Alternatives to Rapha?

http://www.torm.cc/

This x 100

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retro team kit from prendas is where it's at.

it started ages ago

It's just a clothes brand. Those that hate it for what it represents are just as bad as those that love it for the same reasons. I like it, I wear it, I also wear other things. Meh

it's not really meh, otherwise you'd have bought something less pricey. you're just trying to play it cool because you got called old and fat by a yoot.

Yeah that's it. You are very insightful.

I've been rocking the shit out of this top. Its got that retro Rapha look, kind of:

http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/productdetail/Sportive-SS-Jersey/

It's just a clothes brand. Those that hate it for what it represents are just as bad as those that love it for the same reasons. I like it, I wear it, I also wear other things. Meh

exactly, it's just kit.

exactly, it's just kit.

No it's not - it's a way of life.

A philosophy.

A promise of heroic undertakings.

Pain.

Suffering.

The very essence of all that it means to be epic, as you toil to crest the summit of that mountain in the middle of your 6 mile commute.

FFS - do you not read their marketing material? Christ - They even have black and white photos!

If you want SUPER niche, rare and costly but well made and good sell on value: PedalEd. It's a Japanese designer but funded by Brooks. You can find a few bits left in Present on Shoreditch High Street.

You also have Outlier. They do very smart looking bits that's more costly than Rapha in many cases. They make nice waxed caps but I was very disappointed but the fit of their white button up shirts in TFG.

Levis do some nice looking bits. I haven't tried any of their tops/jackets but not impressed by their jeans.

I do like Howies but I wouldn't say their Selvedge denim is specifically made for being the bike.

Pester Swerve to make their Cone mill selvedge again.

Good luck!

By "niche", you must mean "even more marketing wanky bollocks than Rapha".

Go by bicycle. Feel the elements and contemplate nature. PEdALED makes clothes to enjoy on the bicycle. The poetic expression -pedalling to dive into the earth- inspired the abbreviation "PEdALED"

^Pretty much. However the OP asked for the more fashion-y side of things. I haven't seen that kind of stuff covered by anyone else. Save your anger for your Strava.

I almost forgot Road Rags operating out of the The Cut (I forget exactly where) that do the best looking womens merino gear I've seen.

assos if you're some kind of bicycle adonis

Now I feel bad about having Assos arm and leg warmers. (Which I got from their outlet site at a decent price.)

Clothing is one of those things in cycling I don't get, most people don't need to spend loads of money on kit. Just buy functional stuff that suits your pocket!

SWVRE stuff is awesome, have 3 pairs of their shorts, need some full trousers. I am also looking a torm for a jersey. Whilst I like Rapha's stuff the cuts just don't work for me.

exactly, it's just kit.

exactly!

The poetic expression -pedalling to dive into the earth- inspired the abbreviation "PEdALED"

Shouldn't that have been "PTDITE"

Fashion is a tricky subject, riding along with your tongue hanging out of your mouth, visage twisted into a horrific cum-face, is not fashionable, but I love my Rapha bits like the base layers, the PTJ, the hats, the rucksack, the odd jersey, cos they're so well thought out, maybe overpriced but understated, I look forward to my rides and part of that is due to knowing I've got the right gear for the conditions and also because vanity is not something u do for other people, it's something u do for yourself. So it really doesn't matter what other people think, I mean Christ, if I cared that much, I'd get changed before I got in the elevator at work. My daily rides are the majority of my weekly exercise and I do them at 90%. If u can do that and not waste energy or boil/freeze then it's just a pleasure. Sure a jersey is expensive, but only the same price as a night out in London mid week, and u just don't bother with those when u cycle in and out. So do people think you're a twat? Probably, but who cares, I feel great, and I'm not looking for new mates anyway!! Do they think you're a middle aged fat cunt? Sure they do if u are, but even if u are, keep this up for a year, cycling in pretty much all conditions with a big smirk across yer chops, and you'll soon have the body of a god, lol!

I reckon my Swrve jeans are the best pair of cycling trousers I own. The cordura denim seems to just go and go. I've gone through the crotch on one of their shorts though, didn't stop me buying more.

