Rapha – I think we need to have a chat…..

I like Rapha clothing, I own lots of it, use off road and on, commuting, even been known to walk the dog in one of their nice long sleeved jerseys.

This however makes me think our friends in NW5 may have started believing their own PR…..

http://www.rapha.cc/imperial-works-club-jersey

I didnt take up cycling to join some exclusive club. This isnt golf and Kentish Town isnt Pebble Beach.

Lets stay true to cycling’s egalitarian roots please.

ACCESS DENIED We’re sorry but this page can only be accessed by members of Rapha’s Imperial Works programme. Imperial Works is an annual series of products available in extremely limited numbers and created exclusively for Rapha’s highest-spending customers.

Get you and your high spending ways

“Lets stay true to cycling’s egalitarian roots” and “Rapha” in the same post. You on crack?

Rapha egaliatrian? No chance. Their “club” charges you more than any other for membership and their race entries (Smithfield nocturne) are a joke! Not saying their stuff isn’t nice but there’s no way I would buy into their brand ethos.

I didnt take up cycling to join some exclusive club

Methinks he doth protest too much!

Rapha never cease to amuse.

Pah. It’s for Americans who like being part of clubs that you can only be in if you’ve spent lots of money.

I like Rapha clothing, I own lots of it

Not enough though, obviously.

Sell your bike and your dog and buy more.

I rode their ride, ate their Frites and drank their beer without paying. And I’m a pleb.

“exclusively for Rapha’s highest-spending customers”. Crikey that’s one of the most pompous things I’ve seen in a long time. Looks like Rapha as a brand has finally gone completely up it’s own arse.

I accidently clicked on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tACckV8GaUQ

And instantly felt the urge to deficate on any Rapha clothing that i could find in my cycling cloths drawer. It seems that you have to now look like one of the village people to wear that shite.

I’m out, screw you Rapha!

i should have access … i bought one of their caps

exclusively for Rapha’s highest-spending customers

If I was in charge of procurement at Aldi, I’d buy a whole lot of Rapha stuff on the sly – and then offer it at a massive discount.

Been up it’s own arse since it was conceived.

Surely someone can do a screen-grap and share the horrors for us all to laugh at?

Been up it’s own arse since it was conceived.

Surely someone can do a screen-grap and share the horrors for us all to laugh at?

If I was in charge of procurement at Aldi, I’d buy a whole lot of Rapha stuff on the sly – and then offer it at a massive discount

Have you seen Torm clothing by any chance?

Brilliant, bet the OP had no idea that he had posted a link to the special fanboi site that he was unwittingly a member of

Just checked the price of their clothing . Are they serious ?
Even Arcteryx don’t charge that much and they are considered overpriced.

Rapha – from scratch to a £7m business in a few short years. There’s a lot to learn about finding a niche and mining it furiously. They’ve done it very well.

However, I’m more likely to take a second claim with the National Clarion than I am ever to join a “club” based on expenditure and commerce.

I don’town any Rapha stuff but…

they seem to put a lot ‘back in’ in terms of sponsoring people, runnign events etc.

If people want to buy quality kit knowign it’s a bit more thna it needs to be in order to pay for some of the peripheral stuff they do then I don’t have a problem with that.

Rouleur is a lovely magazine too andit’s nice to know that someone buyign a jumper probably helped start it 🙂

“Rapha” in the same post. You on crack?

If he buys Rapha stuff, then cocaine surely?

Crack is more for your Endura wearers.

Rapha clothing is fantastic but I’m not a member of your elitist club so am in no position to comment.

I don’t get the Rapha bashing, I really don’t. No one is forcing you to buy their stuff or join their exclusive club. OK, their advertising gets a bit grating at times but I also find the adverts for GoCompare very annoying – I just ignore them. It’s nicely made kit but if you want to go and buy Assos, Gore, Aldi, Endura gear then feel free.

Yet they put a lot back into the sport. Sponsorship, publicity, branding, support, event organisation and a pro team. The sport would be a lot poorer without them.

Looks like Rapha as a brand has finally gone completely up it’s own arse.

Then:

Been up it’s own arse since it was conceived.

