Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

They just want to make you suffer. :)

Agree.
Feel like my interpretation of why cycling is important has diverged significantly from the cycling as a sport, vehicle for suffering and exploration that rapha have settled into.
Despite what the pull quotes from their manifesto state. This isn’t about the ongoing trials of normalising cycling, it’s about the normalisation of a certain type of cycling. And if you don’t fit into that category then that’s too bad..

true, it is more like a location for the events they organize.

Feel like this was supposed to be a bigger thing and maybe the budget got pulled. For a brand that was/is so attuned to cycling history and “its” place in cycling history, feels like a poor attempt at an anniversary exhibition.
Unless they are using this as @snoops mentioned as a push for their new seamless future knitted jersey (£300 a pop) pre order available now!

Exhibition musette was nice though.

Did you get to see the new seamless jersey? Anything of note?

https://content.rapha.cc/us/en/story/past-forward-seamless-classic-knit

£300 only. 300 will be made. super tight cut

Did you get to see the new seamless jersey? Anything of note?

It’s another cycling jersey.

The exhibition was very disappointing. Despite the ribbing Rapha get on here, they do actually have quite a bit of interesting history that is of their own making now, there’s loads of good stuff, interesting and quirky products to show from over the years.

It was an empty room, pink lights, curtains, one of their old marketing videos on a projector and only about half a dozen of their big hitter jerseys.. That’s it. Really falls short of what they could have done.

After all the jobs the cut and all the financial losses and terrible designs it is not tht huge surprise tbh

If you just want to see their new garms, there’s a pop up store round the corner next door to slam city skates.

Personally would do that rather than bothering with the exhibition. Going to spend the next couple of days reading the manifesto and highlighting all the bits I disagree with.

Going to spend the next couple of days reading the manifesto and highlighting all the bits I disagree with.

If you've got time to do that, you could also finish the forum book.

The book is pretty impressive, worth searching out if you are near the store or Dray Walk popup.

What is the forum book even about?

Magnets.

It's a modern interpretation of Odysseus' journey, but on a fixie rather than a boat.

£40k kitchens & Sciatica

Out of interest, which jerseys were on display?

20/9/24

The pink black inverse obelisk at the literal centre of Rapha’s most recent exhibition is another wearying entry into their accidental emphasis on the hegemony of externalities. Neo contemporary installations which insist on emphasising no dimensional negative space buttressed by (or perhaps attacked by) a fairly thin assemblage of ephemera seemingly without fail raise the spectre of nomadic maleness without ever any engagement or interrogation of its psycho-geographical implications. I suppose impressive as a hubristic assertion of the chronological organisation of emotional experience, but the video installation and chiaroscuro materials-as-construction display would make even Donald Judd take up skiing.

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no Fixie shorts?

none. and no box of bargain merino base layers to fight over either.

honestly could’ve done a better retrospective from the contents of my loft.

Shouldn't the exhibition have been an example of every item they have ever made, presented in chronological order?

You need to buy the book for that.

I called into the manc store this morning and the staff were talking to each other about how good their stuff was . I felt embarrassed for them . Overpriced flimsy black sh### that you would die of pneumonia in. Maybe the winter stock is not out yet .

And what’s quantifiably better?
I moan and joke about Rapha stuff too at times but I’ve not found anything else that’s definitely better to transition to.
I like the Albion stuff. My maap bits are ok style wise but not as well made as Rapha. Assos can’t produce a long short seemingly. Castelli and Sportful are fine but a bit euro disco vibes.

From what I’ve seen so far of the winter gear I think colours looks quite promising, I didn’t and still don’t get the brown vibes thing

Well my wardrobe consists of assos winter bib tights castelli bib tights endura . Albion zoa and burner . Chapeau merino . Torm dhb mid layers . Various base layers some bamboo some lifa some helly polaris gore mountain equipment most have a pile and most keep you warm on a 6 am dark commute . Then their are the waterproofs

Choppers that ignore you round here tend to be wearing their garb.

What I want to know is.. who has bettered the Rapha boxers