DC RAPHA Store

[dsimon]

Meh..... thought it would been alittle well more. better....

[berserk87]

Meh..... thought it would been alittle well more. better....

Funny. My wife said the same thing on our honeymoon.

[ultraman6970]

Friend went there and the only thing he was able to buy was a water bottle.

I do not go to DC so probably the store will be closed by the time i go there. The other thing is the location, ideal for a university hipster that lives right there because to find parking in that area is a pita, BTW never seen that area of DC with decent pavement, really good sized pot holes, sucks.

[LJohnny]

Funny. My wife said the same thing on our honeymoon.



CLASSIC, ha ha ha


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[charliedid]

Meh..... thought it would been alittle well more. better....

What were you expecting? Isn't it just a pop-up store?

[dbnm]

Meh?
Where are the photos.

What were you expecting?

Do you own Rapha items?

[tylercheung]

I haven't spent a huge amount of time in them. That being said, the LA one is having some event with an interview w/ the Ritte Bicycles founder or something, so I might check them out more out of curiosity of what they are going to say...������*♂️

[CircuitHero]

The location sucks. M st sucks to ride a bike on, much less stop. Whitehurst would have been a better location, but that's also what Cyclelife thought and they folded.

[dsimon]

Well,
I thought it would have a few more Items such as the brevet stuff the items that are sports wool they had three canyon bikes as display. and all the race apparel but Im a big guy I need the Sportswool. it just wasn't all the hype. a small cappuccino machine. I mean yes I know its a POP-up store but still it was a pain to get there pay for parking walk two blocks just not worth it in my opinion. so it was a mere MEH......others may enjoy it just my .01cent

[cderalow]

Stopped in there Friday. Pretty much what I expected it to be as a pop-up.

Staff there said they’d be opening a full time clubhouse next year. I didn’t ask on the location for that. That part of M street is always ****, but they open early every day, so might not be bad as a weekend early morning stop.

Avoid rush hour or lunchtime for certain.

I came in from K street and up one of the side streets to get there.

I’m hoping to visit the SF clubhouse over Christmas, and my wife was impressed by the Chicago one which the L was literally in front of it.

[dbnm]

I went to the LA pop-up a few years ago and it was pretty good but did not compare to the full fledge shops in Boulder (amazing), NYC, Osaka and Tokyo that I've also visited.

[tiretrax]

I won't be in DC until February, but when I saw the location, my thoughts on a DC store:
1. This is a great place to visit BY CAB. DC is a cab town, not a road bike town. I used my road bike for 2 months before I realized I had to buy a mountain bike because the road suck so badly - surface and potholes.
2. DC is a company town - the company being the US government. Salaries aren't that high in the area vis a vis the coast of living, so do they really sell a lot of Rapha in the area?
3. Sportwool would be what I'd stock for the climate and time of year they are popped up. Surprised to hear they are stocked lightly on that and heavily on Pro Race kit.

My honeymoon could have been more, too! That was a great line. Chapeaux to that.

[rallizes]

I won't be in DC until February, but when I saw the location, my thoughts on a DC store:
1. This is a great place to visit BY CAB. DC is a cab town, not a road bike town. I used my road bike for 2 months before I realized I had to buy a mountain bike because the road suck so badly - surface and potholes.
2. DC is a company town - the company being the US government. Salaries aren't that high in the area vis a vis the coast of living, so do they really sell a lot of Rapha in the area?
3. Sportwool would be what I'd stock for the climate and time of year they are popped up. Surprised to hear they are stocked lightly on that and heavily on Pro Race kit.

My honeymoon could have been more, too! That was a great line. Chapeaux to that.

DC suburbs are some of the wealthiest in the country fwiw

[zap]

Agreed, disposable income isn't an issue in metro D.C.

[nobuseri]

Didn’t expect much from the pop-up when I went there. They are supposed to be there until the end of Jan. Told me they are working on a spot more west on M; around the Patagonia store, thereabouts. The stuff in the store is a bit too pricey for me. I have quite a bit of Rapha, and I usually get it online through their sales.

I have done a couple of their Saturday rides. Very good vibe, and a nice change of pace (literally) for this time of the year. When it gets closer to race season, I will jump back on the the DC velo 7AM train.

FWIW, I can’t make their weekday events due to traffic, family stuff, but me, coming from Northern VA, it isn’t a prob to find street parking for the Sat AM rides.

[ultraman6970]

Really? Tell me where because i live in the wealthiest county in the country and I can't pay for even a rapha water bottle.

