they co sponsored Tom Simpsons Gitane team in 1960, the Rapha of today had their first clothing collection in 2004, who/what where the original rapha?

http://www.cyclingarchives.com/ploegfiche.php?id=3905

I could stand corrected on this but the “new” rapha bought the rights to the old rapha name as they wisely surmised they’d make a killing out of the amount of mamils on road bikes and also the fact that 90% of lycra jerseys are gash so there was a need for stylish cycling wear, and yes – i do own two rapha “fixed” merino long sleeved tops but they were bought in the sale 4 years ago and they’re still in pretty much daily/weekly use today.

ok, they bought the rights, but i’m still wondering what the 1st Rapha did

Oops, forgot to add the old rapha were a cycle clothing company, just like they are today but the old version did without the artsy gelatin prints and moody film star look.

Rapha was short for Saint Raphaël, the brand name of a drink that was part tonic, part apéritif. It was first created in 1830 when a doctor was trying to make a herbal tonic but found his eyesight fading at the same time. He recalled a biblical tale of Archangel Raphael who cured Tobias of his blindness. The medic finalised the recipe for his drink, his eyesight returned and lo, Saint Raphaël was created. Like many pharmaceutical concoctions in the mid nineteenth century – mineral water, Coca Cola – it became a commercial success. This was helped in part because it used by-products from the wine business to which herbs including Quina bark which contains quinine.

Why the abbreviated Rapha instead of St Raphaël, the drink’s full name? Back in the 1950s the Tour de France organisers refused to allow openly commercial teams, only bike industry sponsors were allowed. So the Rapha-Géminiani tried to pretend there was no commercial link, that the team was simply named after the team’s directeur sportif, Raphaël Géminiani. But this was a ruse, the directeur sportif‘s first name just coincided with the sponsor and in fact the funding was coming from the company behind the beverage.

source – here

I think it was thongs.

cheers Brakes, very interesting

I went to a talk by the Rapha marketing guy a few months ago. Was really interesting, the growth of the company has been phenomenal

Any idea on their turnover?

I still don’t see much of their stuff out and about on the road / trails, so no idea if they actually sell much stuff….

Aha!, (in an alan partridge kinda way) i stand corrected for talking utter crap, although i genuinely did believe my tale, cheers brakes, good background story as well.

footflaps I think you are missing the point. Your not meant to ride in your Rapha gear, just ponce round in some east london cafe.

Rapha is short for San RAPHAel.

edit. beaten to it.

Big feature in last months ‘pelton’ magazine. They come across well in it also.

I still don’t see much of their stuff out and about on the road / trails, so no idea if they actually sell much

I see it round Leeds, normally fat blokes riding Treks

I wonder if there’s any bottles of Rapha Tonic kicking around?
maybe Rapha should do some limited edition jerseys with Raphael branding.