelli prosecco fabric is weird.

So, I'm out on the jersey option so far. Might turn to Etxeondo.

Mccaria

I have a mix of Rapha and Assos. For long sleeve jerseys I prefer the Assos as the XL fits nicely, whereas in the Rapha the XL is a bit big in the body but the L is a bit short in the sleeve. I prefer the fit and the look of the short sleeve in the Rapha. Have bib shorts and longs in both and I am happy to wear either, although after a few days wearing Rapha shorts, putting on the Assos feels a bit like putting on a nappy !

imposter2.0

Is it true that there are no other manufacturers of cycle kit, apart from Rapha and Assos..?? I'm sure I've seen others....

cookeeemonster

Imposter wrote:

Is it true that there are no other manufacturers of cycle kit, apart from Rapha and Assos..?? I'm sure I've seen others....

yeah it's disgusting that 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of cycle shops in the UK only ever sell Assos and Rapha unlike say a boutique brand like altura or endura. Sick of everyone looking the same. And why are there never any threads on Lidl/Aldi sales? Surely people would be interested in them too?

Grill

Flasher wrote:

Assos shorts, Rapha tops, best of both worlds.

This. Assos S7 bibs (particularly the T.Cento and T.Campionissimo) are peerless. Castelli bibs with the Progetto X2 are probably next best, but Rapha bibs are some of the worst I've owned. Stitching falls apart, lycra loses fibres and they go baggy. Never owned Assos tops as the size and shape doesn't work for me, but my Rapha tops have been fantastic.

thegreatdivide

And there you have it. The top 10 cut and paste responses to this topic.

964cup

All my urban wear is Rapha, apart from a few Endura tops. I like sportwool, but find that in the right cut (medium) the pockets on their jerseys are always too high up my back for comfortable use, while a large jersey is way too big. I'm not much of a loyalist otherwise, although I have a good deal of Castelli kit. I find summer jerseys all to be much of a muchness. I've never been able to bring myself to spend Assos money. I have to say that for winter cycling it's hard to beat the DHB Roubaix Pro kit for value, declasse though that may seem.

meanredspider

I'd never considered Rapha when I lived exclusively in the Highlands. Then (and to some extent still now) it was only Assos in that part of the world. I think that's because Assos generally favoured function over form and marketed their products on performance. Rapha, on the other hand, market an ideal. I have Rapha stuff now but mostly related to my urban commute (jeans, merino tops). I'd still buy Assos for performance.

thegreatdivide

You lived on the Black Isle - it can be like the Med up there while the rest of us freeze our ar$es off.

meanredspider

thegreatdivide wrote:

You lived on the Black Isle - it can be like the Med up there while the rest of us freeze our ar$es off.

I live on the north side - it can be 3C cooler than the south side. But yes, it's temperate in a temperate country - never gets much below -5C and almost never gets above 20C. What marks it out though is that winter lasts into April - I could be on ice tyres from Nov to Apr.

anjasola

Assos bibshorts and SiDi shoes are a must for me. The rest are negotiable, some of the POC stuff seems decent.

mrushton

Assos are the kings of the shorts esp with that new S7 imo I've got other brands incl Rapha but others are playing catchup to Rapha. My Fugujack had an inner shell years before Castelli put in the Alpha. However Assos is crazily priced now - interesting there is now a Castelli/Rapha battle judging by the Rapha post today re their new product line

vinnymarsden

I have tried Rapha, and like someone else said…the sizes seem to be "in-between" I have tried some Etxeondo stuff and I have to say…equally as good in my opinion as Rapha or Assos and I have owned/used all 3….Merlin do some wicked Etxeondo deals too…worth a look, and no I don't work for Merlin!!

thegreatdivide

mrushton wrote:

interesting there is now a Castelli/Rapha battle judging by the Rapha post today re their new product line

I just saw the email too. Very interesting stuff.

thegreatdivide

http://pages.rapha.cc/stories/pro-team- ... ll-apparel

cookeeemonster

yup very interesting...or will be if the reviews are any good.

On the plus side: converts all your normal gear (and race/club kit) into a gabba...you'll be wet but warm.

...on the minus side...can only wear it once before washing as its a baselayer? When I had my gabba I did the opposite - wore a baselayer underneath it so I could use it more than once a week without washing it (as you know, it often rains more than once a week in winter).

But if it does rain then you might not need to wash it anyway? As in you'll be soaked with rain and not sweat?

I'm really intrigued by the idea. Will it work?

mrushton

VinnyMarsden wrote:

I have tried Rapha, and like someone else said…the sizes seem to be "in-between" I have tried some Etxeondo stuff and I have to say…equally as good in my opinion as Rapha or Assos and I have owned/used all 3….Merlin do some wicked Etxeondo deals too…worth a look, and no I don't work for Merlin!!

Unfortunately these 'other' brands are pushing towards the Assos price barrier. probably to be 'reassuringly expensive' but a lot of the fabric is sourced from the same place. That Exte Ondo kit looks good on Marcel wust in procycling but seems overpriced.

bendertherobot

mrushton wrote:

Assos are the kings of the shorts esp with that new S7 imo I've got other brands incl Rapha but others are playing catchup to Rapha. My Fugujack had an inner shell years before Castelli put in the Alpha. However Assos is crazily priced now - interesting there is now a Castelli/Rapha battle judging by the Rapha post today re their new product line

I think, to be fair, Castelli have a habit of innovating so Rapha are aping that pro range. And it's good to see. I've made my feelings clear on Rapha's Gabba, I didn't like it. Today's base layer, could be genius.

That's not to say Assos don't innovate but, broadly, they use innovative fabrics in traditional ways. No Gabba alternative. No nanoflex range. Great kit. Cutting edge, but in different ways.

mrushton

bendertherobot wrote:

That's not to say Assos don't innovate but, broadly, they use innovative fabrics in traditional ways. No Gabba alternative. No nanoflex range. Great kit. Cutting edge, but in different ways.

Good point well made

mrushton

mrushton wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

That's not to say Assos don't innovate but, broadly, they use innovative fabrics in traditional ways. No Gabba alternative. No nanoflex range. Great kit. Cutting edge, but in different ways.

Good point well made but we are all waiting to see whose going to push the button on that base layer

markyone

thegreatdivide wrote:

Hey Mark - what did you buy?

I've tried dhb, Santini, Etxeondo, Castelli, Assos and both Rapha pads but the Rapha Pro Team pad is the one for me. It was a no brainer when they put it in the PT bib longs.

No issues with quality/stitching and after a couple of crashed (shredded mitts, torn jersey) and an accidental snag on a pair of bibs the repair service has been superb. In the case of the latter it was on my Imperial Works bibs which they couldn’t fix correctly (that line’s been discontinued) so they sent me a voucher for £190 and said that if I really wanted it fixed they would be happy to do it although it wouldn’t match the blacked IW design. It’s service like this that makes me go back to Rapha.

Ugo - could we merge this thread with the dic brake thread and I’ll start one about tyre width and the new Campagnolo chansets?

hi david bought a few things pro team bibs, classic jersey, arm warmers and a pro team jersey.
I still have a new pair of assos shorts just in case

meanredspider

bendertherobot wrote:

No nanoflex range.

And a good job too. Nanoflex is rubbish. And I think Gabba is over-hyped (especially for the average punter - I'd say it's key advantage is its lightness). I think Assos are generally very solid in their claims - I think I've only had one bit of kit is was disappointed with which is the FuguGloves.

That said, with the Swiss Franc so strong and the Euro weak, the price gap between Castelli and Assos will widen.