Had a random thought earlier today when Rapha came up in conversation.

Is there an equivalent of Rapha for mountain biking – premium clothes, riding club etc..

I couldn’t think of anyone making MTB gear that came close to what Rapha are doing for roadies

http://www.kitsbow.com/

http://shop.7meshinc.com/Mountain

I wear a lot of Rapha (as I have a friend there) and I wear it for mountain biking as well as road and it seems to work OK.

@BigJohn – I get how nothing in cycling clothing is specifically for road/mtb, but see Rapha as more road than MTB, and can’t really see anyone doing what they’re doing with an MTB bias…

Thats cuz… well, roadies.

Thats cuz… well, roadies.

There are quite a few companies which make both mtb & road. Morvelo for instance.. But the mtb stuff is a lot cheaper than the road. What the market will bear perhaps

howies ?

and there’s loads of chi chi merino manufacturers

Not that i can think of as there is no heritage in mtb. And anyway roadie stuff is fine for mtbing.

there is no heritage in mtb

There is. The image of MTB isn’t as important as the act of just getting out and riding.

The majority of neo-roadies love the image, and therefore cling to the heritage, waffling on about it through rose tinted, but exquisitely curated, sunglasses.

Hat.

I’ve asked this before, and the closest I can find are Mission workshop/Acre, Kitsbow, and 7mesh, Morvelo do some nice stuff as well.

Morvelo stuff is very nice, good cut and materials with a hint of sarcasm.

NOrrona? Lovely kit.

Norrona Mountain Biking

MTBing and MTBers are about the uncoolest thing going. There would be absolutely no market for a brand like Rapha in MTBing. Look at what the average MTBer wears FFS; no wonder it’s not in the Olympics.

Then on the other side of the coin is Rapha; nothing says “I’m a born again middle aged cyclist with a massive income and only fifteen hundred Kilometers to my name this year” quite like Rapha. Where’re they at now it’s gone cold and the nights have drawn in? Not grafting away on the moors, that’s for sure. Probably sat on a Zwift in their garage with their socks pulled up, taking photos for instagram.

CFH no there isn’t heritage in mtb, unless you count daglo 80’s roadie tops.

Yes there are a few bad apples on the road scene but most also just want to get out and ride, that’s not a particular mtb trait.

Mikewsmith – exactly. I like the fact they state ‘ride everything’. Vast majority of my road kit is Morvelo and it’s great stuff.

I think the RCC and it’s application tosh is as far removed from the inclusive nature of the mtb/cycling scene I’ve known for the last 30 years.

Celeb roadie

Celeb mtber

Hmm, which one’s cool 😉

there isn’t heritage in mtb

There is, it’s just that you might not like it.

Besides…

I think the RCC and it’s application tosh is as far removed from the inclusive nature of the mtb/cycling scene I’ve known for the last 30 years.

True but the jerseys and jackets I have from them come out the most. Lovely stuff.

Where’re they at now it’s gone cold and the nights have drawn in?

Probably on a nice winter training week somewhere sunny 😉

😀

Line em’ up eh…

Then shoot em’ down.

Dark nights getting to you?

Norrona.

Hmm, which one’s cool

It’s hard to tell. I don’t know who the roadie is, but I know he can’t dress himself properly. Helmet straps over glasses?/!! THose socks! Those stem spacers!!!!

That MTBer looks like he’s just got dressed in a skip.

Troy lee is horrifically overpriced. Not amazing quality though. Gore maybe? £300 for a (albeit really good) jacket seemed a touch pricy…

From Norrona,

“…all the critical details you need for freeriding and backcountry adventures…”

Why was no one wearing one at Rampage?

I’d like that norrona suit for working on the farm, that may breach the warranty on fair use though

Sharkattack, that’s a brilliant piece of kit, but from their ski range, not the MTB stuff.

FWIW, a fartbag like that is better in the deep powdery goodness as there are less places for the snow to get in.

There is. The image of MTB isn’t as important as the act of just getting out and riding.
The majority of neo-roadies love the image, and therefore cling to the heritage, waffling on about it through rose tinted, but exquisitely curated, sunglasses.
Hat.

This.

(…and for the original question, I’d say 7 mesh are leading the charge.)

((I never had norrona down as an mtb brand even though they have an mtb line?))

NOrrona? Lovely kit.

Norrona Mountain Biking

Mmmmmyes, that one piece is the dogs. I’m gonna get me two, one for spare.

I don’t know who the roadie is

Yep, hard to tell from the file name: gary_kemp_riding.jpg

Yep, hard to tell from the file name: gary_kemp_riding.jpg

😀

How was I meant to know that; I’ve not got him saved on my desktop….

That’s a Krays gag?

There would be absolutely no market for a brand like Rapha in MTBing.

course there is, it’s why 7mesh can sell you a pair of shorts for 200 bucks, or Morvelo will sell you a gillet for 80 quid

Norrona? Only time I ever see that stuff is in the bargain section at REI (US outdoor equipment co-op). Never struck me as particularly fashionable, the quality ok but not outstanding and usually being sold off very cheaply…

Never heard of rapha, but then I grew out of riding racers at about 12.
Anyway, tld all the way.

With rapha it’s not about the quality of the stuff it’s the image that sells it and they do holidays clubs etc.

A lot of serious roadies around my way train in Rapha. It is nice kit. They race in club kit which is normally bioracer ,castelli or Endura.

poc have always seemed a bit Rapha to me. Designs often look good but the price never justified.

poc have always seemed a bit Rapha to me. Designs often look good but the price never justified.

This. A chap we ride with who wouldn’t be seen dead on his road bike if not in full Rapha seems to have adopted poc as his mtb brand of choice.

I think its just down to it being expensive so it must be good???

I like the look of most of the POC stuff, but the price puts me off. However, I wouldn’t even buy any of it in the sales, in case anybody saw it and thought I was stupid enough to have paid full price.

I think its just down to it being expensive so it must be good???

As is normal for threads that contain the word Rapha, yes it is expensive, but yes also it is very very good kit, despite the “fool and his money” jibe that’s often levelled at it’s buyers