I never actually bought them myself – but in 1987, there was bugger all choice

‘what absolute twaddle’ … 😉 from memory, people aspiring to an active ‘leisure’ style in the 1980s were spoiled for choice with offerings from the likes of Le Coq Sportif, Fila, Sergio Tacchini and Addidas …

Not to mention the plethora of ‘shell-suits’ available in the North-West … 8)

I had some “Hugh Porter” lycra tights in about 1990. Actually I’ve still got them. They weren’t very insulating – but better than wearing Ron Hills or those crazee climbing tights…

I stand by my comments on the prices. I’m assuming they’re not made in the UK, or even Europe. Blatant profiteering.

got to love well-informed opinions. Their merino-blend stuff is made in Portugal (where loads of posh merino/sportswool comes from, Finisterre etc all seem to be made out there). Their lycra/synthetic Pro range kit was made by Moa in Italy.

And if you know anything about Rapha you know they have a sale in January, and in the final week or so release an extra 10% code. I own 6 Rapha jerseys and they were all cheaper than equivalent Castelli or Giordana FRC kit I also bought in sales.

Not to mention the plethora of ‘shell-suits’ available in the North-West …

You did say the 1980s didn’t you? I’m pretty sure it looked like that only last week… 😉

You did say the 1980s didn’t you? I’m pretty sure it looked like that only last week…

“true style never goes out of fashion … ” 😉

Oh, how they all laughed at my bright yellow Morrisons shoes

Back ‘atcha now isn’t it, Rapha-Price boys [slaps arse twice]?

Oh, how they all laughed at my bright yellow Morrisons shoes

Back ‘atcha now isn’t it, Rapha-Price boys [slaps arse twice]?

I am aware the meaning of each of your words individually. As a collective whole, though, they make absolutely no sense.

always amusing reading the rapha overpriced comments. I ride alot, and spend a lot on kit, and I own quite a bit of rapha kit, i have a winter jacket which is 5 years old and still perfect, unlike my gore mtb jacket which is good for nothing even when reproofed, i have a pair of bibshorts that were the only shorts i wore when i toured for 3 months and just wore at a 24hr race last weekend and still comfy and no issues. some other main brand kit last 1/4 of that time, but i guess if you ride once a month and winge on forums rest of the time it probably lasts ok

I don’t have an approved supplier and I have no idea what profit was made on any of my clothing. People are free to buy from Rapha or any other aspirational brand. I just think that a lot of people must have a very large disposable income in ‘austerity’ Britain for companies like Rapha to exist. Good luck to them, another, trendier, brand will be along soon no doubt

So much bitterness for what is essentially higher end cycling clothing that functions very well.

So much bitterness for what is essentially higher end cycling clothing that functions very well.

+1. I’ve got a few Rapha items – their Classic Bibs are the best bibshorts I’ve ever worn.

I just think that a lot of people must have a very large disposable income in ‘austerity’ Britain for companies like Rapha to exist

Or is it possible that some people just make informed choices about what they want to do with whatever ‘disposable income’ they may have?

Whilst I agree that Rapha RRP is not what you would call ‘cheap’, it does for many cyclists offer good ‘value for money’.

And in times of austerity whilst many people do indeed have to ‘cut their cloth accordingly’ there is also the ‘physcological’ factor of ‘treating yourself’. Wage rises etc may have stagnated, but people still treat themselves apparently by ‘dining out’; taking weekend breaks; buying a nice bottle of whiskey/wine etc; and buying items of clothing at the higher end of the market knowing they should be comfortable and hard-wearing …

I’ve just ‘replaced’* a pair of Rapha Classic bibs that are 10 years old, absorbed litres of ‘chamois juice’, done 1000s of miles (including training for and doing the Fred Whitton) and have outlasted pretty much every other item of cycling clothing I have owned – hence my readiness to replace them with the same!

*I say ‘replaced’ – they have now just been relegated to quick training rides/spares etc as there is still a bit of life left in them.

Digby 😀

I am aware the meaning of each of your words individually

clearly I’m not ninfan, but Mavic’s logo does look unfortunately like Morrisons when it adorns £100+ shoes…

‘chamois juice’

*shudders*

No issue with Rapha, some of their jerseys are nice and I’ll probably get a few in the next sale. Not keen on their jackets particularly, they do seem overpriced, but then again I dont have to buy them.

