Rapha cycling jeans

[fiamme red]

Only $225!

http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-jeans

[snah]

Only $225!

http://www.rapha.cc/rapha-jeans

Won't make it on my shopping list. :rolleyes:

[veggieburger]

There are many things about Rapha that I appreciate.

There are also many things about Rapha that I find over-the-top rediculous.

$225 "cycling jeans" fall in categrory #2 (although I will be the first to admit I haven't tried them...)

[AngryScientist]

There are many things about Rapha that I appreciate.

There are also many things about Rapha that I find over-the-top rediculous.

$225 "cycling jeans" fall in categrory #2 (although I will be the first to admit I haven't tried them...)

couldnt have said it better myself. i really like a lot of the rapha stuff, especially the bibs. i even appreciate the "gentlemans cycling" culture they try to establish. i'll go so far as to say that i really appreciate a good pair of jeans, but these are over the top.

[fiamme red]

There are also many things about Rapha that I find over-the-top rediculous.Here's one that I find ridiculous:

http://www.rapha.cc/team-issue-rain-jacket-1

A "Team Issue Rain Jacket" on clearance, that costs the same as a Showers Pass Elite 2.0 jacket (the ne plus ultra of cycling rain jackets). And of course, it only comes in one color, black. Why would you want a black rain jacket?

[rice rocket]

Not sure where Rapha sits on the list of "reputable" designers, but $225 jeans isn't that expensive. When you start buying "fashion" instead of buying "jeans", prices are $250-500, with special editions going up above $1k.


Different strokes for different folks.

[AndrewS]

You guys just aren't Emo enough to appreciate cycling jeans, I guess. I bet you sometimes leave your messenger bag at home, too!

It makes me want to get off my fixie, take off my Buddy Holly glasses, put some Morrissey on my I-Phone and have a good cry.

[rice rocket]

You guys just aren't Emo enough to appreciate cycling jeans, I guess. I bet you sometimes leave your messenger bag at home, too!

It makes me want to get off my fixie, take off my Buddy Holly glasses, put some Morrissey on my I-Phone and have a good cry.
Haha, the last picture of the set was funny.

It was some guy on a Waterford w/ a u-lock stuffed in his back pocket...wearing a pair of Sidis.

[fiamme red]

Haha, the last picture of the set was funny.

It was some guy on a Waterford w/ a u-lock stuffed in his back pocket...wearing a pair of Sidis. :D

http://www.rapha.cc/images/gallery/2146-16.jpg

[AngryScientist]

Haha, the last picture of the set was funny.

It was some guy on a Waterford w/ a u-lock stuffed in his back pocket...wearing a pair of Sidis.

he'll be the clumsiest hipster at the local watering hole with $250 jeans and road shoes on!

[rugbysecondrow]

Do you think they will come in Club Fit for us bigger fellas?

[shiftyfixedgear]

Please cue up the Kinks song "Dedicated follower of fashion" right now.

[sg8357]

First, the Serotta Forum is showing price sensitivity ?
You guys sound like a bunch of Ibobs, next thing you know
you'll be admitting to buying clothes from Performbar.

Second, the jeans are bargain, they're $20 less than
the Paul Smith Grand Tour gloves.

Third, Rapha is British, the British League of Racing Cyclists
decreed all racing kit is to be black, so lots of black,
including black rain jackets.

[AndrewS]

It's not that we're snobs like that. We just prefer Dockers or a nice Sansablet for a hard ride.

[spartacus]

Rapha - what a synthetic company.

Plucking a 'name' from cycling history doesn't cut the mustard with me.
All made in China.
Too many 'added value' design motifs doted about the garments.

Assos may not be made in Switzerland these days, but Slovenia is a first world country, labor laws are to EU standards, and the kids are in school and not at their sewing machines.

[rice rocket]

Rapha - what a synthetic company.

Plucking a 'name' from cycling history doesn't cut the mustard with me.
All made in China.
Too many 'added value' design motifs doted about the garments.

Assos may not be made in Switzerland these days, but Slovenia is a first world country, labor laws are to EU standards, and the kids are in school and not at their sewing machines.
By that reasoning, almost all brands are "synthetic". Most bike brands were started by some guy who thought he could primp up his name after winning a race or two. I bet he couldn't engineer a bike worth a damn.

