The Rapha hater thread

[ElChingon]

Members get to pay extra for their kit and extras, what a club!

 

[Race Radio]

If you want to talk about complete and utter pompousness, take a look at what yours and my favorite brand Assos has become, they don't just make really good cycling clothes anymore, Assos is a "lifestyle"...

http://db.assos.com/

http://www.equipecampionissimo.com

DB stands for ******Bag

It is painful to see how far they have gone over to the dark side. I still like their bibs though

 

[BroDeal]

http://www.equipecampionissimo.com

Damn! That negativity thing is a deal breaker. I'm out, and I was really hoping they would start sponsoring Assos gentlemen's races.

What could possibly cause you to be thrown out of the team?

If you cause trouble. If you keep on nagging. If you're always negative. If you're always late. If you don't adhere to team strategy. If you are discovered to be a spy. If you flirt with other apparel brands. If you are photographed wearing something you shouldn't. And, last but not least, if you miss your yearly expenses contribution fee (annual memberships).

Any of the situations described above will result in immediate termination of your team membership, without further notice. No refund claims will accepted, unless you return your jersey(s). All member termination matters are decided by the concierge office, whose decision is final.

 

[BroDeal]

And now for more comedy stylings by Rapha.

I almost busted a gut when I saw that.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Damn! That negativity thing is a deal breaker. I'm out, and I was really hoping they would start sponsoring Assos gentlemen's races.

Did you watch the db assos opening trailer? When they get to the CEO you're really going to question whether you want to give your money to a d-bag like that. When I get back to Colorado this weekend I just might burn all my older Assos bibs and start fresh with some Giordana or Capo for next season. It was a long run, but nothing lasts forever.

 

[ElChingon]

Did you watch the db assos opening trailer? When they get to the CEO you're really going to question whether you want to give your money to a d-bag like that. When I get back to Colorado this weekend I just might burn all my older Assos bibs and start fresh with some Giordana or Capo for next season. It was a long run, but nothing lasts forever.

Capo is just Assos but not quite as pricey but with all the same smugness

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Capo is just Assos but not quite as pricey but with all the same smugness

Leaning towards Giordana anyway, better custom options. My new kit is going to be based on the old Alessio kit from the mid 90's.

 

[Parera]

Leaning towards Giordana anyway, better custom options. My new kit is going to be based on the old Alessio kit from the mid 90's.

Laser bibs are nice.

I'm a castelli guy myself, their nanoflex material sheds water better than anything I've used (this is important for an Oregonian ). I know some people gripe about their quality, never had a problem myself. Truthfully I will wear something so long as it is cheap and comfy, not going to fuss about it too much.

 

[BroDeal]

Oh, I just love the ad on CN for "Rapha Winter Apparel" that shows a white jacket. Freakin' white. It is just what I want when riding over damp asphalt with grimy, carbon black water getting kicked up by my tires.

 

[BroDeal]

http://internationale.teamjva.com/

For the Assos haters, you have to check out Assos' website for their new sunglasses. It is not as funny as the Rapha parody site above but still pretty funny.

 

[Notso Swift]

I saw those in a online shop flyer, I thought the A would be a good target for a snipers laser sight...

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Freaking hilarious!!! I'm getting this t-shirt right when it becomes available. Been a fan of JFA since the 80's as well. Double score!

 

[BroDeal]

Good news. Rapha assures us that there are no sweat shops in China. There are sweat shops in Los Angeles. Sweat shops in Chicago. Sweat shops in New York. But none in China. Hallelujah! That is transformative power of Rapha.

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

They seem a tad defensive.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

http://www.equipecampionissimo.com

I am speechless. What kind of turd blossom writes something like that?

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Anybody who believes a word of this Rapha crap probably scuba dives in sewers.

Disclaimer: I like Assos stuff. I really do. Their bibs are great. Their tops are great. But I don't want to belong to some quixotic team of Assos fanboys.
It's clothing, for f**k's sake. Nothing more.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Leaning towards Giordana anyway, better custom options. My new kit is going to be based on the old Alessio kit from the mid 90's.

Visited the Giordana factory this summer. Giorgio of Gita is a super nice guy. Factory is quite impressive. I've been happy with most of their clothes.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Rapha

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Wonder where the non labeled Rapha stuff is, like the Chinese Pinarellos?