This. Rapha make some nice stuff, but it’s a trendy poncy brand which appeals mainly to trendy poncy people. That said, some of their bits are really nice, and it’s good to see a biit of proper style and consideration for aesthetics coming into cycle wear, as this area of ‘fashion’ has bin woefully lacking of much in the way of style for pretty much ever. Personally, I’d have some of Rapha’s stuff over the hideous offerings from the likes of Altura and Endura etc, any day. If I could afford it… 😥

But some of it’s embarrasingly shite. Like the Paul Smith range. Good Lord above, how truly pretentious and tossy. 😯

Wasn’t some ponce on here going to buy one of these awful things?

I’d throw my own poo at someone I saw riding past with one of those. And my actions would probbly be condoned by all agencies of the Law, too.

Rapha

I’m sitting here after an early morning ride wearing a pair of Rapha socks and a Rapha baselayer. Plus other garments to keep me warm and respectable.

It is seriously lovely stuff, and the seriously loveliest bit is that I get family & friends discount, due to the fact my daughter’s boyfriend works there. I do think the Imperial Works is a laff. But I guess anybody who doesn’t test the market to see just how much people are prepared to pay is missing a trick.

Their Clearance page is the only one I look at though – and currently the long sleeve polo shirt on there is a real beauty.

EDIT – My normal riding appearance (bike and self) is usually similar to MidlandTrailQuestGraham’s second best shed.

it’s just expensive cycling clothing slightly different than other expensive cycling clothing.
it’s nice kit, got loads of the stuff but if you don’t like it (or the people that sell/market it) then don’t buy it.
it’s not that hard to find other cycling clothing that might suit your desires and needs.

Polaris

Hook, line and sinker.

Aldi

Tell me if I’m boring you…the list goes on and on.

Either buy Aldi cheapo kit or the Rapha top end kit, it’s all the mid priced “trying to be quality” stuff that’s the real rip off.

Don’t own none of their stuff but been tempted for a jersey. I just like the plain simple design and £100 for a jersey that should last a few years isn’t that bad.

It’s not really that much more expensive than many other brands out there and I think the quality is very good.
Compare it with Assos, Castelli, Mavic or other top end gear and you see the prices are in the same ball park.

Oakley

I’m curious how much you have to spend to get invited to their club though. Over the years I have bought a lot of stuff from them, but as it all lasts, I don’t need to buy 2 jerseys a year or several pairs of shorts and I haven’t been invited.

Perhaps it’s because I more or less only buy from the clearance page…

I realise that the above makes me sound bitter that I haven’t been invited and perhaps I am…

I have an early version of that Merino Jersey. That too is beautiful. But I’m almost loath to wear it for riding. After a wash (and it can just be bunged into a normal colours 40C wash with the rest of the household clothes) you will want to wear it a few times as a casual top before riding in it. And being Merino, it really doesn’t smell, however many sweaty rides it’s gone between washes.

Has anyone else been in touch with Torm clothing ? i noticed their website showing”o ut of stock” on all items so i did some snooping. I believe Rapha are squeezing them legally so to speak.
i think this is disgraceful. However you look at it Torm is less than half the price for very similiar quality jerseys. I know some rapha fans dont agree with Torm but thats only because feel foolish spending so much more on identical jerseys. I have owned both brands and i wouldnt buy rapha again over torm BUT now I certainly will not buy rapha if this is how they act to competitors.
are they trademarking the stripe across the arm / front.
Its effectively bullying and more importantly its stopping people like me buying reasonably priced jerseys. What are Rapha saying ” you pay our prices or take a hike” outrageous.
I wouldnt mind but by nature Rapha is retro through and through. their designs hark back to previous decades designs.
Anyone else feel the same way ? any Torm owners out there feel Rapha are dictating prices here ?

From Road CC

Yeh me too oddjob, been buying regularly since the first softshell jacket came out. Great kit though and I’m not bothered about being in a special club.

I have a torm jersey too oldgit, nice enough and good for the money but it’s nowhere near a similar quality to rapha. Wear a rapha jersey regularly for a year and a torm one and you’ll see where the differences are.

And I can’t see why torm can’t come up with their own brand identity rather than copying rapha