The Rapha hater thread

[kuoirad]

No doubt, my 1970 M2-R takes better photos than anything digital.

I dunno. I think digital does good stuff too.

</humblebrag>

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I dunno. I think digital does good stuff too.

</humblebrag>

Very nice! Of course I use my digital most of the time out of convenience, and it's good enough (Digilux 2, first gen). It's all in the lens really. My Digilux is basically a Panasonic with a Leica lens.

 

[kuoirad]

Very nice! Of course I use my digital most of the time out of convenience, and it's good enough (Digilux 2, first gen). It's all in the lens really. My Digilux is basically a Panasonic with a Leica lens.

Thanks!

The beach one was with a lower-end Nikon point-and-shoot. The other two were my first times really shooting with an old Pentax *istD (with Sigma glass) I'd bought from a friend - *really* didn't know what I was doing at that point, just got lucky.

 

[Boeing]

Passionate about selling their image to the mugs. If I was selling a two dollar pair of gloves for $135, I would be passionate about it too.



That is why their products cost a hundred times what it cost to make them in China, to make sure that the riff raff will not be kept out of the exclusive club. Their advertsiing is also filled with fred-like schmoes wearing helmets while they are out for their once a week ride. Oops, I guess not. The Rapha tribe is too cool to wear helmets.



I do own some Rapha stuff. I did not buy any of it because there are much better options for my money. They were gifts, a couple of jerseys, a pair of gloves, and a really stupid essentials case. The case has an embarrassing motto that makes me think of d-bags with M-Dot tattoo on their legs, so I tend to use a ziplock freezer bag instead. Maybe one day I will be totally bonked fifty miles from home with no water, the sun pounding down like a sledgehammer, a three thousand foot climb to grind over, and I will curse not bringing my essentials case to give me extra courage.

so in the end what you are saying is that you are better than the people who buy that stuff.

bravo

 

[Boeing]

Hype is good for the sport. So are blingy cars and hot women. Having a kit that stands out is a heck of a lot better than a boring kit based in this season's popular color, which seems to be the typical design used by half of the World Tour teams.

really, is that so? interesting double talk

 

[pedaling squares]

No doubt, my 1970 M2-R takes better photos than anything digital.

So does my Nikon FM2, at least better than anything digital under $7K.

But what's with the tributes? Back to hating!

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

really, is that so? interesting double talk

I never promised to be consistent. I reserve the right to hate what I want to hate. Michael Ball's professional wrestling-like sideshow with graphics torn from 80s heavy metal album art bothers me less than the pretentious and staged photo ops of Rapha. Brash gaucheness bothers me less than phony pedigree. The gaucheness of Rock comes from showmanship that can be viewed as entertainment, but those Rapha d-bags are too serious to appreciate the parody that they are.

Plus it is fun to poke the hornet nest by saying a good word about Rock to watch the lemmings pour forth and denounce Rock for having the same people of questionable ethics that fill the management of other teams.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

...but those Rapha d-bags are too serious to appreciate the parody that they are.

"D-bags" now. Hate to say it Damiano, but you're coming off as waaaaaaaay more of a d-bag than most that have come across this forum. bitching about a clothing brand? what?, calling people d-bags that you've never met. You're really something man, got to hand it to you for putting your foot in your mouth so deep that you can walk upside down. Brilliant!

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

"D-bags" now. Hate to say it Damiano, but you're coming off as waaaaaaaay more of a d-bag than most that have come across this forum. bitching about a clothing brand? what?, calling people d-bags that you've never met. You're really something man, got to hand it to you for putting your foot in your mouth so deep that you can walk upside down. Brilliant!

Don't be hatin'.