Re the bib shorts – I buy DHB for around 50 quid, recently bought a pair from decathlon for even less.At no point have I ever thought to myself on a ride ‘i’d rather have a better pair of shorts’. whats so good about them?

I like the media that Rapha put out, but I don’t like the brand enough to join the tribe and wear the badge.

The Walton brothers come across as alright in my book. They love bikes and appear to do quite a bit of good with their wealth. They seem like a good fit for Rapha.

Good luck to them and Rapha.

Re the bib shorts – I buy DHB for around 50 quid, recently bought a pair from decathlon for even less.At no point have I ever thought to myself on a ride ‘i’d rather have a better pair of shorts’. whats so good about them?

The cut/fit/pad/materials are way better than the Decathlon bibs (I have got a couple of pairs of the ‘good’ Decathlon bibs – they excellent for the money)

The Rapha pad is similar to the pad in my DHB bibs – but again the materials/cut/fit is better on the Rapha bibs.

Re the bib shorts – I buy DHB for around 50 quid, recently bought a pair from decathlon for even less.At no point have I ever thought to myself on a ride ‘i’d rather have a better pair of shorts’. whats so good about them?

Same here. Just not that fussy, and rather buy 2 or 3 pairs instead of a ‘super’ pair that could be wrecked on the next ride.

Bought some Santini shorts early in the year for £60. Absolutely fine.

I often wonder what the difference between say Lusso and Rapha is? If the chief Rapha designer left and went to Lusso could they then suddenly sell the best shorts in the world?

The cut/fit/pad/materials are way better than the Decathlon bibs (I have got a couple of pairs of the ‘good’ Decathlon bibs – they excellent for the money)

I’ve never tried Decathlon’s bibs so can’t comment on theirs in particular, but in answer to the question:

whats so good about them?

I would concur with ‘freeagent’ … ‘cut/fit/pad/materials’

I don’t get a ‘wedgie’ if I bend over
I don’t feel like I’m wearing some huge ‘sanitary towel’ or I’m sat on a canoe.
The ‘front bulge’ is neither ‘revealing’ nor ‘intimidating’ 🙂
Steven and the twins get to ride in comfort
I’m sadly prone to saddle sores and the Rapha bib shorts are a massive advantage here
They feel pretty much the same after multiple repeated washes
The lycra doesn’t start to become threadbare, ‘translucent’ or ‘bobbly’ after continual abrasion and exposure to sunlight.
The legs openings grip nicely and stay in place without using silicon that brings me out in a rash.

In a nutshell, I’m a delicate little flower and I bruise like a peach so I like comfort in the ‘trouser dept’ on long rides – for me, Rapha Classic Bib shorts provide this! 😉

The jerseys are good but not significantly better than others I own but the Rapha bibs I own are hands down the best I’ve worn

Interesting. I’ve never tried Rapha shorts on the basis that I’ve got others that cost me less and meet the “forget you’re wearing them” criteria. The merino-mix tops are by far the best tops I’ve bought. A bit warmer than synthetic tops so perfect for most of the year in the UK, don’t smell, good fit. Mine are years old and still in good condition. Tried various other (cheaper) merino mix tops and they were all crap. I still have and wear all the Rapha whilst the others long since went to the charity shop

Same here. Just not that fussy, and rather buy 2 or 3 pairs instead of a ‘super’ pair that could be wrecked on the next ride.

Rapha will repair them for free if you bin them. I bought a pair of shorts, crashed them on the first ride, 1 week later they came back almost as good as new.

I often wonder what the difference between say Lusso and Rapha is? If the chief Rapha designer left and went to Lusso could they then suddenly sell the best shorts in the world?

Never worn Lusso shorts but other than stuff like the crash replacement policy (and downsizing policy if you’re losing weight) which are intangible benefits but add to Rapha’s costs, maybe Lusso could sell the best shorts, but I bet they would be more expensive than they are now.

At no point have I ever thought to myself on a ride ‘i’d rather have a better pair of shorts’.

