Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

fatboyralph [quote]punkpixel I think its a decent jacket. Possibly overpriced but my wive spends 300 quid on a pair of Marc Jacobs shoes she only wears once. Thats insane.

my wife does exactly the same thing. actually in terms of £numbers prob 4x more than what i spend in cycling gear (incl parts/equipment). i pointed this out a few weeks ago and just to make up for it she bought me a jacket for my upcoming birthday...rapha. sorry guys.

the quality is good. hopefully its technically good to match other outdoor technical jackets out there, which are pretty much priced the same. but really dont think id be able to tell. still think its way overpriced[/quote]

lets make sure they never meet for a joint shoe shopping trip to the westend

hippy Do Rapha make knicks?
No.
Assos wins again.

Other than marketing I still don't see what Rapha does better than anyone else.

well, maybe you're right -i hope you are, cos it would be good to get stuff elsewhere that was as good but cheaper. Can you recommend some leather gloves from another company?

i checked out the Assos stuff, but it seemed a bit ...space age

Well I'll join in here, but I'm going to give Assos a kicking. I brought a 'Gator' jacket recently - nigh on £200 at retail. When it arrived, it was basically a track suit top - some nasty semi-shiny 80s material lined with fleece. It went straight back because not only would I be ashamed to have been seen wearing it, but there was no way it was worth £180.

For this reason, I can understand wby Rapha does well. Technical cycling kit with some style. I'd never pay retail for it, but I'll be standing in the line when they have a sale.

The thing I don't like about Assos is that they insist that you wear a totally different outfit for every weather condition. They even have a socks pack with different socks for each season. That's a little overkill I think. Rapha stuff is expensive but they do have the deal of the week which sometimes is quite good.

andrewleitch86 The thing I don't like about Assos is that they insist that you wear a totally different outfit for every weather condition. They even have a socks pack with different socks for each season. That's a little overkill I think. Rapha stuff is expensive but they do have the deal of the week which sometimes is quite good.

"They insist"? They can insist all they like - doesn't mean you have to take any notice....

I have 3 rapha merino base layers, and they are the best I have had. Wear them for everything, not just cycling, look nice under a jumper too.
Agree it's very expensive, but it holds together better than most other cycle gear I have had. Also got a tour of Britain shirt, which is great too.
Specialized, Assos, Gill, Gore - all seams have come undone! Only other reliable bit of kit, is a Nike Wind Shirt, which is superb!

Also had American Apparel gear, and it's falls apart, twists in the wash, loses shape, and I only wear that to work and pub!

Platini [quote]andrewleitch86 The thing I don't like about Assos is that they insist that you wear a totally different outfit for every weather condition. They even have a socks pack with different socks for each season. That's a little overkill I think. Rapha stuff is expensive but they do have the deal of the week which sometimes is quite good.

"They insist"? They can insist all they like - doesn't mean you have to take any notice....[/quote]
Makes it confusing though. Rapha's limited stock range seems easier to navigate around.

On the topic of Rapha's excellent marketing I looked at my work inbox and I have their Autumn Winter 2007 catalogue. It matches Raphas "It's more than just the clothes" ethos. The first half of the catalogue reads more like what I'd imagine a copy of Roluer would read like. I'd urge anyone who's not totally against Rapha to get a copy and have a read. Also some really nice photography in there.

My Rapha Softshell was the most expensive piece of cycle clothing I ever purchased. The zip splits at the bottom, the hem around the wrists has come undone. It's not even showerproof as claimed, and isn't wind-proof (though that wasn't claimed). For what it cost, and what it is... it was a waste and very disappointing.

Their all-weather layer looks damn nice though. Their merino socks are very nice (I've nearly worn through mine). Their cap fits perfectly with a perfect sized peak.

They have some good stuff that I would say is worth it, and then so much that is quite average as clothing and then extremely over-priced. It's that bit that astounds me.

Anyone have any opinions on the Sportwool Jersey?

velocity boy My Rapha Softshell was the most expensive piece of cycle clothing I ever purchased. The zip splits at the bottom, the hem around the wrists has come undone. It's not even showerproof as claimed, and isn't wind-proof (though that wasn't claimed). For what it cost, and what it is... it was a waste and very disappointing.

well, they offer a no-quibble return policy, another aspect that is worth paying for. If the jacket is as bad as you say, why not tell them, and send it back?

Rapha make some nice looking stuff, but a lot of what you are buying is image.

why do you think french wines and italian suits/cars are so expensive?

if you like their style, then shop around - you'll find similar things for cheaper. E.g someone posted on here a few weeks ago about merino baseleyers on sale at kathmandu? Well i got a black one for £10, worn it for 2 weeks straight and not washed it, i'm pretty sure it performs the same as a rapha one would costing 4x the price, no? Is the rapha one 4x more comfortable? Last 4x longer? I doubt it.