My Torm jersey has just started to reek a little which made me realise I'be been wearing for over a month without washing, which is bad of me but shows the jersey is very good kit. Unlike the Prendas jerseys someone mentioned: not good material.

Personally I like bike kit that doesn't look too bikey i.e. non-full kit wankery and smothered in logos, even for 3 hour plus weekend rides. Quite a few brands mentioned fit that criteria, Rapha being one. But it's all just kit, as Dan said. And all brands produce some shockers, like those horrible hi-viz pink gilets Rapha did a while back that looked like they were modelled on the shaft of an erect penis, veins and all.

I reckon my Swrve jeans are the best pair of cycling trousers I own. The cordura denim seems to just go and go. I've gone through the crotch on one of their shorts though, didn't stop me buying more.
.

I'll second that Jimmy, my Swrve 3/4 shorts I pretty much live in in spring summer, also got the Union 34 Schoeller trousers from Rutland Cyling for 20squid, 80%off! In their recent sale, really quite impressed. As for full-kit wankery, there was a time when roadie kit meant you would end up looking like a try-hard covered in logos that u quite frankly hadn't earned, a portly parody of the guys that cycle for a living. That meant that your only option was general sports kit or casual clothes, not aerodynamic and not windproof and when the only forces you're battling are friction and wind resistance this is just not acceptable! I mean why bother cycling at all if you're going to waste all that energy? Why get a bike with skinny little slick tires if you're going to act like a giant sail? Why pedal fast when the seams on the insides of your jeans are going to act like a cilice belt? Might as well just drive.

Rapha's niche is for people who want the performance of full-kit wankery without the full kit wankery. Yeah it's expensive but it's amazing how little you spend on anything else when you cycle for commuting, leisure and pleasure. And yes it is all marketing, but Rapha again is aimed at all those people who cycle not because they can't afford a car or the tube or the bus, but because they want to, because they love to. Those people need to be given a reason to want to get on their bike every day, and whether that reason is looking good (clothed and unclothed) or feeling prepared for all conditions or just trying out new kit, that vanity is motivation, which, in this world of creature comforts, cigarettes and alcohol, fast food and television, is absolutely priceless.

No it's not - it's a way of life.

A philosophy.

A promise of heroic undertakings.

Pain.

Suffering.

The very essence of all that it means to be epic, as you toil to crest the summit of that mountain in the middle of your 6 mile commute.

FFS - do you not read their marketing material? Christ - They even have black and white photos!

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate.. to suffering" - YouTube

#raphiknight

Outlier trousers are superb. I'm on my fourth winter of the pair of climbers I have, and they are still going strong. I've worn them most of the rest of the year, come to think of it.

Hi, Are there any other good roadie clothing alternatives to Rapha?

That brand is just England's take on modern cycle clothing – just one (developing) county in a whole world of cycling.

Rapha is just expensive nodder wear now...

This thread would suggest so.

dhb or gore bike wear stuff is nice and plain
castelli is good if you don't mind being festooned with their logo
rapha is very nice as a treat for yoself
assos if you're some kind of bicycle adonis

Pretty much yes.

retro team kit from prendas is where it's at.

Hi dad.

I reckon my Swrve jeans are the best pair of cycling trousers...

'Cycling trousers'?

No.

The best trick Rapha has pulled off is whether they love it or hate it, people talk about it. And there is also a simple truth when you filter out the faux-sufferfest, retro-euro panache-aping marketing: it's good kit (pink gilets aside).

On a side note: just dug out my pretty much unworn Planet X long sleeve merino base layer. It has thumb holes in a stupid position and the sleeves only come to my west anyway: I presume this is so you can hook your thumbs in and get through the tight arm of a long sleeve jersey?

And does Planet X's merino range in general deserve a mention here? Don't have any myself apart from the base layer but it looks decent.

Sure a jersey is expensive, but only the same price as a night out in London mid week,

Who the fuck spends £140 on a midweek night out in London (or anywhere else)?!

Who the fuck spends £140 on a midweek night out in London (or anywhere else)?!

Me.

Regularly.

Who the fuck spends £140 on a midweek night out in London (or anywhere else)?!

Obviously not you.

Cocaine or cycling.