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@StandardPractice
BEWARE: rant.
I like most of Rapha's products but all their spiel stinks of piss. They unashamedly aim to appeal to rich men, the type who roll their £5000 carbon fibre bikes around the village at the weekend. I used to find their photography and 'ethos' seductive but now it annoys the shit out of me so much. everything they sell is as expensive as they can get away with, and they do. In economics these such products are referred to as 'ostentatious goods', which perfectly compliments their elitist-male-cycling-snob-arsehole aesthetic. On the other hand, it could be argued that they do a lot for cycling and are clearly passionate about it. Particularly I admire their promotion of the traditional / classic image of the sport, which I feel has been largely spoiled by years of overt branding and technological one-upmanship(sp?). But, prices as they are, it seems that all that only serves to bolster their exclusivity.
sorry for kicking off.