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Looks like this'll be out soon - https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/mtb
'Trailwear'
I like their kit and have a few bits all picked up in the sales. Not sure if the sales will still be around in the same way as before as I think they were going to change their model a bit having been acquired. Anyway, kit looks good, if pricey
Love a lot of Rapha stuff. This all looks... well.. boring.
I like boring, boring is a good look. I hate multi-coloured, neon, lairy, logo clothing.
Just ordered a couple of pieces to try...
Don't see the point in any riding tops that don't have a zip or some way to improve ventilation.
Disappointed really. It's pretty megre for a "collection" that they announced a whole year ago.
Our club kit is bright orange and blue, less likely to get shot at.
<looks at size guide>
I'm oot. Definitely a drawback to taking up weightlifting was having to sell all my Rapha kit. 46in chest as the biggest size, ffs.
Their waist pack looks pretty decent, I have a soft spot for them. Actually priced fairly too
Generally not a fan of MTB jerseys, I prefer roadie style jerseys that have a zip for venting. Also prefer the less flappy option up top, and pockets on the back are handy when not using a waist pack or backpack
Looks good to me, I like that they have bib liner shorts but my experience of wearing bib shorts under baggies is that the baggies waist slips down a lot. Maybe it's just me but having a few silicon gripper dots on the waistline of either the bibs or inside the baggies would be good (I think I found some models of Oakley shorts had this and it worked great).
I thought their "go harder, go again" strapline was already taken?
Good to see them using pink for the women. Or white if they'd prefer for a muddy sport.
Dickheads.
Or white if they’d prefer for a muddy sport
Erm, look at the last promo photo, it makes you mud proof, that chap is pushing his bike out of a boggy hole and his tyres are still shiny, let alone his kit.
@johnx2 I'm pretty sure the point of that is less hard, I think you're confusing erectile and ejectile dysfunction.
Our club kit is bright orange and blue, less likely to get shot at.
I thought they were all so pissed they just shot at anything moving!
Or white if they’d prefer for a muddy sport
It's okay, they've realised their mistake... but are using marketing to fix it...
The pink option has been named "purple", and the white option has beed named... er... "black".
👏🏼
For some reason I thought Rapha were a UK brand. Not sure why I thought that but wouldn’t have guessed their HQ was in Arkansas
There were bought out by members of the family who owned Walmart (and are keen mountain bikers).
For some reason I thought Rapha were a UK brand
They are really, bought out my another company a while back IIRC.
A brit, Simon Mottram, founded them. Think he's still the CEO.
Sure some of the gravelers will be interested for a bit of posing, but non of the cool kids will go anywhere near it and trail riding is all about being an individual.
Ah, right, thanks.
I'm sure this is all top quality kit . . . but can anyone explain why so many cycling jerseys (not just Rapha) have different coloured sleeves? Is it a roadie thing?
Raglan? Comes from USA North American sports.
I’ve had their stuff since trying samples in the 2000s and it was genuinely exciting but that all looks ultra conservative. Went from innovative, thru jumping the shark (man bags, leg shaving kits, espresso cups) to catering for the Audi drivers.
Wish them well though, have ridden with a couple of their guys and they’re good people.
What is the point of 3/4 length sleeves? They just look stupid.
I like Rapha kit for road riding and some of this stuff is quite nice but I don’t feel hugely inspired to actually buy any - might get some short sleeve tops to try out but they don’t appear much different from their gravel range.
Bit underwhelmed given the development lead time.
What is the point of 3/4 length sleeves?
Brushing off undergrowth without making too much of a mess of your arms, I suggest. That's one feature I quite liked. Airy but protects from sun and thorns.
I like Rapha gear, but that advert on youtube makes me want to bab in my hands & rub it in my eyes.
Interesting angle that stuff comes with a repair kit, and is eligible for their repair program.
Plus it's not even that expensive! Baaaah!
It's also funny how their models suddenly got body hair and tattoos
Not knocking though, their stuff is quality, I've bought some. It will be sold out this time next month too.
but can anyone explain why so many cycling jerseys (not just Rapha) have different coloured sleeves? Is it a roadie thing?
Raglan?
It’s not an American thing as such - Raglan sleeves are named after the First Baron Raglan and a coat made for him by Aquescutem after the battle of Waterloo. Raglan Is the construction of the sleeve - with the sleeve extending from the collar - useful for mtb because when you’re wearing a backpack the straps don’t sit on a seam and favoured by baseball players because it articulates well for swinging you arms around with a bat.
The contrasting sleeve colour detail often seen with raglan sleeves is a baseball uniform thing.