Who says some drunk dolt in Italy/France/Belgium packing fibers is better than some underpaid Chinese girl? At least the Chinese girl has higher volume, and thus experience. :D

[StellaBlue]

They're a lot cheaper then the jeans my girlfriend keeps buying.

[dimsy]

Not sure where Rapha sits on the list of "reputable" designers, but $225 jeans isn't that expensive. When you start buying "fashion" instead of buying "jeans", prices are $250-500, with special editions going up above $1k.


Different strokes for different folks.

I completely agree. Here in NYC and many other large cities around the country and around the world there's an urban subculture centered around "urban fashion." I've seen limited edition NIKE's selling for thousands (www.flightclubny.com), and similarly jeans well into the hundreds of dollars (www.endclothing.co.uk, www.havenshop.ca). Brands like Kid Robot, Nomme de Guerre, APC, Supreme, etc... these guys can do collaborations with artists and sell tshirts upwards of $250 coats for thousands and a pair of jeans for $500, and they sell like hotcakes. Not to mention the powerhouses of fashion like LV, YSL, Gucci, who's products are so expensive you could buy a Crumpton for the cost of a pair of their shoes.

[AndrewS]

I completely agree. Here in NYC and many other large cities around the country and around the world there's an urban subculture centered around "urban fashion." I've seen limited edition NIKE's selling for thousands (www.flightclubny.com), and similarly jeans well into the hundreds of dollars (www.endclothing.co.uk, www.havenshop.ca). Brands like Kid Robot, Nomme de Guerre, APC, Supreme, etc... these guys can do collaborations with artists and sell tshirts upwards of $250 coats for thousands and a pair of jeans for $500, and they sell like hotcakes. Not to mention the powerhouses of fashion like LV, YSL, Gucci, who's products are so expensive you could buy a Crumpton for the cost of a pair of their shoes.
You think that's bad? I hear some people are paying upwards of $5000 for just a bicycle frame.


Oh... sorry.

[dimsy]

You think that's bad? I hear some people are paying upwards of $5000 for just a bicycle frame.


Oh... sorry.


HAHA! Must have gotten to my last sentence after you started typing. :P

[sloji]

I like Rapha stuff...it's the only area of life I can pretend to be a snob. I gorge on $250 schwag and don't own a car. I ride an old Sachs and pretend I can ride like, well, Sachs. Now i'd buy the Rapha jeans if I didn't like the old navy $16 dollar butt lift jeans that i'm addicted to...sometimes I wear them on the bike with the Rapha merino boxers with my bottom waxed and my earlobes plucked to perfection...it just makes me feel good.

[EricEstlund]

it just makes me feel good.

Worth what it takes.

[crownjewelwl]

my wife says my rapha bibs make my butt look nice

[pdonk]

These are sold out, but put rapha to shame in terms of cost.

http://www.selfedge.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=245

[russ46]

It's obviously just a test balloon. Notice on the link that everything is out of stock. They're just fishing for people to be advised when in stock which will tell them if they should manufacturer any.

[rice rocket]

It's obviously just a test balloon. Notice on the link that everything is out of stock. They're just fishing for people to be advised when in stock which will tell them if they should manufacturer any.
Not the case here.

Selfedge has a pretty big following, on the internet and locally. They're admitted low volume jeans (probably a handful in each size), but they do sell them out quickly.

That said, I'd NEVER fit in any of those jeans...6 or 7" leg opening = almost no room for my giant calves.

Also of note, if you've never worn 21 oz/yd jeans, it's...interesting. It's like wearing cardboard. It'll "break in" eventually, kind of like a Brooks saddle.

[Nil Else]

butt lift jeans



Are there such jeans, really? I'm interested.

Btw these Rapha jeans are, I think, cheaper than Rock & Republic jeans and they don't come with the mind-bending back pocket stitching designs... that's something.

And, for matter of fact, I often do wear Performance and Assos combination among many others... except for Rapha... I just can't do Rapha...styling wise... I signed the waver when I started cycling that I retain my rights to refuse any new fad I don't dig.

