MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Dakine make some really nice quality mtb clothing
Rapha Trail gear is very good.
Mrs_oab does well with Stolen Goat, Polaris, Scott and some Dakine.
She's 5'1" as well, another challenge, and means many things don't fit.
Rapha 😂
Does anyone still buy this stuff?
I am sure it's very good but it's at least 5 times the price compared to quality clothing so it needs to be very special indeed.
Fit is more tricky as a woman. So for context I am 5’9” and size 12-14 with curves and my go to brands are Rapha (yes I do still buy it, it fits me which often isn’t the case with many other brands - I just buy the core stuff or in the sale) and 7 mesh. I also have bits of Patagonia (sizing can be a bit odd) and Rab (not trousers, they aren’t long enough) and few bits of Castelli. Dakine, Findra and Shredly are all also popular.
Rapha 😂
Does anyone still buy this stuff?
I am sure it’s very good but it’s at least 5 times the price compared to quality clothing so it needs to be very special indeed.
Yes. Usually when its on sale, but some new. It's good quality, well designed, lasts.
And it's about the same price as Castelli, Assos, 7Mesh, top end Endura.
Let people spend their own money on what they want. Focus on your own perfect world instead.
Setup do some nice riding and casual clothing for women as well as the man dem.
https://www.setupstore.com/category/women-s-clothing
Minx seemed great for that. Well curated quality range. I don’t think Debbie could make a living at it though. There’s an important niche there to be sure, but it’ll be hard to find such a specialist now with the infiltration of venture capital, with its inevitable 5 year ‘make as much as possible and run (maybe)’ culture is spoiling many businesses / industries.
Setup are fairly local to me, but not tried anything yet
Mrs_oab does well with Stolen Goat
Stolen goat recently took over Velo Vixen -not sure if that's now just an outlet for the female SG kit or if they stock other brands too.
Oh and the usual plug for Galibier - not quite as plush as the top end kit but decent quality at good prices
Quoting - Setup are fairly local to me, but not tried anything yet -Quoting
They're great. I've got a couple of nice jerseys. Very well made.
Rapha 😂Does anyone still buy this stuff?
I am sure it’s very good but it’s at least 5 times the price compared to quality clothing so it needs to be very special indeed.
Yes, quite a lot of people do?
I’m quite interested to find some quality comparable riding trousers to their lightweight trail pants for around £24 (1/5 of the price of theirs) - please can you point me in the direction of them?
My other half has quite a lot of Rapha Trail MTB gear, as it fits her well (her words) and last a long time.
Based on my experience, I would agree.
My Partner has a few Wheel and Rock tops, fit her very well and seem well made.
According to my daughter Dharco is the only option. In our experience it's an option preferably when the sales are on. There are more toned down pants and shirts than the ones she likes.
Nothing too lairy, just well designed, high quality clothing with low key styling.
That's kind of the Rapha Traill stuff in a nutshell tbh. Mrs BWD has several bits of the stuff, all bought reduced either in Rapha's own sale, the archive section of their site or from Sport Pursuit or eBay, all really good. On top of that, a motley mix of Stolen Goat for commuting/occasional road, various random things from outdoor brands etc.
I do kind of get the frothing hatred some people have for Rapha - the strange monochrome-hued appropriation of cycling heritage that pre-dates the brands by decades was faintly ludicrous - and at full price it's expensive, but if you can see past that, the actual clothing is great quality, well designed, fits beautifully and doesn't look like you've been hijacked by colour-blind graffiti artists.
I generally like Rapha stuff, but I would say that the MTB line while good quality in of itself in terms of cut and so on, is still premium prices for polyester. There are some bits and pieces that are merino and so on, but it does feel to me as if they had a meeting where they reluctantly agreed that they really should do some MTB stuff...My money mostly goes on 7mesh, yes it is pricey, but absolutely everything I have from them is well designed uses the right material for what it needs to do, and is bullet proof.
Unless you want a massive logo that says "I'm wearing MTB gear"* a l/s top is a l/s top. Any any outdoor tech top will work for riding a bike. Buy a bigger size if it needs to go over pads.
*I usually do this, so my advice is a contradiction really....
Dharco
Can I ask how we pronounce this please?
Rapha 😂
Does anyone still buy this stuff?
I am sure it’s very good but it’s at least 5 times the price compared to quality clothing so it needs to be very special indeed.
We do in our house.
I’ve got a fair bit of their kit and after a few years it’s still like new, far better quality than most cycling kit I’ve bought over the years.
As for women’s kit, my wife is a fan of the Rapha trail kit as well, she says it’s comfortable and fits well.
OK apologies for the Rapha rant. I must be totally out of the loop. I thought they were £100 jerseys but probably far less in the sales in reality. And it's not my money so I shouldn't really care!
I have probably reset my price barometer when Stiff were selling Sweet Protection stuff at £20 for the shorts and £10 for the tops laste last year, including Women's, I bought enough to last me a long time and I'll now struggle to spend more as the quality is quite incredible, not just for the money.
Like Donnie Dharco I thought.
Best thing about Rapha is that they have actual shops that stock all their ranges so you can try on their clothes. Yes, their kit is expensive but their quality and warranty is superb.
I really like 7mesh kit, it's very subtle but well designed and well made, again it's expensive but very well made.
Does anybody actually buy any Rapha, Assos, 7Mesh stuff at full price? In fact, come to think of it, anything bike related at full price?
Buy a bigger size if it needs to go over pads.
Not heard them called that before…
Does anybody actually buy any Rapha, Assos, 7Mesh stuff at full price? In fact, come to think of it, anything bike related at full price?
Not sure but I doubt it. The % price delta remains the same potentially though, doesn't it?
How much would a £130 Rapha womens trail shorts be down to in the sales typically, out of interest?
Check the ION gear on SportPursuit. Nice, subtle colours for nice girls and good quality. 🙂
https://www.sportpursuit.com/products?bid=973&gender=Female
How much would a £130 Rapha womens trail shorts be down to in the sales typically, out of interest?
How long is a piece of string. On Sport Pursuit, right now, they have them for £45 in size small. Which doesn't seem insane. I'm sure you could buy Altura equivalents reduced to a fiver if you shopped around. Equally I'm not sure what that would prove.
Like Donnie Dharco I thought.
👍
Does anybody actually buy any Rapha, Assos, 7Mesh stuff at full price? In fact, come to think of it, anything bike related at full price?
I must admit that all the 7mesh kit I have was bought below retail price. But then you get 15% off their website right now, seems there is pretty much always some discount to be found.
But, and it's a big but... I'd happily pay retail price for a replacement of my Northwood jacket but they don't make exactly the same jacket anymore. It's easily my most worn piece of cycle clothing.
I really rate Mons Royale womens gear, you can usually find it with ~50% off on Sigma Sports.
Nobody pays full price for Rapha, there is normally a sale and/or promotion. Their archive line is always good for ladies. My goto shorts are Rapha Core (four pairs) and their roubais bib 3/4. I 'm less a fan of their tops as I wear my club kit. Fill your boots, I'm sure there's something suitable here.
https://www.rapha.cc/ch/en/shop/archive?gender=Unisex,Womens&collections=Mountain%20Biking
@Superficial ; what size? my wife bought 2 sizes of Pearl Izumi riding trousers. She loves them. Been meaning to stick the other size on classifieds.
Couldn’t see it mentioned - Altura 👍🏼