Rapha closes North American office

[sg8357]

Originally Posted by adub

Rapha has become the Eddie Bauer of cycling clothing

Worse, Rapha is the new Primal Wear.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by fourflys

thought about trying the Rapha core stuff, but they really aren't made for clydes and I really like Giordana stuff.. can't imagine the Rapha would be any better..

Pro core is a lot stretchier and more forgiving than my Assos so it may be worth trying on, at least. I feel like I’m wearing a shirt though with both the gravel style with pockets and a non pocket model. Just a lot of material I’d prefer to not have.

[holliscx]

Originally Posted by sg8357

Worse, Rapha is the new Primal Wear.

Voler's giving Primal a run for their money

[Nomadmax]

I skipped ahead. Is Rapha getting ready to "Pro's Closet" ?

[Heisenberg]

Originally Posted by Nomadmax

I skipped ahead. Is Rapha getting ready to "Pro's Closet" ?

No - it’ll be sold before that happens.

[jlwdm]

Originally Posted by adub

Rapha has become the Eddie Bauer of cycling clothing

Not in the ways that matter to me. I have lots of great items from Rapha and I would not buy anything from Eddie Bauer.


Jeff

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by litcrazy

I also think by aiming for a larger audience, they've lost their high-end/elitist appeal. When I visit my kids in NYC, there are so many riders wearing Rapha, not just hardcore riders. This is less of an issue in Albuquerque (less road culture, less disposable income). I think this pushes the hardcore market away. For a certain rider, seeing non hardcore riders wearing their gear diminishes their view of it, even if the product hasn't changed.

Agreed. It's funny hearing people bemoan about Rapha being elitist in this day and age when REI has been selling the Core line since 2020 or so. The cool kids have long moved to PNS or MAAP.

[soupless]

Everybody’s laughing at the PNS people now as well.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

Agreed. It's funny hearing people bemoan about Rapha being elitist in this day and age when REI has been selling the Core line since 2020 or so. The cool kids have long moved to PNS or MAAP.

I think one of the issues is they haven't lost their elitist pricing.. which is probably why they may have bottom line issues.. as I said earlier, I love the Brevet jerseys, I think they are nice looking very well made, and seem to look better on a husky fella.. BUT, I can get a Torm jersey that is very similar for less, even when factoring in shipping to the US..

Rapha seemed to be an early leader in getting away from the garish designs a lot of cycling kit had back in the day.. I do occasionally like to wear my 2000s-era Salsa jerseys (if it ain't Moto, it's worthless), but I prefer a bit lower-key stuff mostly.. and Rapha made that available.. the next step is for kit manufacturers to actually understand there are riders who aren't looking for "euro cut" kit and don't MTB stuff either.. (yes, there is club cut, but even that depends) one company that seems to have realized this is Fat Lad at the Back fatladattheback.com

[November Dave]

Originally Posted by soupless

Everybody’s laughing at the PNS people now as well.

Which is ultimately why I think Rapha is in a good strategic position. The emaciated cool kid IG/TikTok influencers at the pointy end of the spear do well to heat up your brand, but they're a fickle lot and PNS and MAAP lack the defined style signature and greater awareness that Rapha has. It's awfully tough to stay hot - "nobody wears it anymore because everyone wears it" is probably pretty good ground to be on. Do MAAP, Pas Normal, Cafe du Cycliste et al make any money, and do they have ready sources of capital?

If Rapha can figure out how to get their clubs/locations to profitability, I see them as an asset. I went to a pop-up one in Coconut Grove several years ago and it was very lively and fun, went on a few rides from there while I was there. I'm headed to Amsterdam for work in a couple of weeks and will probably stop in the store there because it's cool and well merchandised and the staff are actually nice people who are cycling mad, and they typically have some neat location-specific items (I got some Rapha AMS socks when I was there last year). I won't get to ride there, though.

The good point has been made that Rapha needs to expand beyond cycling to really hit, which may be very true. I don't know. I think I saw their annual topline sales revenue at 110mm GBP, which is a fairly substantial number. I'd love for @verticaldoug or @veloduffer to weigh in on how "real" they read the losses as being versus money going from one pocket to another in the same pair of pants. Those guys are like EF Hutton for me, for those old enough to remember that.

[charliedid]

Cycling will be one part of a full blown lifestyle brand within a year.

[litcrazy]

I think they’ve been trying for a bit and it’s not that easy.
I kind of wonder if that energy is going into tracksmith, which is a sister brand I believe.

Originally Posted by charliedid

Cycling will be one part of a full blown lifestyle brand within a year.

[holliscx]

Eddie Bauer is sartorial virginity

[Lgibjones]

The people who work in the local Rapha store seem really friendly, committed to riding, and committed to the brand. It is not an elitist vibe at all. The clothing is nice but I just can’t get past the pricing.

[saab2000]

This spring I needed some new stuff and so I went to the Rapha store in Chicago to try on a few items just so I’d know what size to get. Bought a pair of bibs and a jersey. Not a cheap day but I knew that going in.

Went home and a month or so later placed a pretty big order with Rapha. I love their design aesthetic and their jerseys. The bibs are comfortable enough but honestly, nothing special and probably not as nice as some Assos I’ve had in the past.

Then one wash cycle and a thread had come undone from one of the bibs and unwound many meters, bundling up a whole load of laundry. That stuff is strong. I cut it off, hoping it would be the end of it. Next wash cycle same thing. Now I’m not sure what to do with these bibs. If I had a sewing machine I could probably fix it easily. I’m tempted to bring it to the local cleaners where they make alterations and see if they can help out.

Anyway, I’m not so sure if this is a one off or if there’s a quality issue that’s larger. The jerseys have been great. The bibs leave me less warm and fuzzy. And as mentioned, very expensive. I don’t mind the cost if something is really high quality. But it should be more than a few wearing before threads start unraveling.