[benb]

While they're experimenting with fabrics.. they might as well make a cordura/denim blend.

Then they can sell these as protective gear.

Actually on that front "draggin jeans" type products sold to motorcyclists might work just as well for cycling, and they probably are protective enough to help in a crash.

They are in the price range of an inexpensive pair of synthetic motorcycle pants that have armor in them as is.

BTW.. I get the "fashion jean" thing, but can Rapha really claim to be part of that? They aren't very good looking jeans after all.

[pdmtong]

Why would you want a black rain jacket?

because the other colors show winter road grease/grime more?

seriously, I own the non-team grey version of this piece abd it works excellent. oddly the SPass did not fit ME as well

[dimsy]

BTW.. I get the "fashion jean" thing, but can Rapha really claim to be part of that? They aren't very good looking jeans after all.

i doubt it. but they sure are trying as it seems.

[jlwdm]

..

And, for matter of fact, I often do wear Performance and Assos combination among many others... except for Rapha... I just can't do Rapha...styling wise... I signed the waver when I started cycling that I retain my rights to refuse any new fad I don't dig.

Most Rapha is very basic design. I don't have a lot of pieces, but I like my bibs (totally black), jersey (one color with simple stripes around the chest) neck gaiter and merino socks.

Fad??????

Jeff

[Nil Else]

Fad??????



Is it just me? Am I seeing things or is there overall hipsterish retro-Sherlock vibe to most of Rapha clothing? (I'm sure it'd be challenging to effectively show the overall "styling" on their own on every little garments they make.)

[spartacus]

Assos offers a repair service for its clothing. Assos will replace a broken zip on that Fugu. And Rapha?

[crownjewelwl]

Assos offers a repair service for its clothing. Assos will replace a broken zip on that Fugu. And Rapha?

Rapha does do repairs. I had some stitching that came loose on a jacket. It went in for repair, but instead they shipped me a new one.

[pdonk]

Not the case here.

Selfedge has a pretty big following, on the internet and locally. They're admitted low volume jeans (probably a handful in each size), but they do sell them out quickly.

That said, I'd NEVER fit in any of those jeans...6 or 7" leg opening = almost no room for my giant calves.

Also of note, if you've never worn 21 oz/yd jeans, it's...interesting. It's like wearing cardboard. It'll "break in" eventually, kind of like a Brooks saddle.


I am a follower and fan of selfedge. Yes they are limited editions, typically runs of less than 150 pairs that sell out in weeks/days.

I really like my 21 oz iron hearts, the quality of the material and construction is awesome.

Once broken in they feel great.

[fiamme red]

It seems that Rapha has some competition, the Outlier "Keirin Cut Dungarees," for only $188. :rolleyes:

http://shop.outlier.cc/shop/retail/catalog/product/view/id/1270/s/keirin-cut-dungaree/category/16

"Cut for the large legs of an everyday cyclist and built with Outlier's rugged Doubleweave Canvas."

http://outlier.cc/images/dungaree/05OUTLIERDungareePose.jpg

[Erik.Lazdins]

the Rapha bibs are terrific and the Classic Softshell is terrific and a half.

[DRZRM]

I'd planned to stay out of this thread. I have a couple of Rapha pieces I like (Fixed shorts and jersey) but their riding jeans are not something I'd even consider. However (and I know it's been said above) this community making fun of the cost of almost any small, artisan-made product strikes me as...ironic.

That said, fashion labels aside, much like bikes good jeans are worth spending on if you care about quality and workmanship, which I generally assume you guys do. I wear jeans all the time, might as well have a few great pairs I really like. Self Edge is a great store, they carry an incredible selection of jeans from small producers. The production side for some of these folks reminds me of frame builders' shops I've seen.

Here's a video (https://www.selfedge.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=88) that I think supports the point I'm trying to make. This guy hand-makes every pair of jeans he sells, that doesn't make the price suddenly reasonable, but once you get over the sticker shock, it also does not seem so outlandish.

pdonk, I feel you man, I'm wearing a pair of IH 634S as I'm typing this and they have become as soft as butter.