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Wonder where the non labeled Rapha stuff is, like the Chinese Pinarellos?

It will soon appear under the "Ralpha" brand.

 

[BroDeal]

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Wonder where the non labeled Rapha stuff is, like the Chinese Pinarellos?

LOL. Rapha's badmouthing of first world quality caused so much derision that they deleted the article.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

LOL. Rapha's badmouthing of first world quality caused so much derision that they deleted the article.

Still there.

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

 

[BroDeal]

Still there.

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

Has it been modified? It was not there yesterday.

 

[Anonymous]

Good news. Rapha assures us that there are no sweat shops in China. There are sweat shops in Los Angeles. Sweat shops in Chicago. Sweat shops in New York. But none in China. Hallelujah! That is transformative power of Rapha.

http://www.rapha.cc/made-in-china

They seem a tad defensive.

they also say...

The idea that Chinese-made products are cheap and inferior might be likened to that of the view taken towards electronics and machinery made in Japan fifty years ago. Now, as an economic powerhouse and technological leader, the Made in Japan label holds significant value intellectually as well as economically.The idea that Chinese-made products are cheap and inferior might be likened to that of the view taken towards electronics and machinery made in Japan fifty years ago. Now, as an economic powerhouse and technological leader, the Made in Japan label holds significant value intellectually as well as economically.

 

[Anonymous]

this ones good as well
http://www.rapha.cc/burfields-and-co
they tell us all about their lovely handmade english leather gloves, with the footnote "Due to demand, some of Rapha's gloves are now handmade in Indonesia"

 

[BroDeal]

they also say...

The idea that Chinese-made products are cheap and inferior might be likened to that of the view taken towards electronics and machinery made in Japan fifty years ago. Now, as an economic powerhouse and technological leader, the Made in Japan label holds significant value intellectually as well as economically.The idea that Chinese-made products are cheap and inferior might be likened to that of the view taken towards electronics and machinery made in Japan fifty years ago. Now, as an economic powerhouse and technological leader, the Made in Japan label holds significant value intellectually as well as economically.

Does manufacturing in China have any cachet TODAY? Today manufacturing goes to China for one reason, to make a product as cheaply as possible. That might change in ten to twenty years but it is irrelevant today.

 

[LugHugger]

We did discuss this diversion earlier in the thread. I own Chinese made Rapha gear and it is of superior quality to some European made 'traditional' cycling brands available at the same price. In some instances there is nothing wrong with quality control in China. SGS for instance do a bang on job of 3rd party QC.

I've just checked and all of my cycling apparel is made in the Far East with one exception - a pair of Assos bibs made in Bulgaria. I'm not sure what is up for question here?

Oh, and the article was never pulled from the site. It simply dropped off the front page banner articles. It's been filed in plain sight since it was published.

Now to the actual article - it's self-serving marketing guff apparently serving some paranoia from the Rapha sourcing team. It was totally unnecessary and
painful to read as though we're somehow not aware of how the bike industry operates. Fail.

 

[BroDeal]

Oh, and the article was never pulled from the site. It simply dropped off the front page banner articles. It's been filed in plain sight since it was published.

Yes it did go bye bye for a while. Yesterday the link went to an article-not-found page. Today it is back. I didn't discover this. Someone over at VSalon did. I checked the link again and, sure enough, it was gone.

Now to the actual article - it's self-serving marketing guff apparently serving some paranoia from the Rapha sourcing team. It was totally unnecessary and
painful to read as though we're somehow not aware of how the bike industry operates. Fail.

Obviously they are feeling vulnerable. There are a number of wool cycling clothing makers that make their stuff in first world countries. Also Rapha's marketing plays up old world craftsmanship. They have associated themselves with the likes of Pegoretti by producing videos glorifying handmade frames. Their whole marketing schtick consists of imagery of old school cycling (or recreations of it) that Rapha wants to tie itself to. Making stuff in China then selling it for ludicrously high prices makes all their marketing look cynically phony. They published an article that boils down to "those lazy first world people are not capable of making high quality goods." I'm sure this was news to those people in developed countries that still make some of Rapha's stuff. Rapha is feeling the heat or they would not have published that risible article.

They then took the article away when it produced derision on the Internet. Evidently they they had second thoughts and decided that removing the article showed how defensive they are, so they brought it back.