Well lads a confession, I've sent them both back.
I dunna lyke em'
On me they sit a little too high on the bridge of my nose and what with the lenses being large look like I'm wearing goggles.
However, seems the grey/pink ones have sold out already.
😕
They've sold out?
Right there you have the definitive comment on what cycling has now become.
....seems the grey/pink ones have sold out already.
Investment purchases 😉
I thought the whole point of expensive sunnies was that they looked good?
binners - Member
They've sold out?Right there you have the definitive comment on what cycling has now become.
I think there has always been the pretentious roadie show offs, "Sold Out" is great for a sales point of view if you spin it right. Nothing to do with doing a really small production run.
I think it was one of the X-Boxes vs PS. One sold out and people were paying double for one got loads of press, the other had nothing like that. I think the one who didn't sell out sold more by having enough stock to start with.
Considering there is probably only a small number out there it's hardly a damming indictment of the modern world
thecaptain - Member
I thought the whole point of expensive sunnies was that they looked good?
No the point is that everyone else knows that they are expensive.
Well, well, well.
To be honest about this, whilst they really are very well made, aesthetically look really nice, they don't suit everyone.
Like most sunglasses/glasses beauty is in the eye of the other person. Whilst You might think they look uber cool and suit you and your odd shaped face, others look at you and know exactly within seconds what they Really look like on you.
Thankfully I have mirrors all over my house and a wife that's brutally honest 😯 😆
As somebody else has said, looks like it'd be hard to look at the road without sitting right up or having a really flexible neck (easier on a bike with a massive head tube and a load of spacers under the stem though 😉 )
Not only that, but I don't like a frame round the bottom of the lens either - gets in the way of looking back IMO, though the depth of lens below the eye might mean this doesn't matter with these
I think there has always been the pretentious roadie show offs
I think you mean
I think there have always been people who want to spend more than me on some things
No I meant what I said. It's the reason I typed it.
Compare how Hinault looks here versus the idiot in the Oakleysregardless of looks, at least the idiot in the Oakleys isn't a massive arsehole
The 'idiot' in the Oakleys isn't wearing sunnies with glass lenses, that were never intended to be worn while racing a bike on the road. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
I've got a very rare pair of Arnet Hornet sunnies, bought from the bike shop in Vail in '94, just as they were about to send them back.
I'm pretty sure they were a failure because they were aimed at mountain bikers, but with metal frames and glass lenses they were far too heavy and fragile to wear on a bike. Lovely to wear off the bike, though.
Which is why Oakleys were successful, there were no other sunnies around at the time which were suitable for wearing on a bike. Those the guy on the bike is wearing are the original Factory Pilot glasses, whic came before the Blades and RazorBlades, and then Frogskins and Mumbos.
Smith and other manufacturers came after Oakley and Oakley lenses are as good as anyone else out there.
I own quite a bit of Rapha kit. Mainly 'classics' like jackets and merino wool jerseys. I am happy with every purchase. I would however never consider some of their more edgy stuff.
As a brand, every now and then, they produce this kind of thing. I can't help thinking it is all about the publicity and we all fall for it. It creates loads of hype, loads of internet forum space, but ultimately positions the brand exactly where they want it to be. Exclusive, expensive, edgy, controversial etc etc.
The world is full of designer brands producing one-off multi-million £ statements in order to sell more £100 scarves, or £200 small leather items, knowing full well that most people won't buy into the £5,000 handbag or dress. What Rapha are doing isn't new, and is frankly small scale and not really outrageous in the grand scheme of things.
If they produced a reasonably priced, fairly conformist product as a rule, as a brand, would we talk about it as much? Nope.
There is a reason why the grey and pink sold out so quickly, and it isn't overwhelming demand. They were a statement piece produced in extremely low quantities (if indeed there were ever more than just the one photography sample pair).
Now, imagine you own an exclusive, but not particularly cash rich lifestyle cycling apparel brand. Would you rather a) pay several thousand £s for an ad, or b) produce a very small quantity of outrageously priced, controversial product which (admittedly a very small number of) people actually pay you for, but will garner a huge amount of media coverage and internet chat? It is a brilliant piece of marketing which means that when we buy their (good but a little bit overpriced) shorts, jerseys and jackets, we feel we are buying into something a little bit out of the norm and exclusive.
Now, imagine again that you own that same brand. You have sold more shorts and black jerseys with a white stripe around the arm to every big cycling market in the world than the market can stand. You need to branch out. Where can you go? Shoes? (done, in 2 varieties, which are also, guess what really expensive and pimpy looking). Glasses? (ta da!). Helmets (wait for it.......!).
The fact that it isn't for everybody is exactly what the people who will buy these glasses like to hear, exactly where Rapha want to position themselves, and exactly where you want to be when you make a purchase of any more mundane item of Rapha. Chapeau to Rapha I say. You got us talking about your brand [b][u]again![/b][/u]
