Picture of a piece of clothing = smile?
that's a can of worms not to be opened for sure.


I need to try out this rapha stuff someday. at this point its been built up so much I fully expect it to make me tingle all over in comfort and ride harder than ever.

Prefer to wax thay self before lubing the exposed areas where the rapha doesnt sensationally touch.

Don't fall for it, it is a ruse. Utilized by those that over pay for a product as a crutch for their ego.

The included return packaging is cool. It will be a notable addition to the local landfill.

I got my first one as a gift years ago. Fell in love with it. Comes in handy when I tour because it can easily be in the 40s when I start a day and warm up later. Nice to not have to wear a jacket that keeps sweat in.

And there is no return packaging. As I wrote, it comes with a return label. You can reuse the original shipping packet for returns.

I am a bit embarrassed that I didn't know what Rapha was. I googled 'em up, and best I can tell they are somewhat of a Yeti type company. They found a way to get people to pay a lot of money for a product that's not any better than the much lower priced competition. Do they ship free bumper stickers with each order?

My apologies. I apparently wasn't as awake as I thought I was earlier this morning. Insomnia bites.

As with any thread with "Rapha" popping up in it, it sure wasn't long before the tiresome anti-elitism ranting started. Yeah, we get it-- Rapha is expensive. I don't own anything Rapha specifically because it's expensive. Just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's somehow inherently bad. I don't seem to see threads where people are lambasting Assos or Capo or LeCol or any of the other brands that have product lines every bit as expensive as Rapha-- hell, take a look at Pearl Izumi BLACK sometime.

I've said it about BF before, and it bears repeating: the phrase "look how expensive this stuff is" is offered up in equal measure with both admiration and disdain. We're all proud of the money we saved, while at the same time elated with how much we spent.

I'm convinced some members here have been out too long in the noon day sun.

Too bad BF doesn't offer a scratch and sniff option for even more smiles, eh?

I agree.. ie. live and let live. However, I'd say that Rapha gets its detractors, not because their gear is expensive (the price is just a by-product)), but rather because it has positioned itself more as a fashion company than a bicycle sporting goods manufacturer. Assos, Capo, etc.. are sold in bike stores along with tires, chains, bikes and other equipment/gear; Rapha is sold in their own boutique clothing stores.

Amazingly enough, there are other companies making merino wool baselayers...And I suspect there is nothing magical about Rapha's. But I'm sure it is as nice as any others.

Have you guys been riding with large groups recently?

I was on an organized century today and people were wearing Rapha, Capo, Castelli Rosso Corsa, Assos and other high end garments along with all the other typical brands. Everyone was happily pedaling along, enjoying the 92° heat. It wasn't a big deal.

Keep in mind that some Rapha gear comes with free lifetime repairs and they will sell you a new jersey half price if you lost weight and need to downsize.


-Tim-

...well I sure haven't. This morning was solo again, in a pair of the cheapest Pearl Izumi bibs you can buy, so sun damaged that the tops of the thighs are wearing out, and a Canari Optic Nova jersey that was on clearance on Amazon for $12. They get the job done.

That is why I don't buy Rapha, or Assos, or Capo, or any of those. I've already sun-rotted 3 jerseys and 3 bibs into retirement. It's somehow less painful to toss a $40 pair of bibs after 18 months than it is to toss a $200 pair.

Unless those $200 jobs have somehow figured out how to defeat the sun. Even at that, they'd have to last 7+ years to be cost-effective.

I know a guy that only buys the top-shelf stuff, in jerseys, bibs, shoes, everything. Dude's got $500 shoes. Hasn't ridden even 2,000 miles in a single year, ever.

With a few exceptions, this appears to be a common thing, I've noted. The cost of the kit seems to be inversely proportionate to the miles traveled.

as i wouldn't care what the reasoning really is, but in order to rack & stack the miles the individual would need to have the available time outside of life's impediments to achieve such distances. For the leisure times a ride is done, making it as best of an experience might just be buying higher dollar items to some folks. Like tools, some will spend the bucks once to have it be counted on when it is needed (rarely or often) where others will risk the durability in buying least expensive for that one time use or knowingly to trash it is high for when it is used. metaphorically - half dozen

Meh. I'm a carpenter and a woodworker-- I have $100 pull saws and a rack of Estwing hammers. Multiple Kreg jigs, a whole shelf full of routers. There is no analogy to be drawn to cycling clothing. It's really not the same. My youngest Estwing is probably 25 years old.

Better tools do a better job, longer. A $200 pair of bibs simply cannot do enough relative to a $40 pair to justify (to me) the cost differential.

But I fully understand that lots of folks don't buy things strictly out of a $ per use analysis. So I don't fault the people in the $200 bibs. They didn't spend my money.

...and also, I put in my share of miles. The short of it is that my ass doesn't need to be pampered. If it's fine with $40, absolutely no need to spend $200.

I don't think I'm wearing anything "top shelf," but I have found that, with cycling apparel (as with much else), you mostly get what you pay for. I do have a few pair of bibshorts which cost around $200, and they are better than those which cost $100. Ditto for my more expensive jerseys and etc. Whether these items are worth it to you is totally subjective and not worth discussion- we all have different preferences and budget constraints. And I also find that, in my mid-50s, my ass is less tolerant of cheap bibs.

Lest you're wondering, I hit 2,000 miles quite a bit earlier this summer and am still riding 200+ miles per week, so I appreciate good stuff.

I do own a few Rapha items, and have found them to be good value at the rather steeply discounted prices I paid at their website. At their full retail prices there are better options. Though I do have to hold my nose at their pompous website and would be happy to never again set foot in a "Rapha Clubhouse." (I was recently in Boulder, and right on Pearl Street is a Rapha Clubhouse about two doors down from Vecchio's Biclitteria -- which, their Campy fanaticism notwithstanding, is a pretty old-school, laid-back little shop. I bought a shop jersey from them, mostly because I had such a nice time chatting with the owner -- who holds Boulder in the same contempt as do I.)

And my hammer is whatever they had on the rack at the hardware store the last time I bought a hammer! So, yeah, we've all got our own priorities.

Well now you're just proving my point. I bought a good hammer because I actually use that hammer. Your $200 bibs don't do anything my $40 bibs don't-- but my hammer has been on a whole lot of job sites, fallen off of it's fair share of roofs, and been involved in the demolition and construction of more houses than I can count. It is literally a better tool for the job.

Again, no need to justify the cycling clothes you choose. They're your choice. I've done the math, and they don't work for me on a "$$ per mile" evaluation.

To me, the more expensive bibshorts are superior - they are more comfortable on longer rides, at least for me. To use your language, they do things that $40 bibs don't do for me. So I spend the money on 'em.

For you, the expensive hammer is superior - it functions better for you, so you spent the money on it.

Maybe I'm misreading your post, because you seem to suggest that others are free to wear what they wish, but that $40 bibs are as good as $200 bibs; but you can only state that is definitively true for you, and not for anyone else.

What kind of name is Ralpha anyway?

Possibly:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexi...nas/rapha.html

It's italian for Ralph