[Closed] Rapha Manchester

I was curious... it looks like Aldi cycling gear.

I thought you were an aesthete Mr Smith.

i’m going through a functional/utility phase inspired by dieter rams and max bill. 🙄

I'd pop into the shop for sure to have a nose around. Wish the brand nothing but success and if I was feeling plush/had some money to burn and, what took my fancy fitted, I'd but it. I don't see that happening any time soon.

dirtyrider - Member
not many other companies out there that would have replaced my 18 month old shoes after a crash, and repaired my worn out touring shorts twice for free, not even charging for returns

Yes, other stuff is cheaper and may fit better but you can't fault there after are service but, you pay for it.

Nice kit, too expensive IMHO. Howies is almost equal in fit and performance and fabric at a 1/3rd of the price

Says the man with more custom Nicolais than I have pimples on my arse.

if you can afford it and want it then buy it.
if you can afford it but dont want to buy it get something cheaper.
if you can’t afford it and want it get a job that pays better or save up.
it doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

whatever your own personal purchasing why have so much angst about what people other people spend on clothing?
apart from making you look like a stingy pikey in comparison why would you care?

All the planned rides are in Cheshire or Derbyshire.
Most of them start down on the south side too.
At least they know their demographic, but ignoring all the decent riding to the North of the city puts me off for a start.

They're still developing the rides list - working out what's practical, what people want and the best routes in terms of logistics. Give them chance, they've only been there 4 days!

The young lady in front of me paid £745 for a modest sized bag of clothing

I've seen people spend twice that!

I went to the opening night gig, was a good event. Nice place, looks smart. And actually most of the kit is at fairly similar prices to other brands. Rapha shoes at £300 - most high end road shoes are at least £260, some go up to £350. Same with shorts: Rapha at £190, Assos go up to £300 so it's not as though it's anything unreasonable. Don't like it, don't buy it!

I guessed her Gold credit card bills are being met by others. But I was as you say, dumbstruck!

Re-read that & then let us know if you feel at all chauvinistic or patronising. Or maybe you actually know the woman.

£745?

That's not a fat lot really is it?

She could've saved up all year, got a bonus from work, living on expenses, may have a decent job, may have a job that means she can't get to the shop, may not like ordering online to find stuff doesn't fit and have the hassle of sending it all back..

£745?

I know women who spend that on a pair of shoes.

Now, enough Rapha bashing lads, whats that coffee like 😀

PSA - I just went in and the coffee is free at the moment. Seemed a friendly bunch.

Now That's News ^^ 😆

Ooo might pop along to one. I wont be wearing or buying Rapha. Just not my thing. Same with mountain bike clothing. I'm more interested in the ride not the clothes.

hora - Member
Ooo might pop along to one. I wont be wearing or buying Rapha. Just not my thing. Same with mountain bike clothing. I'm more interested in the ride not the clothes.

😉

pwnd

Hey that was coincidence! 😀

Ooo might pop along to one. I wont be wearing or buying Rapha. Just not my thing. Same with mountain bike clothing. I'm more interested in [s]the ride not the clothes[/s] spending money on lots of frames.

FTFY

Ooo might pop along to one. I wont be wearing or buying Rapha. Just not my thing. Same with mountain bike clothing. I'm more interested in the ride not spending money on lots of 2 grand+ fashion carbon frames chasing the next marketing-madness.

FTFY

Last time I went in their Soho store they had no soy milk and the smoothie blender was broken. Pretty pants really.

I do like my sportwool jerseys and bibs though.

"Re-read that and then let us know if you feel at all chauvinistic or patronising"

Last time I went in their Soho store they had no soy milk and the smoothie blender was broken. Pretty pants really.

Your story has touched me like none other 😥

Ok so Rapha attracts Hipsters in droves and its a bit of a city click look at me posers type of brand. But Rapha do have a good brand and their kit is good as well as their coffee based on my Rapha Tempest experience, I nearly got to throw my leg over a Pinarello F8 on one of their organized rides but the lightweights cancelled the ride because of the rain 8O. I don't like Manchester so doubt I will make a journey especially to visit the store, although I have a couple of events I'm attending in Manchester so if I have time I may pop in or even join a ride.

All the miserable gits having a moan about Rapha is amusing though!

Last time I went in their Soho store they had no soy milk and the smoothie blender was broken. Pretty pants really.
Your story has touched me like none other

I know, frankly it almost ruined my afternoon. But I had a Perrier limon and the soap in Rapha's bathroom was scented with lavender en Provenance, which was some small recompense.

There was an organised ride from Chorlton one Sunday morning last week. They all met up at the Cafe- I'd say half were in Rapha, the others (mostly) in a mix of Sky clothing. I opened the door for one of them who let it shut in my face when it was my turn but hey.

The cafe is the sort of place where they make the bread slightly thicker, employ eternal students then add 50% to the price. I'd have giggled but £4 for one slice of toast with cheese on hurt 😯

Ah its a good thing, props the industry up, gives it some kudos and style missing from football a d if you don't like it don't buy it.

I owned a rapha jersey once, cost me £4 from a charity shop in holt, bet he was p1ssed when he realised. Best bit, sold it for £100 on eBay!

Lets hope some Cheshire housewives have some clearouts!

There was an organised ride from Chorlton one Sunday morning last week.

Since when did weeks have more than one Sunday?

You made a big profit on a charity shop find? Hahaaaaaaa. Brilliant! Charity mugs eh? And their pathetic, soppy money-raising antics, eh? If someone pointed it out, they could have made some cash on it themselves. To save lives, or puppies, or whatever. But you trousered it instead, Hahahaaaaaaa. And you get to brag about how clever you are on an internet forum. Excellent! Yay for you! You're my hero! You're literally the physical embodiment of Dave's Big Society

🙄

Try thier flapjacks or thier Raspberry Brownies..

Uber Yum.

[i]I owned a rapha jersey once, cost me £4 from a charity shop in holt, bet he was p1ssed when he realised. Best bit, sold it for £100 on eBay![/i]

[i]Excellent! Yay for you! You're my hero![/i]
Please add to your list of crimes, the mild discomfort I'm experiencing while posting my agreement with Binners **Shudders**. As someone who often delivers quality items to my local charity shops, instead of shifting them on ebay or here, myself. It's slightly sad for me now to think that some folk might be surfing such places in order to exercise such [i]entrepreneurial flair[/i]. If you don't feel ashamed of yourself, imo, you probably should.
😕

Anyway, back to Rapha. For me it's a like, hate, thing. I like some of their kit, but hate the sometimes silly prices. Not everything is over priced, but unless theres a sale on, it's not the first place I think of when bargain hunting for new kit.
That said, they seem to ' [i]Play a very straight bat[/i] ' and after experiencing a strange piece of luck, I'm now looking forward to receiving some premium items from Rapha, at a significant discount.

Carry on!