So anyway, the point is, you don't have to buy rapha if you their style.

my brand new rapha jacket got a beating yesterday. rode the london to brighton solo in bib 3/4, short sleeve jersey and the rapha jacket. totally soaked. well, everywhere else but up top. i believe it is showerproof as it was 'beading' for the first half hour in the shower. dried up very quickly as well. did not sweat like a pig either....breathable?! dunno. but it does look cool. love the detail.

with all the positives, dont think id buy it myself. wife likes it...but then again buying sensibly is not her forte.

assos is a rip off. they're like rapha only slightly more technical...but a lot less in aesthetic dept. i like the ladies in bibs tho...they look cool...hehe

lpg E.g someone posted on here a few weeks ago about merino baseleyers on sale at kathmandu? Well i got a black one for £10, worn it for 2 weeks straight and not washed it, i'm pretty sure it performs the same as a rapha one would costing 4x the price, no? Is the rapha one 4x more comfortable? Last 4x longer? I doubt it..

the keyword here being 'on sale' they aren't normally 4 times cheaper, are they.

fatboyralph my brand new rapha jacket got a beating yesterday. rode the london to brighton solo in bib 3/4, short sleeve jersey and the rapha jacket. totally soaked. well, everywhere else but up top. i believe it is showerproof as it was 'beading' for the first half hour in the shower. dried up very quickly as well. did not sweat like a pig either....breathable?! dunno. but it does look cool. love the detail.

with all the positives, dont think id buy it myself. wife likes it...but then again buying sensibly is not her forte.

assos is a rip off. they're like rapha only slightly more technical...but a lot less in aesthetic dept. i like the ladies in bibs tho...they look cool...hehe

So the wife buys you Rapha stuff. Not bad. Not bad at all.

I put up the post about the Rapha base layers on sale, they were £30 - Not sure what full price Kathmandu are?

My only input on this would be my observation from the Catford Hill Climb cycle:

Whilst they have good marketing ideas (e.g. organised rides) they are very disorganised. The Rapha people did not know where they were going, just had two maps and they didn't offer so much as a coffee to get us on the road. For the amount people spend on the product (and god knows there were enough people queueing to part with their cash at the sample sale) they could spend a bit on making the 'events' at least half as premium as their clothes.

There are more rediculous brands that you could spend a shed load of money on than Rapha. Just walk into Selfridges (or Gloria Gaynors you East London hipsters) for evidence of that. (OK so I didn't limit myself to one observation, but hey).

I bought some rapha socks when they had them on special - dead comfy and fit really well BUT one ripped apart when i was pulling it on after only about 5 wears....bloody annoying!

andrewleitch86 On the topic of Rapha's excellent marketing I looked at my work inbox and I have their Autumn Winter 2007 catalogue. It matches Raphas "It's more than just the clothes" ethos. The first half of the catalogue reads more like what I'd imagine a copy of Roluer would read like. I'd urge anyone who's not totally against Rapha to get a copy and have a read. Also some really nice photography in there.

I read their catalogue today - the Col de Man With Dog story by Tim Krabbe. It's nice and all but I'm not buying their RRP stuff.
On the subject of £200 Assos jacket.. I wouldn't buy that either.. Fkn 'ell some of you lot have too much spare change! :P

Most of my kit is the stuff I brought over from Oz nearly 3 years ago and prior to that it'd been raced in for a few seasons. My Cannibal knee warmers which are worn almost daily are starting to lose their elastic but under knicks not usually a problem. I just can't believe the prices some people are paying for kit that sounds like it's falling apart so quickly. I don't know what you are doing to your clothes to tear 'em up so quickly?? I did go through a pair of Gore gloves in 6 months - complained and received a free pair.

Steves I bought some rapha socks when they had them on special - dead comfy and fit really well BUT one ripped apart when i was pulling it on after only about 5 wears....bloody annoying!

You can get nice Smartwool merino socks from the usual outdoors shops - I've got 3/4 crew, winter weight, dark grey - cost just over a tenner and are very well made. They've done about 3 winters so far, I'd guess about 10,000 miles, and are as good as the day I bought them :)

I got a free pair of Rapha sockies when I subscribed to their Rouleur mag. The socks felt supremely thin. They were also white.
Sold them on ebay :)

hippy I got a free pair of Rapha sockies when I subscribed to their Rouleur mag. The socks felt supremely thin. They were also white.
Sold them on ebay :)

OT: How is Roleur? Looks great but never picked up a copy.

Just like their shorts I've not checked 'em out! I've bought every bloody cycling book written and have been working slowly through them while the Rapha mags sit around waiting for me to check them out. Quite look indicates very nice pictures and probably some interesting stories. £9 a pop though..

hippy Just like their shorts I've not checked 'em out! I've bought every bloody cycling book written and have been working slowly through them while the Rapha mags sit around waiting for me to check them out. Quite look indicates very nice pictures and probably some interesting stories. £9 a pop though..

Although with 4 issues for £34 and free socks it's not too bad. With a free cap when you get the next 4 issues. I know free has to be used loosely there. Maybe 'Cheaper overall' works better.

If you sell the socks on ebay the magazine price becomes more reasonable :)

Are we allowed to like Howies?