It maybe because a lot of young people arent married? a lot of single people living together in DC area, is the only way for them to be able to make it there. Met a guy that bought a townhome and is living with 4 more guys, only way for him to live there.


Agreed, disposable income isn't an issue in metro D.C.

[apple]

This really comes across as bitter.

[dbnm]

I agree.

This really comes across as bitter.

[yashcha]

Had a chance to meet a friend there for a coffee yesterday. It was an unusually cold day, but there were still about ten guys leaving the shop for a 62 miler. The space and the layout of the shop is a bit odd but the guys working there were really nice, even gave me a free espresso as I thawed out.

[verticaldoug]

It's just a store to sell you average stuff at a premium price. To think of it as any sort of experience, is to be drinking from the rapha punch bowl.

[csm]

Really? Tell me where because i live in the wealthiest county in the country and I can't pay for even a rapha water bottle.
.


Quick search shows $30 for a rebranded camelback bottle.... that's not what I was expecting but certainly affordable. Perhaps you should change "can't" to "won't."



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[cderalow]

Had a chance to meet a friend there for a coffee yesterday. It was an unusually cold day, but there were still about ten guys leaving the shop for a 62 miler. The space and the layout of the shop is a bit odd but the guys working there were really nice, even gave me a free espresso as I thawed out.

Interesting. I’ll have to keep that in mind. My usual group didn’t ride.

[Brendan Quirk]

Hi guys, it's a Pop Up. By definition (or at least our definition!) it's a very lean fit-out. We just want to dip our toe in the market -- meet the people in the scene, learn the rides, discover the way we can best contribute to DC's amazing cycling culture.

It'll stay open until the end of January.

We'll open our permanent store on Grace St. in Georgetown (right around the corner from Patagonia, Sweetgreen, etc) on/around May 1. It will be a beautiful space, and we'll be slightly more invested in the fit-out than what you see in the Pop Up.

DC is an amazing area -- both as a cyclist and as a tourist. The community has welcomed us with open arms and we're super-excited to be part of things there. Thx, Brendan

[yashcha]

Hi guys, it's a Pop Up. By definition (or at least our definition!) it's a very lean fit-out. We just want to dip our toe in the market -- meet the people in the scene, learn the rides, discover the way we can best contribute to DC's amazing cycling culture.

It'll stay open until the end of January.

We'll open our permanent store on Grace St. in Georgetown (right around the corner from Patagonia, Sweetgreen, etc) on/around May 1. It will be a beautiful space, and we'll be slightly more invested in the fit-out than what you see in the Pop Up.

DC is an amazing area -- both as a cyclist and as a tourist. The community has welcomed us with open arms and we're super-excited to be part of things there. Thx, Brendan

Thanks Brendan, Looking forward to the permanent location opening ooening up in may, and joining RcC.

[raygunner]

It's just a store to sell you average stuff at a premium price. To think of it as any sort of experience, is to be drinking from the rapha punch bowl.

A+

And does anyone think there are people on thrifty shopping forums discussing the merits of different Walmart stores.

Or comparing Sam's Club vs. Walmart.

Or when & where to find the best promo codes for cyber Monday at Walmart?

Replace 'Walmart' with 'Rapha' and welcome to the forum!

Rapha is has lost all it's cache. It jumped the shark years ago, the Walton ownership just sealed the deal.

Just the same as when JAB Holdings became a majority owner of Stumptown & Intelligentsia.

[adrien]

Rapha walks a fine line. Nice stuff with a good fit, and a good representation of a lifestyle that many folks would like. And yes, it's a bit on the expensive side. And their presence has upped the game of the competition, which is a good thing if you ride and like more stylish gear. No way folks like Cafe du Cycliste and even Castelli would be putting out such nice stuff if it weren't for Rapha.

DC has a great cycling community, and the roads are fine. Some are better than others, but there are very few places in the northeast where you can ride this much of the year, and there's great gravel, too.

I've been on a couple of Saturday rides, and they were great. Good pace (but not insane), and a real attempt to integrate all, including friendly hellos to other groups riding. Indeed, there was a lot less elitist BS that there are in some other group rides.

I'm glad they're here and I can check out some things in-person before buying them. Happy to do my best to support them, and I might even join the club. But no, I'm not holding out for the hope that they'll be inviting me to buy one of the new invitation-only Canyons, which from a marketing point of view seems to be a bit of a faux pas.

[dbnm]

I would love to see that $30 bottle because the highest price online is $14 each.

And if you buy the bundle, they are then $10 each.



Quick search shows $30 for a rebranded camelback bottle.... that's not what I was expecting but certainly affordable. Perhaps you should change "can't" to "won't."



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