I do find it ironic that you have such an adverse reaction to my use of language but cannot understand how others might have a similar reaction to Rapha's pretentious d-baggery.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Christ! I've said my peace here. I'll leave it up to y'all to make complete and utter fools of yourselves talking like bitchy highschool cheerleaders about clothing choices. People who start these "hater" threads don't last long here anyway since the vast majority of the people here can see right though the thickest layers of total BS like this. You can chalk it up with the dumbest of the dumb threads like if you should wear team kits or not. Good luck suckers.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Christ! I've said my peace here. I'll leave it up to y'all to make complete and utter fools of yourselves talking like bitchy highschool cheerleaders about clothing choices. People who start these "hater" threads don't last long here anyway since the vast majority of the people here can see right though the thickest layers of total BS like this. You can chalk it up with the dumbest of the dumb threads like if you should wear team kits or not. Good luck suckers.

Your problem is that you take things way too seriously.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Your problem is that you take things way too seriously.

Your problem is that you're way too abrasive and close minded for your own good. You'll learn someday, maybe not. Don't care really

 

[fatandfast]

Rapha is a pretty small brand with a pretty big range of appeal. I won only a cou, ple of their things. I also own some Assos,PearlIz.I have had the best luck with Spiuk, have a jacket and helmet both things have been washed 1000 times and still work good. Rapha sponsored a popup shop in NYC and had some cool tshirts and lots of great cycling books. They sponsor roller races that involve beer and babes, things I like. They also sponsor some "Gentleman Races" that I think are a cool concept. The Rouleur magazine they put out is often excellent,not many mags are. Rapha does feel like they are going after beauty instead of function sometimes but you can say that about all cycling manufacts

 

[pedaling squares]

Fair enough, Damiano. Maybe you're just poking fun. But it's hard not to shake my head at this comment:

those Rapha d-bags are too serious to appreciate the parody that they are.

I figure, if you don't like their product or their vibe, let your dollars speak. But it's harsh to dump on an entire company because they sell some stuff that you (and I in some cases) don't like or present it in a way you don't appreciate. You could make a similar thread for many other cycling-based companies, never mind nearly anything in the clothing or electronics lines. D-bags? They're probably nice guys/girls making some great cycling kit for those who get their vibe. The market can use another company or two like that.

Flip me those d-bag jerseys, bro!

 

[M Sport]

I hate the stuff. It is more than lifestyle marketing taken to ludicrous levels. It is a brand that is barely half a decade pretending that it is steeped in the history of the sport. The entire brand reeks of phoniness.

Agree 100%. Well maybe except the hate part, let's say extreme dislike for me.

For me the marketing and poser value of it just turns me completely off ever trying the stuff on. I'm sure it fits and wears nice, in fact mates who wear it say it does but that's not the reason I dislike it. I'm happy enough to pay good money for items like Assos, Capo, Castelli but yeah, Rapha to me represents something about how cycling is going that I don't like.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

D-bags?

What else do you call a bunch of image merchants whose method for selling two dollars worth of chinese made glove for the better part of two C-notes is to glorify a cynically faux Nietzschesque philosophy about the transformative nature of pain? If I worked at Rapha I would have to wear sunglasses at all times to hide my constant eye rolling. I would have to stifle giggles every time I read a piece of their ad copy. And I would be a d-bag if I repeated it to others with a straight face.

Passion for something does not only mean love. It also means hate. So bring on the hate...and the love.

 

[marathon marke]

I know I can shoot photos with a Cannon, Nikon, Olympus, whatever, but I'm a lifetime Leica user, I'm sure I'll get heat for that too.

Well, doesn't that just figure.

Part of my own stable

IIIf RD w/Summitar, Zorki 1e, Canon IIIA, M3, and MP w/ Summilux 50/2.0.

There are still some things that film does best.

 

[marathon marke]

Really nice!

You're in my neck o' the woods.

I dunno. I think digital does good stuff too.

</humblebrag>

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Amazing, simply amazing!!!

Well, doesn't that just figure.

Part of my own stable

IIIf RD w/Summitar, Zorki 1e, Canon IIIA, M3, and MP w/ Summilux 50/2.0.

There are still some things that film does best.

 

[kuoirad]

Really nice!

You're in my neck o' the woods.

Thanks!

Used to be. Grew up there (Sherman Park in Milwaukee), but haven't lived by the lake for over 16 years now.

