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Maybe a road cycling brand did not have the elasticity to appeal to MTB, in a MTB community.
Maybe the absence of classic references and cineastes to deliver the message failed to sustain whatever community had been built.
Maybe the lack of expansion into potential markets - even as seasonal popups - made the RCC community hard to sustain or build.
Maybe the abandonment of the ambassador Slack channel after the departure of the community manager in a single season - with no communication and no effort to maintain - was a clear harbinger of management's approach on a few levels...
Maybe cycling just isn't that precious and the combo of hero worship of cycling celebrities / teams with more authentic experiences (and goods) never made sense in the first place (Team Sky / Froome).
Rapha needed to follow a premium contemporary apparel playbook - think Lululemon - and instead they went chasing after a bunch of boondoggles like lower price points, offbeat sponsorships that noone cared about, prime time sponsorships that noone cared about, side lines that no one cared about, etc.
Rapha was/is also limited by cycling. If the brand was not entirely road-cycling specific, they may have tapped in to the premium running segment, like Tracksmith - an obvious growth opportunity for a brand that makes or made well tailored athletic apparel. But that was even more remote than, say, an MTB line.
Rapha was great for a while. Long live Rapha.
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