Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

all IMO but..

Pro team stuff doesnt last and core isnt very good

Go classic.

Conversely my Archive Pro Team bibs (with the classic logo) are still holding up after 5years doing roughly 10/11,000km a year. Albeit slightly more transparent than when they were new but the pad is still good and very little wear to the gusset.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/264551605184395/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search

Could you get away with Small?

Thanks for the looking out. Just went with the core cargo shorts in the end. The new "all day" shorts look like a nice summer option around town too.

how we feeling about these

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Love the alternate colour... with the tan sole... too pricey for me,but very nice

Not good.

The powerweave pro-team shoes are really comfy though

Bit Extra.

Great for one ride, then ingrained brown for the rest of their life.

#shitfromabutt

Yeah nah

Is it me or have the Legion guys (and girls?) just completely lost the plot?

One minute they are raising over $100k to increase diversity in cycling (which is great), the next they are launching their new Rapha team kit by riding around behind a Lambo..... To me this image just screams out the exact opposite of the diversity they are trying to achieve...... or am I missing something?

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Interesting point but I think it’s not entirely contrary to what they believe needs to be done to make the sport more appealing for young people. In some of the podcasts that Justin has done he makes no bones about saying that he thinks that part of the reason that cycling is unappealing to kids in the community he grew up in is the image/lifestyle of what a successful cyclist looks like. This is not just in terms of the lack of diversity at the top of the sport but the visible displaying of success. He draws a comparison with the likes of the NBA/NFL and the top players showing off fancy cars etc. and how this is part of what is aspirational to people. He also talks about how this stems from his early time and on ‘rock racing’ where they flew around in private jets and had Escalades as team cars etc.

By no means am I saying that I agree with this particular idea for changing the sport but I don’t think it’s out of step with what the Williams brothers are usually preaching. Also you to have to remember there likely not the ones paying for the Lambo and they seem to manage to get a pretty good deal from their sponsors considering the level they race at (in the sense that before this year they didn’t have pro license’s for legion riders).

I see your point. I wasn’t aware this has always been their approach. To me it just comes across as incredibly pretentious, and makes what they are doing look completely inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t have vast amounts of disposable income.

It’s disheartening to me that they are of the opinion that the best way to get kids interested in cycling is seemingly by telling them it will make them rich.

(I realise my point of view on this is totally irrelevant as a mid 30’s white guy from the UK BTW)

I agree that will certainly be the message that comes across to a segment of people. I would definitely recommend listening to some podcasts with Justin not just because their insightful into what they’re trying to tackle but he’s also genuinely an entertaining guy. Something that ties into the lifestyle thing that they advocate a lot for is athletes realising their worth to sponsors as individuals. This cuts both ways in terms of sponsors moving away from offering really bad deals (loaner equipment and very little pay on short term durations) but simultaneously the athletes needing to do the work (self-promotion, social media and generally being someone that people want to look up to in the sport) to justify their value to sponsors.

Thanks for the alternate insight! I will have a listen for sure..... I’m always up for hearing differing points of view on all things, so I’m sure I’ll find what he has to say interesting.... whether i agree with his approach or not.

Results dont matter (entirley), exposure does. And their value is sky high.

I’d contend that in their case it’s a mixture of both. I think some of their biggest exposure is not through Instagram/Twitter/rapha marketing but through their headcam race videos on YouTube and they wouldn’t be half as exciting if they weren’t winning the races (regardless if said races are local office park affairs or bigger events on the national stage). Either way they seem to have found the right formula.

https://ti.to/RaphaManchester/a-day-in-hell-uk-2021

Anyone know what's going on with these? Quite fancy doing the Brum one, however, registration isn't available?

I signed up for mcr but haven't ridden other than to & from shops for ages. Might graze the route locally on a short loop and then bask in the glory of such an epic achievement forever.

I signed up for the Birmingham one a few weeks ago. Suspect they've reached capacity and so closed registration - which is odd as it's not like its a group ride - they will just email a gpx and off you go in your own time. I'll see what comes through on email and share the route on here if that helps.

Likewise for the Bristol one

Yeah, likewise; I signed up for the Brum one, but at present am not nearly ready for 100km of cobbles...

I signed up for the Leeds one, not really sure what to expect.

Looks like the real Paris Roubaix is probably going to be cancelled?