I might be totally missing the point, but I thought Rapha was the roadies choice of quality but expensive riding gear. As such, being solely a mountain biker, it feels like just another money making exercise rather than creating a product in a sport that they've evolved in. Even reading this back to myself makes not a lot of sense (I've had a few pints) but I'd rather wear something by a company like Fox who have roots in this type of riding gear. I guess if you ride road and mountain bikes then paying the extra for Rapha makes perfect sense.
It’s not an American thing as such
It comes to casual/sport wear from baseball, yes. Used in North American sports. I know where the name comes from… but there where no tops that looked anything like this at Waterloo.
As such, being solely a mountain biker, it feels like just another money making exercise rather than creating a product in a sport that they’ve evolved in.
The new owners are mountain bikers. Make and sell stuff you want for yourself.
Looks nice. A lot of road riders myself included getting into mtb
Rapha are masters at making trendy but very basic/plain looking kit - which appeals to many!
I like the look of it, more casual and less enduro pajama.
No hybrid bib/baggy shorts
No hybrid bib/baggy shorts
All the ones I've ever tried have been "wrong" in some respect.
I'd much rather have a separate liner short and a decent pair of baggies over plus it's much more versatile in terms of using baggies as regular casual shorts.
I might be totally missing the point, but I thought Rapha was the roadies choice of quality but expensive riding gear. As such, being solely a mountain biker, it feels like just another money making exercise rather than creating a product in a sport that they’ve evolved in. Even reading this back to myself makes not a lot of sense (I’ve had a few pints) but I’d rather wear something by a company like Fox who have roots in this type of riding gear. I guess if you ride road and mountain bikes then paying the extra for Rapha makes perfect sense
Meh, you're over-thinking things. It's cycling, this is kit for cycling - if it suits the type of cycling you do, you like the look and you can afford it then why not? Anything about companies having history in one branch of the sport so sticking with them is just bollocks IMO - they're all just companies trying to make money at the end of day.
more casual and less enduro pajama.
TBH I thought, apart from the arm band (rather than the awful pink) which is their trademark, the tops (and shorts*) are indistinguishable from pretty much everything else. I just think it's weird that given a year to come up with stuff (some of which they already make) it's a bit of a poor show. They've clearly been watching too many 50:10 jibbing videos and I wonder if they have any idea what the rest of do?
* I get that it's hard to do anything new or revolutionary with shorts.
It’s cycling, this is kit for cycling – if it suits the type of cycling you do, you like the look and you can afford it then why not?
I've been using Rapha kit for mountain biking since their first black sports wool jersey (which is still in regular use). As you say, it's all just cycling.
I want to hate Rapha due to their ****y branding but the two items of clothing I own of theirs are really nice. Nothing massively inspiring in the new stuff but I'd potentially be interested if I was buying new MTB stuff (and preferably if it was on sale 🙂 ).
Too bright and you’d all be moaning.
Too bland and you’re all moaning.
Too expensive and you’d all be moaning.
Too cheap and you’d all be moaning.
It’s probably just an initial release to see how it sells, if it goes well then no doubt more stuff will follow.
I was surprised at the price, I was expecting it to be a lot more. Now, if only they did proper pink in men’s stuff.
Too bright and you’d all be moaning.
Too bland and you’re all moaning.
Too expensive and you’d all be moaning.
Too cheap and you’d all be moaning.
I think you're stuck in the noughties. Meanwhile in the real world I see cyclists wearing it all time, mostly as it's pretty good kit it's reasonably priced given how it performs, and people like how it looks. My complaint (for what it's worth) with it is that I was expecting maybe a bit of a wider range, given that they're owned by mountain bikers now, and have had a year to organise themselves
It’s probably just an initial release to see how it sells
I think you're right, I'm just surprised that they appear not to have done their homework, as they've mostly got the road-market nailed
Far from being stuck back there, most of the cycling kit I wear is rapha.
Don’t forget when they initially release other collections (especially cross and gravel) they only do a few different pieces
Yeah, it's a start... not an end... they're a "seasons" brand, so we'll probably get a few drops a year now that they've started. I hoping future offerings interest me more.
Looks nice.
But the real question is, will there be Rapha sales any more for us to buy it without losing our street cred? Or are they a thing of the past now we're in bike boom 2.0?
I was surprised at the price,
Their core range stuff is priced very competetively and their 'normal' stuff is pretty similar to Castelli etc. Assos makes Rapha looks positively bargain basement.
Rapha is incredibly popular around here, by far the most common make I see out on the bike. Although in the cooler months the Castelli Perfetto totally dominates, nearly everyone is wearing one!