View Full Version : more from Rapha and Brooks...
19wisconsin64
05-19-2011, 01:00 PM
good time to be a cyclist...more stuff, more media exposure, more bike lanes...... it's all good!!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703421204576331264272981804.html?m od=WSJ_hpp_sections_lifestyle
erector
05-20-2011, 01:16 AM
This is difficult for me to say outwardly... especially given my questioning of Rapha prices, outsourcing, etc, but I will say that I am a Rapha LOVER. Their shorts are AMAZING, a little on the tighter side, but SO nice, and when their stuff is on sale, you can get some REALLY quality products at a VERY reasonable price, especially given the Assos 1500$ kits (bibs, base, jersey, jacket).
I will say, DO NOT buy the Grand Tour Gloves. They're $160 a PAIR, and the perforated leather will last depending on how hard you ride them (mine lasted about a solid year of wearing them on EVERY ride. Alas now they are retired (notice how they're not thrown out, i can't bring myself to throw them away), BUT EVERY other glove I have tried (a lot of em) come NO WHERE CLOSE. My hands long for that African SheepHair Leather (goat now), the 2mm army-gunner padding, and that OH SO AMAZING bad-ass look that comes with them. Unless you're prepared to throw down and make a life-time commitment, this is a case where ignorance is bliss.
Also, if you're following the ToCa, you'll notice that Phil and Paul get their wardrobes from Rapha now, and not as much Izod... I THOUGHT I saw the Rapha Rain Jacket during that rainy start a few days ago :cool:
those leg straps look a bit over the top..
veloduffer
05-20-2011, 07:52 AM
I found it interesting that WSJ had such a large article on the subject and even had an article on sprinting at the Giro. Given its conservative bent (owned by Rupert Murdoch/FOX now), I would think it would ignore cycling and be anti-bike lane. On the other hand, many of their subscribers are Wall St workers that are avid cyclists with big $$ gear. I guess catering to your money base outweighs the philosophical bent. :rolleyes:
FlashUNC
05-20-2011, 08:41 AM
I think its encouraging when companies like this see enough of a market of folks using their bike as a primary means of transportation, rather than just a tool for fitness.
Gives me a bit of hope that maybe the mindset is just changing slightly, though I suspect $4 a gallon gas has something to do with that.
bart998
05-20-2011, 08:49 AM
I found it interesting that WSJ had such a large article on the subject and even had an article on sprinting at the Giro. Given its conservative bent (owned by Rupert Murdoch/FOX now), I would think it would ignore cycling and be anti-bike lane. On the other hand, many of their subscribers are Wall St workers that are avid cyclists with big $$ gear. I guess catering to your money base outweighs the philosophical bent. :rolleyes:
Why would you think conservatives are anti-cycling? The two are not mutually exclusive. I've been a conservative and a cyclist ever since I worked in a bike shop while suffering through Jimmy Carter's "presidency." The current situation in Washington feels very familiar...
veloduffer
05-20-2011, 09:41 AM
Why would you think conservatives are anti-cycling? The two are not mutually exclusive. I've been a conservative and a cyclist ever since I worked in a bike shop while suffering through Jimmy Carter's "presidency." The current situation in Washington feels very familiar...
It's not conservatives as a whole, just the Wall St Journal, which has railed against most things "green" (particularly involving regulation like oil drilling and natural gas fracking). The article, however, was in their "lifestyle" section of the paper.
JeremyS
05-20-2011, 12:21 PM
I appreciate what Rapha is doing for the sport in general. I don't like their build quality or outsourcing. Lately the sewing on their jerseys has looked like the work on sample pieces I've gotten back, not finished production pieces. It's kind of maddening.
re: the brooks $1400 ventile cotton jacket. That piece I think is total bullpoop. You can get a made in england Ventile piece for under half that. Wings and Horns out of BC has ventile pieces in the $500 - $600 range too. Even Outlier's similar-to-Ventile piece is only $700.
Edification: Ventile is rad stuff. It is super long staple cotton that is effectively waterproof because of the way the cotton slams shut when it swells in contact with moisture. Makes it superbreathable, too. Very great textile, but it's also hell of expensive. The cheapest I can get it is around 18GBP a yard, roughly $27 right now. That puts it up there with most Schoeller goods. For comparison, most of the clothes you're buying are from $2 to $15 a yard for goods.
slowpoke
05-20-2011, 12:33 PM
It's not conservatives as a whole, just the Wall St Journal, which has railed against most things "green" (particularly involving regulation like oil drilling and natural gas fracking). The article, however, was in their "lifestyle" section of the paper.
Case in point: O'Rourke's dull anti-bike rant (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704050204576218600999993800.html)
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