Every time I go on a long ride with a less good pair of shorts I wish I’d worn the Rapha shorts. That said, I borrowed a pair of cheapo Decathlon shorts yesterday and within 5 mins I wish I’d worn almost ANY pair of shorts I had at home. The person I borrowed them from (I REALLY don’t like borrowing shorts but needs must) spent, I think 10e on them. After I made the point of how bad they were he realised his discomfort on the bike was not just a need to HTFU but a need to buy better shorts. Sadly he bought some bright red monstrosities last night, but I digress.

Sometimes, “better” only becomes clear after you’ve tried it not when you’re using the ones that aren’t as good.

Interesting. I’ve never tried Rapha shorts on the basis that I’ve got others that cost me less and meet the “forget you’re wearing them” criteria. The merino-mix tops are by far the best tops I’ve bought.

The main reason is I just have a decent number of nice jerseys. It’s not saying Rapha jerseys are bad, more that other relatively high-ticket cost (compared to Aldi) jerseys also do a great job.

I’ve never gone for the Rapha shorts either – I know everyone raves about them but I still find it hard to justify £100+ on shorts even when they’re on sale, primarily because i’m mean & usually just go for the “best” least gaudy / highest discount option from Giordana or whoever – maybe one day… 8)

I have a few jerseys, the hardshell jacket which is amazing for winter but overkill above 5-7 degrees for me, wind jacket which is probably the most versatile thing ever, couple of pairs of gloves, all of it bought with probably 70% off (like most folk I know) & all of it worn very regularly commuting and on longer road rides and it has outlasted plenty of stuff from other “respectable” brands (that was probably just as expensive tbh) and still all looks pretty much new. It’s good stuff – I really don’t know where all the hate comes from – fair enough if it was crap, but it’s not – is it the marketing bollocks alone or something else? I mean, do people get annoyed by 7mesh stuff in the same way? 😕

Right – I apologise for my mistake re where Rapha kit is made. However, I’m not bitter at all, as a couple of people have suggested. If people want to spend that sort of money on cycling gear, I have absolutely no problem with that. My point about disposable income was genuinely meant – I am just surprised that so many people can afford this stuff. In my case, there is probably some reverse snobbery too. There, I said it! I hate clothing with prominent logos and tend to avoid products that people aspire to for no other reason than the name on the label if possible.
I’ll get my (unbranded) coat ….

It’s just cycling clothing, why do people have to overthink this? It’s also not the only ‘premium’ brand out there, clothing from assos, Le-Col, Castelli, Poc, Cafe du Cycliste, Maap etc is similarly priced and just as good if not better quality.
If you cannot or do not want to buy it there are literally dozens of other brands out there at different price points.

I hate clothing with prominent logos

You’d like some of the Rapha stuff then… a lot of the kit has very subtle logos. My bib shorts have “Rapha” in white on the white band on the leg. You should get some… 😆

You’d like some of the Rapha stuff then… a lot of the kit has very subtle logos

Yep, one of my long sleeved jerseys has a logo and arm band in the same colour as the jersey. Just looks like a plain red jersey. Feels nice to wear, fits well and performs well which is all I am interested in.

tend to avoid products that people aspire to for no other reason than the name on the label if possible.

I hate Rapha’s po-faced marketing and used to slate them and post the JVA spoofs at every opportunity. Then I received a jersey as a present… the fit (obviously subjective) is perfect, and the detail, materials, quality control etc are all top notch.

Their bibs are love-hate; they have loads of panels and seams, and a seam down the middle of the pad which some people detest but the Pro Team shorts I bought on sale are the best shorts I’ve got (they were also nearly twice the price, even reduced, of all the shorts I’ve bought…).

I am just surprised that so many people can afford this stuff

Are you a road rider or mountain biker? I do think the perception of value is different for each. You do get through an awful lot more mtb kit than road stuff ime.

I’m a mountain biker (hence being on this forum). I’ve got a road bike (well, a ‘gnarmac’ bike), but I ride it in my MTB gear. I’m going to shut up now, because I’ve been shot down in flames on all counts. I’m off to buy some Rapha clothing …..

Ha ha someone said Rapha and Aldi gear did the same job! I can assure you they DO NOT!

My posh merino Connie Carpenter Rapha jersey would NOT fit the boy as I throw it to me at the start of a CX race .. my Aldi jersey on the other hand is soo super stretchy it would! And no one will steal my Aldi jersey when it’s lying on the floor at at race…. 😆