The pic of the museum was taken a couple-three years ago (first time back to WI since '95) when I went to a friend's wedding.

 

[marathon marke]

Amazing, simply amazing!!!

Thanks. The M3's vulcanite was flaking off, so I recovered it in cobalt blue goatskin.

Naked M3: http://www.pbase.com/marke/image/113127890/original

M3's new dancing suit:
(I counter-sunk the screw holes on the front of the body, so that the new (lighter colored) cover wouldn't expose the original black screws and they would sit flush with the body. Then filled in the small voids with body filler. The screws are still there, but you'd never know. Clean as an MP!)

http://www.pbase.com/marke/image/113308052/original

 

[altermod]

I personally do not buy into Rapha's marketing. Then again I don't think I'm a hipster. I think there is a bit of bleed over coming from fixed gear culture where fashion statements are part of the whole bicycle eco healthy deal. After all what cycling jersey company also sells jeans, trousers, and 3/4 cut shorts? Alot of the imagery that they have on their website is trendy hipster urban chintze (sp?). My hipster alarm goes off the charts.

So the question is, because they have a large fashion based component to their brand does that invalidate their jerseys & shorts? It seems from what people are saying on this forum that the gear is pretty good. I guess you would expect that considering the prices they are selling the stuff at. African hair sheep gloves? I'll pass.

If/When the whole cycling hipster thing dies out we'll see if Rapha will survive on their cycling gear alone. The market is already full of high quality cycling specific brands that have the history to stay the test of time.

I will stick with my Izumi & LG black shorts/accessories and splurge a little on Campagnolo jerseys. Because hey I'm definitely a fan of my Campy gear. If that makes me a hipster then... oh well.

Anyways my first impression of the Rapha website; it seems they are playing the whole storied cycling Eddie Merckx core to the bone, do it for the passion of and love of cycling. All the vintage video overlayed with guys riding at night (hardcore), heavy breathing (soul), Marco Pantani (history), dirt trail riding (special/unique). The marketing is definitely pandering to those who readily want to soak it up. Once you buy into the imagery, get ready to pay $$$$$. Cycling jeans $205??? Ouch.

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

Where is the camera thread so if I disagree with its content I can post off topic Rapha stuff in it? Or is that only allowed for moderators?

 

[Damiano Machiavelli]

I personally do not buy into Rapha's marketing. Then again I don't think I'm a hipster. I think there is a bit of bleed over coming from fixed gear culture where fashion statements are part of the whole bicycle eco healthy deal. After all what cycling jersey company also sells jeans, trousers, and 3/4 cut shorts? Alot of the imagery that they have on their website is trendy hipster urban chintze (sp?). My hipster alarm goes off the charts.

So the question is, because they have a large fashion based component to their brand does that invalidate their jerseys & shorts? It seems from what people are saying on this forum that the gear is pretty good. I guess you would expect that considering the prices they are selling the stuff at. African hair sheep gloves? I'll pass.

If/When the whole cycling hipster thing dies out we'll see if Rapha will survive on their cycling gear alone. The market is already full of high quality cycling specific brands that have the history to stay the test of time.

I will stick with my Izumi & LG black shorts/accessories and splurge a little on Campagnolo jerseys. Because hey I'm definitely a fan of my Campy gear. If that makes me a hipster then... oh well.

Anyways my first impression of the Rapha website; it seems they are playing the whole storied cycling Eddie Merckx core to the bone, do it for the passion of and love of cycling. All the vintage video overlayed with guys riding at night (hardcore), heavy breathing (soul), Marco Pantani (history), dirt trail riding (special/unique). The marketing is definitely pandering to those who readily want to soak it up. Once you buy into the imagery, get ready to pay $$$$$. Cycling jeans $205??? Ouch.

He gets it. atmo

 

[fatsprintking]

Where is the camera thread so if I disagree with its content I can post off topic Rapha stuff in it? Or is that only allowed for moderators?

Maybe they took some of the arty shots on the Rapha website.